Ethical Database Practice?

**Bernard Peek** · Mar 30 '06, 07:05 PM

Re: Ethical Database Practice?

In message <1143743221.515 147.247180@z34g 2000cwc.googleg roups.com>, LB
<lorilynnb@bell south.net> writes
[color=blue]
>BUT I don't really want to tell the clients beforehand, because I don't
>want them to feel that I'm "babysittin g" them; it's just for my own
>information, as this factor will become important when troubleshooting .
> These clients are management-level and very busy.[/color]

You need to show them that there's some benefit to having the software
"phone home." If you don't explain what the program is doing then it may
get blocked by firewalls and you will have some explaining to do. It's
best to tell them that it's what you want the system to do.

You could possibly set the system up to check the version and pop up a
message if there is a later one.

--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author.

**Larry Linson** · Mar 31 '06, 12:15 AM

Re: Ethical Database Practice?

"LB" <lorilynnb@bell south.net> wrote
[color=blue]
> I want to have the upgrade send me an email
> silently whenever a user upgrades. . . . Now,
> I am independent so there's no boss, and I'm
> remote. I want to have the email sent to me
> BUT I don't really want to tell the clients before-
> hand, because I don't want them to feel that I'm
> "babysittin g" them; it's just for my own
> information, as this factor will become important
> when troubleshooting . These clients are
> management-level and very busy.[/color]

Ethics aside, what you propose is likely to lead you into a severe customer
relations problem.

You'd better tell them in advance that you need to have on record the update
level of your clients, and that you have included an e-mail back to you on
successful installation of updates _with an option for them to opt out_!

If some software tried to "call home silently," I'd immediately wonder why.
If I had been warned, and had the ability to opt out, I might or might not
agree to let it "call home" but you wouldn't have a "suspicious customer".

**(PeteCresswell)** · Mar 31 '06, 12:25 AM

Re: Ethical Database Practice?

Per LB:[color=blue]
> I want to have the email sent to me
>BUT I don't really want to tell the clients beforehand, because I don't
>want them to feel that I'm "babysittin g" them; it's just for my own
>information, as this factor will become important when troubleshooting .
> These clients are management-level and very busy.[/color]

I'm no ethicist (is that even a word?), but my take is that whatever the motive
and whatever the information revealed that you'd be spying on them.

Also, ethics/legalities aside, having the software "phone home" without the
client's knowledge/buy-in would sound really, really bad if/when somebody
discovered it and attributed it to you.
--
PeteCresswell

**David W. Fenton** · Mar 31 '06, 01:25 AM

Re: Ethical Database Practice?

"Larry Linson" <bouncer@localh ost.not> wrote in
news:Oh_Wf.1391 6$VL2.6074@trnd dc04:
[color=blue]
> "LB" <lorilynnb@bell south.net> wrote
>[color=green]
> > I want to have the upgrade send me an email
> > silently whenever a user upgrades. . . . Now,
> > I am independent so there's no boss, and I'm
> > remote. I want to have the email sent to me
> > BUT I don't really want to tell the clients before-
> > hand, because I don't want them to feel that I'm
> > "babysittin g" them; it's just for my own
> > information, as this factor will become important
> > when troubleshooting . These clients are
> > management-level and very busy.[/color]
>
> Ethics aside, what you propose is likely to lead you into a severe
> customer relations problem.
>
> You'd better tell them in advance that you need to have on record
> the update level of your clients, and that you have included an
> e-mail back to you on successful installation of updates _with an
> option for them to opt out_!
>
> If some software tried to "call home silently," I'd immediately
> wonder why. If I had been warned, and had the ability to opt out,
> I might or might not agree to let it "call home" but you wouldn't
> have a "suspicious customer".[/color]

I have no software on my machine that tries to call home that ever
exceeds, because if it's not authorized to connect out through my
software firewall, it just silently fails.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/

**Tim Marshall** · Mar 31 '06, 03:15 PM

Re: Ethical Database Practice?

LB wrote:
[color=blue]
> I want to have the upgrade send me an email silently whenever a user
> upgrades. I've done this with clients where I support in-house, and my
> boss thought it was a great idea since most of our support calls were
> the result of not using the right version.[/color]

What an interesting topic. I can't add to the voices of those who have
answered, but have you considered a mechanism whereby a front end will
not operate if it is not the correct version? Could something like the
following help?

I'm really not sure how to remotely update a back end with updates, but
in my situation, I run Access FEs on Oracle backends. What I do is have
the version number stored in a table called something like _Version
(with a prefix appropriate to the application. The version table
includes the equivalent of Access memo fields for technotes, general
"layman" notes about why an update was required, etc. There are
separate numeric fields for version, release, maintenance which come
together to create a 2.02.03 sort of structure (I don't know if there is
a standard for this sort of thing, I came up with a general adaptation
of stuff I've seen on other applications). Here are some comments from
a typical app:

'
'Version (TTS_VERSION) - Major data structure change
'
'Release (TTS_RELEASE) - GUI change, minor data structural changes
'
'Maintenance Update (TTS_MAINT) - bug fix only, no changes to
'GUI, ie, appearance of forms.
'Changes to message boxes, prompts permitted.
'
'Minimum Maintenance (TTS_MAINT_MIN) - if Tim's
'TMA Time Sheets© FE maintenance version is different
'from current, what is the minimum maintenance release
'a user can "get away with"? If you want no
'tolerance, here, enter THE SAME NUMBER AS THE
'CURRENT MAINTENANCE VERSION.

The version, release and maintenance update are stored in a standard
module as CONSTANTS.

All my front ends have a routine on the splash and/or "about" form that
checks the version table using Oracle related dmax type functions to get
the highest version.release .maintenance. If those values do not match
what is stored in the FE constants (or are not within the tolerance of
the minimum maintenance release number), the app won't start.

Once you put this together and store it in a module (you can automate
the "new version" process to readily increase a version number component
and make sure what is written as the constants matches), the module,
forms (I use a "release notes" form that shows comments about the
different versions), you can transfer this from app to app with just
renaming of tables/fields necessary.

It works quite well. Essentially, if you have the wrong version, the
app spits a message and tells you to follow your update procedure. I
suppose I could automate the update procedure as well, but I haven't.

--
Tim http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~tmarshal/
^o<
/#) "Burp-beep, burp-beep, burp-beep?" - Quaker Jake
/^^ "Whatcha doin?" - Ditto "TIM-MAY!!" - Me

**Bernard Peek** · Apr 1 '06, 10:05 PM

Re: Ethical Database Practice?

In message <1143743221.515 147.247180@z34g 2000cwc.googleg roups.com>, LB
<lorilynnb@bell south.net> writes[color=blue]
>Hi,
>
>I have a client that I support totally remotely. I have them on a
>weekly rollout schedule to get updates to their application, which I
>send them via email. I don't have access to their network. My
>question is this:[/color]

Another thought. If you upgrade the software weekly then why not put an
expiry date on the software. It should put up a warning if it hasn't
been updated for a while, ten days or so.

--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author.

Ethical Database Practice?

Ethical Database Practice?

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