Re: LIMITING Programmer ACCES TO LIVE DATA

Larry,

In a message dated 1/6/00 12:28:01 AM Eastern Standard Time, lbolhui@ibm.net 
writes:

<<snip>>
> > A new person, contractor or
>  > not, is even more likely than other folks to make errors that can delete
>  > production programs or files.
>  
>    Here I must disagree.  A new programmer or contractor is going to be 
much 
> more
>  careful than the long time programmer who is 'Sure' that he is in the 
correct
>  library.  

Here _I_ must disagree.  I constantly fight the "contractor image" where 
people come in with QGOD authority and toast production objects. I'm careful 
myself, but have found that _MOST_ new people of either ilk are trying to 
show off their skills early and end up making a serious mistake.  
Congratulations on your atypical experience.

>    Where I have had influence in setting up programmer environments I have 
> always
>  used Two user profiles.  One authorized for programming and to READ 
> production
>  data, and the other authorized to update production data.  There is a great
>  feeling of relief when you get 'not authorized' to DELETE FROM SOMETABLE 
> WHERE
>  SOMFLD='X' because you just realized your library list was not what you 
> thought it was!!

Again, atypical.  Have you any idea how many places I've worked that asked me 
to modify a program under a restricted profile that I could not, because 
someone in-house had forgotten that they were signed on as QSECOFR when they 
last compiled it?  What if that person had performed your SQL update under 
QSECOFR?  Better to have a central point of control (particularly a version 
control system like TurnOver, Implementer, or Aldon) than count on people to 
sign on under the proper password, IMHO.

Regards,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"The greatest joy in life is doing what others say you cannot do." -- Walter 
Bagehot
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