When NOT to normalise the database
When talking of Database Normalisation, textbooks often talk of BCNF, fifth and higher normal forms. However, in practice (in large software/ERPs) I have rarely noticed normalisation beyond Third...
View ArticleScripted thumbnail generation: security perspective
While searching for something on the net, I came across some scripts that generate image thumbnail on the fly. For example: http://tech.mikelopez.info/2006/03/02/php-image-resize-script/. While using...
View ArticleTop 10 considerations when preparing a software test plan
Click on images to enlarge -> Test the parts of the application that have changed since the last cycle / go live This part of the test plan is very obvious: test the changes to the application. Each...
View ArticleOracle deadlocks: the what and the how
Everyone knows what a deadlock is: a situation in which two or more competing processes are waiting for the other to finish, and thus neither ever does. The purpose of this post is to help people...
View ArticleRecursion: my two cents
A lot has been written on the use of recursion in computer programming, yet it remains one of the least understood aspects – especially for beginners. Having visited the Wikipedia page on recursion, I...
View ArticlePerformance tuning tips
Today I will share with you a couple of tips on process performance tuning: rewriting your code to be faster. This, for a change (contrasted with my previous posts on performance tuning), has nothing...
View ArticlePreparing for the PMP
This post is based on an interview with Piyush Singhal who cleared PMP recently with a 90+ score. Okay, so you are thinking about going for the Project Management Practitioner exam, and do not know...
View Article7 habits of highly effective programmers
I recently came across a list of seven rules for beginning programmers. I could agree with only one of the rules – each procedure should have a purpose, an input and a defined output. However,...
View ArticleReleasing: Gurbani search for mobile
Gurbani searching on the mobile used to be tough. Symbian and Android phones do not support Unicode with Indic support, which is required to use gurmukhi websites. Opera Mini allowed us to read...
View ArticleOracle performance tuning – an update
A tutorial is now available to perform Oracle performance tuning of applications and SQL statements. This tutorial has been expanded to include case studies, which will go a long way in better...
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