Re: PL/SQL Code Reviews

redrobot5050_at_gmail.com wrote:
> Hello all
>
> Has anyone here ever participated or lead an group in a PL/SQL code
> review? My project manager and I believe that our we need to
> incorporation a code review/inspection into our process and I am trying
> to assemble a list of resources that should help us in accomplishing
> this task.
>
> Most importantly, I'm looking for sites/white papers that deal with
> either Code Review (the general approach) or specific documents
> pertaining to the process (defect checklists specific to PL/SQL)
>
> CW

Many including teaching classes on how to do them.

Any code that is not reviewed, quite simply, does not belong in test ... much less production.

The biggest issues around code reviews are: 1. Management must have the background to mandate them and stand

    behind the reviewers.
2. Everybodies code must be reviewed ... that includes UNIX sys

    admins and their shell scripts as well as the code executed     by DBAs as part of their "maintenance" function. It can not     just be a "beat up on the developers" fest. 3. The person or persons doing the reivew must actually be

    competent ... not just have an important title. I have seen     DBAs that couldn't write a decent PL/SQL package criticizing     code they quite frankly couldn't understand. 4. The persons reviewing the code should include (1) A subject

    matter expert, (2) the person that wrote the code, (3) at     least a few members of the development team. This is done so     that lessons are learned and spread through the group. 5. The "subject matter expert" is not the "expert" because they

    have been using Oracle since version 5, or 6, or whatever but     is actually an expert on the version being used. I have seen     Oraclasours (Oracle dinosaurs) who had never seen bulk collection     pass as good code with cursors that was horrible just out of     pure ignorance.
6. Make sure that the review is done as an educational event not

    as a lets make the coder feel like they are being personally     taken to task event.

<RANT>
A major cellular phone company in this area just sent me a requirement for a new DBA. They specifically asked for someone that DID NOT know Oracle 6, or 7, or 8.0.x.

Why you may ask? Why not go for someone with many years of experience.

Because they are tired of dealing with dinosaurs that are trying to manage 9i and 10g databases the way they managed older versions. They'd rather train someone on what to do then untrain them on ingrained bad habits.

This is not the first time I've heard this from a DBA lead about his co-workers but it is the first time it has been reflected in a corporate hiring policy.

If you aren't keeping your skills up ... you might as well know COBOL. </RANT>

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
http://www.psoug.org
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace x with u to respond)