You're just a day rate

[suityou01]

I'm currently delivering a data migration for a corporate acquisition. Got a few devs on my team, and I'm quite lucky with the ones I do have.

What I'm not so lucky is with the quality of the data in the source system. Or rather, the way the data is structured in the source system.

I have to convert the pile of poo records into workflow records to go into a very complex workflow system. It is a fools mission to even attempt to map it as the source system doesn't have any discernible workflow, and the flags that are stored against a record vary over time as and when the company "tried stuff out". It is a cluster**** of gargantuan proportions.

So, Suity 2.0 now takes time out to chill, focus and think about stuff rather than beating myself up until I burn out and fade away. So during one of my personal focus groups I had the idea of using a fuzzy logic approach. Don't get me wrong, not in terms of pattern matching per se, or Soundex queries, but in terms of trying to generally work out the status of a case.

That is to say I can use certain markers such as "this letter template was used to send a letter to the client", or "The supplier called to chase payment". Using these "soft markers" and applying fuzzy logic confidence and biases I can get the computer to "think" me an outcome to tell me where to pop it in the workflow.

So we just had the big meet up with the PM to show off my approach. I was expecting spellbound attention, lavishing praise upon my giant and oh so clever noggin. In fact one of my devs wrote a case file viewer (about half a days work) which the PM was thrilled with.

The fuzzy logic stuff was met with stifled yawns and a few shrugs, even though I have cracked the one insurmountable problem we had.

Just a gentle reminder from the contacting God that you're just a day rate. Worth remembering the next time a contract is stressing you out. "Meet success and failure and treat those two imposters just the same"....

[vetran]

wait a week or two until the PM comes up with the idea and allocates it to you as it is something you won't struggle too much with....

[NibblyPig]

The difference between a contractor and a permie is:

- The permie gets paid half of your salary to have his ideas shat on
- The permie can't simply walk if it sucks
- The permie gets to have PDP and other tulip during which he will ineffectually whine at the system being broken
- The permie will beg for scraps and maybe after a year of loyally putting up with it will get a £500 raise

The difference between a contractor and an entrepreneur is:

- The entrepreneur takes his/her great ideas and implements them and then sells the result back to the company and all other companies in the same sector

Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes.

But at least if you're a contractor, you're under no illusion of what's going on.

[SimonMac]

You are a contractor, so you are expected to figure out these problems, don't tell us what you are gonna do son, tell us when you have done it!

[_V_]

So, Suity 2.0 now takes time out to chill, focus and think about stuff rather than beating myself up until I burn out and fade away. So during one of my personal focus groups I had the idea of using a fuzzy logic approach. Don't get me wrong, not in terms of pattern matching per se, or Soundex queries, but in terms of trying to generally work out the status of a case.

That is to say I can use certain markers such as "this letter template was used to send a letter to the client", or "The supplier called to chase payment". Using these "soft markers" and applying fuzzy logic confidence and biases I can get the computer to "think" me an outcome to tell me where to pop it in the workflow.

It's called classification, and a professional data scientist would probably apply decision trees or bayesian approaches.

[DaveB]

Is it just me or does every post Suity makes about a current gig involve a data migration, a dodgy database and some sort of "genius" (and I use the word advisedly) solution that the client completely fails to appreciate?

[suityou01]

It's called classification, and a professional data scientist would probably apply decision trees or bayesian approaches.

So not bad for a code monkey then

[suityou01]

Suitysnip<nasally sounding pretentious shandy drinking nonsense>

I do some to get more than my fair share of crap gigs. The people on this one a nice though, and it's in the UK.

[MarillionFan]

I do some to get more than my fair share of crap gigs. The people on this one a nice though, and it's in the UK.

They normally turn crap just after you arrive. Just saying like.

[LondonManc]

He's probably come up with some genius solution in the past there. Recommended a new strategy for crossing the road from the Macron car park; three RTAs and five nervous breakdowns later, they've gone back to using the crossing.