Archive 2024
121 articles
Introduction to System Metrics with ISUCON Environment
A summary of regular study sessions using the ISUCON environment to properly understand system metrics.
The Art of Writing a CFP
Craft compelling conference CFPs using blog-writing, organization techniques, and structured presentation development methodology.
A Comprehensive Guide to Database Design: For Those Who Don’t Want to Stop at Beginner Level
A review of a thorough guide to database design for those who don't want to stop at the beginner level. It explains DB design systematically and clearly, covering the essentials of normalization and table design as a guide for stepping beyond the basics.
MySQL Locks Explained: Preventing Deadlocks and Improving Performance
Understand MySQL locking mechanisms—table locks, row locks, gap locks, and intent locks. Learn how deadlocks occur and how to prevent and diagnose them effectively.
Knowledge and Skills of Accounting Systems for Engineers
A review of 'Knowledge and Skills of Accounting Systems for Engineers.' Assuming a grounding in accounting and bookkeeping, it explains how an accounting system turns various inputs into outputs, helping engineers who find accounting daunting grasp the big picture.
Knowledge and Technology of Financial Systems for Engineers
A review of Knowledge and Skills of Financial Systems for Engineers. A book that weighs financial domain knowledge more than the systems themselves. It explains the operations and systems of banks, insurers, securities firms, and credit card companies, useful even for engineers working on payment systems.
Knowledge and Skills of Inventory Management Systems for Engineers
A review of Knowledge and Skills of Inventory Management Systems for Engineers. A book for learning the domain of inventory management systems. It concretely conveys the difficulty of inventory management, tied to production, sales, purchasing, accounting, and costing, and the complexity of the functions it demands.
Knowledge and Skills of Production Management Systems for Engineers
A review of Knowledge and Skills of Production Management Systems for Engineers. A book for learning the domain of production management systems. It brings home, well beyond production management, that deeply understanding business workflows greatly affects system quality.
Knowledge and Technology of Logistics Systems for Engineers
A review of Knowledge and Skills of Logistics Systems for Engineers. A book for learning the domain of logistics systems. It explains how to optimize the flow and management of goods together with business knowledge, offering a foothold for understanding logistics-related systems.
Database Normalization Explained: 1NF to 3NF with Examples
Learn database normalization from first principles. Understand 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF with practical examples and when denormalization is the right trade-off for performance.
Beginning SQL, 3rd Edition
A review of Beginning SQL, 3rd Edition. An easy-to-understand SQL primer you will wish you had read early in your career, also just right for revisiting how to write basic queries and the underlying ideas, and easy to recommend to those starting out with SQL.
Practical Introduction to Databases: Efficient SQL through the Relational Model
A review of a practical introduction to databases taught from theory via the relational model. Learning databases from relational theory helps organize how you approach RDBs, grounding the principles behind efficient SQL in set theory and logic.
SQL Anti-Patterns
A review of SQL Antipatterns. A go-to classic that introduces the antipatterns you tend to fall into with databases and SQL, with clear explanations. Knowing common mistakes and how to avoid them helps with design and implementation decisions.
Mastering SQL: A Comprehensive Guide for Advanced Beginners, 2nd Edition
A review of Mastering SQL: A Comprehensive Guide for Advanced Beginners, 2nd Edition. A book for learning the varied expressions of SQL beyond the basics. Full of oh-you-can-write-it-this-way moments that expand your repertoire, it suits those who want to step beyond the beginner level.
Practical Introduction to SQL: Writing Fast and Understandable Queries
A review of Practical Introduction to SQL. A book that organizes what to keep in mind when writing SQL. Grounded in execution plans, it teaches how to write queries that are both fast and easy to read.
What is a Database Index? How It Works and When You Need It
Understand how database indexes work internally—B-tree and hash structures—when to add or avoid indexes, and how to measure index effectiveness using EXPLAIN.
Capacity Planning - Maximizing Resources through Site Analysis, Forecasting, and Placement
A review of Capacity Planning. Though an older book, it teaches the fundamentals of capacity planning. While it assumes on-premises, much of its thinking on analyzing, forecasting, and placing site resources still transfers to the cloud.
About Capacity Planning
Plan system capacity by analyzing performance requirements, measuring infrastructure, forecasting needs, and setting safety factors.
Database ID Design: UUID vs Auto Increment vs ULID — Which to Choose?
Compare auto-increment integers, UUIDs, and ULIDs as database IDs. Learn the trade-offs in performance, sortability, and distributed system compatibility.
NULL in Database Design: Common Pitfalls and Best Practices
Learn how NULL works in relational databases, the three-valued logic problem, common query mistakes with NULL, and schema design strategies to avoid NULL-related bugs.