BI dev position

Working at one company…

I’m more a database developer , but at some point I received an offer for a BI dev position. The financial part was great, the location (close to me, few minutes walking)
was great, so I accepted.

It’s a consultancy company, so, we were working for an external client. The main project was divided in 5,6 sub-projects.  I was allocated to one of it,  along with 2,3 dev and 2 QA, 1BA . + 1 Project Manager and 1 Line Manager belonging to the hole project.

The main objective of the project was to create a moving SSIS project. From client OLTP/DWH to a continental DWH . And also, update the  flow from continental DWH to the global DWH.

Starting the development, I encountered my first warning : the mapping document which was describing the fields you need to take, transform . Every day we get a new mapping document, and were days where we received  more then one document. I started to save them to disk , and after 20+ files , I stop saving them , to much.  And there was nothing to show what changes were made from one version to another. This led to forget, skip some changes. You know , to scan , by hand , every field (200+) , check it …

Second warning was the way we access the client resources. We were connecting throw a VDI. No prob with this kind of working but entering in the system was problematic : every week our accounts or VDI’s were inaccessible. And once entered , the VDI was moving very slow. If you were opening a SSMS , Visual studio and try to open an excel file , then you should wait… Very frustrating!!!

Another warning: We had a table with no primary key and we needed some field/s for the incremental load. But nothing were fit for it. So we ask the client to provide a primary key to that table (or a combination of fields that will guarantee the unique)  .  It took like 1month+  to just add that existing field to the exporting table. The field was present in solution, but was not in the table.
Then we enter in a time pressure , and the LM told that we need to stay overtime, work in weekend …??!!. No need because the SSIS solution was ready, just needed little changes to update it with then primary key.

Another warning: the SSIS solution would create some csv files and place them in a default location. In the meeting, we agree that , the location should be in the same data center as the supplier DWH, and would be a default location. This is how the 3 developers understood and remembers,  but only the PM remembers that we should push the files to the main data center.  And the human behavior for it, was never encounter ever and under any human standard( “I’m feeling to hit someone” and he looked at me, because I developed the most of it . The part with the export location was the result of my co-worker, to which I was fully agree with) . The change for it took like 5 minutes, just created a variable and bring that variable to the config file so that should be configurable.

Another warning: I don’t know how it is in other places, but after every important meeting with the client, the PM would write some “meenuts” of the meeting, and sent it to all participants( to be sure that we all understand correctly). But here never have been done that.

At some point I was put to present to the client, the technical specification of a sub-project at which I didn’t have done work , because the main developers were out of this project or left the company. I refused and the colleague presented.

The main project should have ended somewhere in the summer, but at some point extended till last of august.

Once , the project been close to the end term, I was out of the project, on bench waiting for another project. In mean time, I started to search a new job company, by my self, outside of the company and started to talk with some company.

During this, I was brought back in the project ( I didn’t knew why at that point, because of my skills ? I don’t think so) and the new final term was now end of October. NO prob , just endure it the final term si close.
Later, I founded that the client just extended the final term with two more months (till December) and additionally wants only 1 Dev and 1 QA . No PM  and LM only for 1 day per week. The project should entered in a maintenance state, where you should only change a formula , some mapping field. And I was the one to remain in project. This is way I was brought back in the project and because the former Dev and PM were to move an on new project…
I found that maintenance is not only maintenance , they also want development .

The project was made from 5,6 sub projects on which I only worked 2,3 of them. The  others sub projects I didn’t know much of it.

I kept talking with the other company, but still the recruitment process was delaying.
At some point I should decided fast:

– not having yet an answer for the other company (good or bad)
– the other dev would start a new project and me remaining on the old project.
– if I get an positive answer and my colleague starting the new project, then no one where available to continue the present project…
– knowing that the final term is already prolonged 4 time , I bet this end term would also change.

Having this in count, I rolled the dice (hoping for a positive answer) and gave my resignation. In this condition, my colleague remained in the main project.
After 3weeks , finally , I received a notification from the second company. I wasn’t chosen for the position, so my bet was wrong.

A longer Christmas vacation. Till Easter ?

I did right or not?

 

 

S