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Similar ideas have been popping up on meta.SO. Popup requesting people to specify a DBMS when they tag a question with the tag SQL? sql tag without provided RDBMS I am all for it. My favorite would be to enforce the declaration of a basic (DBMS) tag. We'd need some sort of db-agnostic tag to go with that, but with simpler wording - many people won't ...

Ask a new (follow-up) question, including a link to the previous one if it provides useful context. The new question should still make sense on its own, of course. As a general rule, it is better to start a new question when a question edit would invalidate good answers. We don't charge by the question (but please don't go nuts - a hundred similar, very ...

As many of the following as possible: Database product, precise version, and edition. Formatted text of the query/procedure/function. Current and desired performance levels. Things you can and cannot change (e.g. can add indexes, cannot change the query). Query plans Ideally the post-execution variety, containing runtime information. Estimated execution ...

database-recommendation questions are not off-topic, but experience has shown that they need to be better than average to avoid being ignored or closed, especially in recent times. Click on that tag to see existing questions. Be specific about the circumstances, requirements, and constraints you face up front. For example, you should say whether the ...

I'll chime in here, seeing as I started the original discussion on chat. I think that the message is a good idea, but enforcing a base RDBMS tag (Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, DB2. MySQL, Postgres etc) OR "RDBMS agnostic" might be a better way to go. Often the OP will post a question that will have a wildly different answer depending on which RDBMS they're ...

I think a reminder is the way to go, given the proliferation of nosql-of-the-week and specific-version-of-oracle tags that you would have to curate if you wanted to enforce it. Also, it's not necessarily appropriate to enforce this on some questions on (for example data modelling). Even though the OP may have a specific platform in mind, this type of ...

I edited and upvoted your question because I found it on-topic and interesting. That said, other members of the community had already voted to close it, and left it closed after an automatic reopen review triggered by one of your edits. Also, experience has shown that database recommendation questions have to be pretty exceptional to remain open here. On ...

This could be a useful Q & A, though a bit broad by our usual standards. Seems like it might be a good candidate for a Wiki Answer (like Where to start with Oracle?): This question's answer is a collaborative effort: if you see something that can be improved, just edit the answer to improve it! No additional answers can be added here So, there would ...

Finally get back around to this...This is just expanding on what is already within the Help Center > Asking itself. How do I ask a good question? We'd love to help you. To improve your chances of getting an answer, here are some tips: A Title is the first thing they will see The title of a question is going to be what draws folks to your question. Think ...

'How do I improve this schema?' is likely to be too broad and subjective to make a really good question. If you have specific issues then you can certainly ask questions about those. In general, 'I don't know where to start' is not acceptable on SE sites, as you are expected to have at least done some research on your own. In fact, this issue was so ...

Questions about how to circumvent licensing restrictions are off-topic, for obvious legal reasons. However, you're welcome to ask for database recommendations,just make sure your question is clearly defined.

I think you can easily reduce your example (including renaming tables/columns) to something that does not reveal anything about the real DB you are working with. The same applies in most cases to the data: full text search against 'normal' text will just work. I can imagine cases where you try to use it against some 'interesting' data, and showing those ...

"Here's my problem. Here's what I've tried. Here's why it's still a problem." This pattern will get you a lot more useful responses than "can you suggest a better design?"

Chit Chat The main problem isn't one that a one on one chat can easily solve, given all the different time zones, languages, and time constraints placed on both participants. We've all been there where someone asks a question, there are comments asking for more information, and OP disappears for hours, days, or longer. Any asynchronous process that ...

The question author adding a "conclusion" is a bit of an odd thing that does not naturally fit in Q & A format. Nevertheless, on the odd occasion the question author strongly feels this sort of addition is necessary, and obviously benefits the site, the conclusion must go in an answer not in the question. In the same way that people edit answers out of ...

I don't think it's a bad idea, but I wouldn't be willing to participate in the one-on-one. The thing about DBA.se is that I'm usually helping out more than one person in the process of using this site, because of repeat views, duplicating, and other such features. That's about the only incentive to drive participation here. Generally speaking, I judge ...

How to create a Minimal, Complete, and Verifiable Example for database-related questions Database-related questions asking for practical advice will get the most helpful answers if they provide a framework others can use to reproduce that problem. With that in mind, when asking a question please create a framework that is: Minimal – Use as little code as ...

Couchbase is a Document-Oriented NoSQL Database according to the title of their home page: that puts it on-topic, though of course the NoSQL market is more fragmented and more cutting-edge, meaning each DB has it's own niche and the pool of Q&A here may never be big. It does seem to be related from a technology perspective to CouchDB, though not so ...

NEVER ASK TO ASK. JUST ASK If the question is bad, it'll get downvoted or closed at worst.

Questions about improving performance should include: The full text of the query. SQL CREATE statements for the tables and indexes involved Use SHOW CREATE TABLE\G The version of the product you are using. Number of rows in each table. Query plan/explain output. Brief server hardware details including: The amount of RAM CPU info Disk configuration; and ...

Good question. On the DBA version I don't see any mod-link for editing the text, so I'm guessing it needs to be edited by someone from SE. Perhaps you should knock up a proposed page in an answer here and we'll ask them to action it?

To me, your question falls into the "unclear what you're asking" or "too broad" category, rather than "subjective". What do you mean by "feature" or "testing"? Is it ever OK to change, without testing elsewhere, the button shape on your web site (feature) from square to rounded? Most people would answer positively. Is it sometimes OK to replace, without ...

This is a really nice, welcoming idea. I struggled with the mechanics of this app initially (still do TBH). I imagine I'm typical in that. However. I have a full time job. And a family. And a life. I help out here when I can, how I can. My opportunities to dedicate a (potentially large) block of time to a random internet user are quite limited. For me DBA....

I didn't vote to close, mainly because I didn't see this question in the review queue. I'm not sure what I would have done if I did. After the edits it's probably not unclear, even if it's a domain I'm not familiar with. I probably would have skipped it but there is a thin line between database-recommendation and shopping list question (which is off-topic)....

I was the first person to vote to close your question. I did that because I felt the question was unclear because it did not address what you meant by modifying the order of a linked-list without needing to modify the links. Of note; I left several comments on your question that have since been cleaned up. My answer was an attempt to get you to update the ...

This answer is community wiki please provide additional database-specific information at the bottom. Formatting When possible do not include screenshots or pictures where text would otherwise do, and even better than text is the necessary SQL to build a test case. If you have the skills to provide test data in a textual grid and in SQL that would be best. ...