TOOLS: SQL Clients AKA DB Tools

A SQL client is, as the name indicates, a client for a SQL Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). It can help you manage (create, read, modify/update, delete) DBs.
Some kind of administration tool is available with each RDBMS (you could have it installed on your computer or only on the server). But sometimes you'll have productivity gains if you use a multi-DB client because using the same SW user interface you will be managing several different DB engines / instances.

Examples of DB Tools include: Aqua Data Studio (Windows, proprietary - this one scripts data into DML SQL statements), Squirrel SQL Client (open source, java-based).

A comparison of DB tools can be found - where else? - in Wikipedia so choose one according to your requirements (and that might be shaped by your budget): 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_database_tools


For SQL Server, as per 2016-11: 
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt238290.aspx 
SQL Server Management Studio Express

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms365247(v=sql.105).aspx
And a related download - SQL Server 2016 Express (the free DB engine):
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52679


(Updates: @2016-11-08: MS SQL Server example links)

Modelling: EA initial management tasks

Some common management tasks for EA (to be performed by the EA UML repository manager, which could be the Technical Manager of your project) include:

Activate Security - Turn on the option that allows you to define who alters what part of the model and who does not (lock, unlock):
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/8.0/projects_and_teams/usersecurity.html

Managing Users - Create profiles, users belonging to profiles and defining permissions for those:
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/8.0/projects_and_teams/managingusers.html

Import Users from Active Directory - Integrating existing (e.g. domain) users into EA 
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/8.0/projects_and_teams/import_user_ids_from_active_di.html

Initial EA Scripts - The DB schema that has to be loaded into the SQL DB initially: 
http://silvaonsoftware.blogspot.pt/2016/10/ea-initial-scripts.html


(@2017-06-23: Minor rephrases)

RESOURCE: "How To Write Unmaintainable Code" (PDF)

Do you like learning while laughing? If so you'll like to read "How To Write Unmaintainable Code". Remember that this is irony and that you'll earn enemies for life if you follow this through.

• PDF: https://www.se.rit.edu/~tabeec/RIT_441/Resources_files/How%20To%20Write%20Unmaintainable%20Code.pdf

• https://github.com/Droogans/unmaintainable-code

Stop and smell the... Code

Code Smells? Sometimes the code smells. So should we stop and smell the roses, or shall it be the code?

Quoting Martin Fowler:
"One of the nice things about smells is that it's easy for inexperienced people to spot them, even if they don't know enough to evaluate if there's a real problem or to correct them. I've heard of lead developers who will pick a "smell of the week" and ask people to look for the smell and bring it up with the senior members of the team. Doing it one smell at a time is a good way of gradually teaching people on the team to be better programmers." (Source: http://martinfowler.com/bliki/CodeSmell.html)

More info:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_smell
- http://mikamantyla.eu/BadCodeSmellsTaxonomy.html
- https://blog.codinghorror.com/code-smells/

A good reference resource (and a company providing consulting services) here: https://sourcemaking.com/refactoring/smells

SW Construction | Static Analysis: Tools and more tools (FFR)

Yet another examples of static analysis tools (for source code metrics collection, understanding projec: 

• https://scitools.com/ - Understand. Not free. But also not that expensive ;)
• UCC, http://csse.usc.edu/ucc_wp/ - Source code metrics for a whole lot of languages, including VHDL. What's this?
• CLOC, https://github.com/AlDanial/cloc (was: http://cloc.sourceforge.net/) - Line counter

The importance of... writing

The importance of writing well can never be over-stressed. And I am not talking of code, I am talking of code comments, and even more importantly, of deliverable documents (proposal documents, technical baseline documents, user and / or administration manuals, meeting minutes, etc.) as well as formal communications.

We're talking of "proper" English (or whatever language you have to write on - I am not a native English speaker but I have had for several years to work in English). If you don't do it, your customers might think you're an amateur, unprofessional person and might run away from your... software (which is a curious thing).

There are good resources on how to write better, you might be interested in researching and subscribing to them (if applicable):

- One example of a quick recap you can find in the WWW:
Use of capital letters:
http://wmgroup.cmail2.com/t/ViewEmail/i/941747E3A36E00D2/5A0433250211844FC5EC08CADFFC107B

Doubled consonants:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences#Doubled_consonants

- More and in "small doses" like the above (to learn a little bit at a time, as it typically works better): https://twitter.com/thewmgroup/status/695639693795446787?lang=bg


@2016-11-04: Added consonants topic

SW Construction: Let's do it like they do it on space? | NASA Coding Conventions

So I remembered that some (oldie but for sure goldie) coding conventions are freely available from NASA JPL, several languages available:
https://www.google.pt/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=nasa%20jpl%20coding%20standards

FFR. But meanwhile you can start applying it (and doing "IT" like they do it on - i,e. for - space)