My name is David Tovee BSc (Hons).
Experience & Education
I’ve worked in the IT industry for several decades working on various hardware and operating systems.
I have an HNC in electrical electronics, a “Diploma in Computing”, a “Certificate in Web Applications Development”, a “Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Computing” and a “Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Management”.
I enjoy learning and I completed 33 University courses and I never stop learning as change is the only certainty.
I started work cutting cables to fixed lengths and crimping connectors to the ends, I move to fixing circuit boards to component level with an oscilloscope, I progress to managing system installations (News International, Thompson Directories, The Scotsman, Cambridge University Press) and now I focus on systems application and database support.
My T-Shirt logo
I’ve completed some intense projects which involved a lot of effort which normally went unrecognised by the business so a work colleague wrote the solution to the issue on a piece of paper for me when we were testing components and end to end testing of our SAP ordering system:
1. Do not log off.
2. Do not go home.
3. Fix everything.
In 2018 I changed jobs and move back into more of a DevOps role with the focus on supporting web servers and databases.
SQL Server
When you are developing your knowledge in a subject you need to focus on s a source of truth to block all the other noise, the person I focused was on Brent Ozar and used his First Responder Kit. I completed all of his SQL Server training and I use his scripts daily at work.
Brent’s YouTube videos are a great source of information. Doug Lane created some amazing videos about the cardinality engine for Brent as well as other people like Erik Darling.
I personally bought Brent’s fundamentals recorded training courses and I manage to persuade my employer to buy his season pass which is so much better to interact with Brent. I you are considering his live classes I highly recommend them (if you get his humor).
Giving Credit where credit is due…
I am not self taught, I study, read, implement and use courses to give feedback on my knowledge to constantly improve so I’m grateful of the authors of the books, videos and courses so I can build better systems and avoid the mistakes they made. Mistakes are inevitable, it is about how we prepare for them so we can recover from them.