Database Programming v1'2

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Database Programming v1.2

• or Application Design with Databases
• or The Guest Lecture Dr. Shen Asked Me To Do

Matthew Batchelder Lead Developer ITS
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Ye Olde Overview

• My Background
• My Project Background
• Application Design Process
• Analysis
• Language Selection
• Database Design
• Interface Design
• Development
• The Sweet Stuff
• The Database Programming Industry
• Flavors of Developers
• Where Things Are Headed
• Stuff Ive Learned
• Suggestions

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Me
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Background

• PSU Graduate (PSC, actually)
• PSU ITS
• Help Desk
• PHP/Java Programmer
• Registrar PL/SQL Programmer
• Application Developer
• Database Design
• Front-end Design
• Javascript
• PHP
• PL/SQL
• Im a Blogger (BorkWeb)

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Project Background

• As a Student
• Database HCI Classes
• Senior Project
• On the Side (Im a Geek)
• Star Wars (Emperors Hammer Dark Jedi
  Brotherhood)
• Uber-Geeks Site
• Random Database Projects
• As an Employee
• Lots of Misc. Apps
• On the Side (Im still a Geek)
• BorkWeb
• Uber-Geeks Site (always in limbo)
• MasterWish
• Random Database Projects
• Consulting
• University of San Diego, Colby-Sawyer College,
  Ferris State University, etc.

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Application Design Process
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Application Design Process

• Analysis
• If you are beginning an application, there is
  undoubtedly a problem/inefficiency that needs a
  solution.
• Compile a list of application needs
• Brain dump first, then sort, detail where needed,
  then prioritize.
• Build process maps Map it out!
• What are the uses of the application?
• How will data be passed around your application?
• Analyze your diagrams and needs to root out
  inefficiencies

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Application Design Process

• Choosing Your Language
• Use what is appropriate
• Weigh
• Your development capabilities
• Time constraints
• Language suitability
• Thus far, Ive opted for PHP in most cases

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Application Design Process

• Database Design
• This is the applications foundation
• Know your data
• The Whiteboard is your friend
• Take your time and do this early on.

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Application Design Process

• Interface Design
• Storyboard
• The Whiteboard is still your friend
• Oh, and paper too
• Graphics/Colors/Document Structure
• It is extremely important to know what your
  application should look like!

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Application Design Process

• Development
• Develop in chunks
• Database Abstraction
• PHP ADOdb Pear
• Modularization
• OO is where its at
• Templatization
• SmartyTemplates XTemplates
• The Sweet Stuff
• Javascript
• XHR

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The Database Programming Industry
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Database Programming Industry

• Flavor of Developers
• Full Blown Database Developers
• Usually focused on Oracle or SQLServer or other
  enterprise level database
• Writing stored procedures and triggers
• Data warehousing
• Application Developers
• Not necessarily focused on any one database.
• Quite a bit of UI work (but not necessarily)
• Specialization in either desktop or web based
  development
• Many aspects of the Full Blown DB Dev but often
  less expertise
• Report Writers
• Not necessarily specialized in any one database
• Master of a reporting tool
• Focus on SQL optimization

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Database Programming Industry

• Where Things Are Headed
• Who the bleep knows?
• Keep an eye on
• Ajax
• Web 2.0
• Collaboration
• RSS Remixability
• Usability
• Accessibility
• Open Data

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Stuff Ive Learned
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Stuff Ive Learned

• Do your own thing
• If you run into an issue search for the answer
  online
• ask friends and/or instructors for answers only
  as a last resortwhen youre at a jobchances
  are, no one knows the answer near you. Get used
  to it.
• Brainstorm DB Design on Paper
• When you have an idea, jot it down on paper or
  the whiteboard then leave it. Come back later
  and look at it again, youll be sure to find
  inefficiencies.

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Stuff Ive Learned (cont.)

• Design your Databasedont just build it
• Its one thing to accomplish a taskits a
  completely different thing to do it correctly
  Where correctly means
• Re-usable
• Sustainable
• Versatile
• I find it useful to throw a design on the board
  and critique it aloud and (if possible) with
  another designer in the room.
• Ideas can be bounced back and forth and
  inefficiencies found before any coding has been
  done
• Design your Interfacedont just build it
• A solid set of mockups saves time and code.
  Scratch it down on paper before coding. Get a
  general idea about how your pages should contain
  and manipulate your data.

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Stuff Ive Learned (cont.)

• Specific Things
• Spend a LOT of time on query optimization. This
  is not only fun, it really speeds up your
  applications.
• Some complex queries are better left simple with
  generic results broken up and manipulated with a
  programming language such as PHP.
• Dont forget about indexing your tablesand do it
  intelligently!
• Innovate. Dont needlessly recreate the wheel.
• Oracle Programming Consultants make a lot of
  money. It really is pretty sick.
• Corporate Jobs are no more difficult than
  Education-based onesjust higher paid and higher
  risk.

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Suggestions

• Senior Projects and School Projects
• These can be goodnice learning tools but they
  typically wont get you very far
• And 9 times out of 10 they wont land you a job
• Study on your own
• Blog Read Blogs
• Jon Emmons is a Oracle Database Blogging success
  story!
• Learn what is new and changing
• Do your own projects
• You arent going to know jack if you dont play
• Make mistakes and get pissed at yourself then
  learn from your errors
• Find an OpenSource project and extend it
  (WordPress for example!)
• Do someone elses projects
• If you cant come up with your own ideas, join a
  SourceForge project that interests you

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More Specifically

• Become great at database design
• Pick a language and become an expert
• Learn to optimize your database
• Learn to optimize your code
• Like what you do and prove it by doing something
• Oh, and if Web Applications are your thing, learn
  JavaScript in depth

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The end.