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What do you do when you have a repetitive task to do?

Sometimes we find ourselves needing to do repetitive tasks. Often these tasks are a bit boring, but are still necessary to complete in a timely fashion. One example would be testing. I have to do some testing in my current position from time to time. There are two parts to the testing. The first part has to do with getting the configuration data correct. I run the test on 100 different schedules and make sure the data coming out of the engine looks correct. Some of the schedules need to be run multiple times while tweaking the configuration between each run. The second part is end to end testing. Getting the data from the originating system then running it through the engine, and then finally running it through all the other downstream systems. It is a time consuming effort and it got me thinking about what other people do in similar situations.

I am sure many of you will say, PowerShell it. I do use PowerShell scripts to help the process go a bit smoother. Part of the issue is, someone (me) has to be involved to look at the engine data output and decide if the configuration is correct or not. If it is not correct, make modifications to the configuration and try it again. I am not sure how to automate that.

There is also the tediousness of it all. You don’t expect issues or problems in the end to end testing, but somehow they still seem to crop up. So you know you have to do the testing, because issues have come up in the past and most likely will come up again this time around.

One thing I have found that is helpful is breaking up the testing. As much as it would be nice to just sit down and get all the testing done in one sitting, it is too easy to miss things. It seems like after 10 or 20 tests my eyes begin to glaze over and my brain disconnects and wanders someplace else. So I have found if I set a goal of reaching that 10 or 20 tests and then it is time to take a break and do something else. Refresh my drink, or engage a coworker in a discussion, any discussion. It seems that when I come back a few minutes later I am more refreshed and I am ready and able to focus on my next set of tests.

It is difficult when you have done the same task hundreds or perhaps thousands of times, to remain engaged and alerts to potential issues. At the same, it seems there are always more bugs/issues to be found, which is why we need be engaged while doing these repetitive tasks. For me breaking up the tasks into smaller chucks and taking breaks helps.

So what about you? What sort of repetitive tasks do you have to do and how do you go about doing them?

Ben Kubicek from SQLServerCentral.com

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I want to determine the amount of time spent executing and rendering an SSRS report. Where do I look in the my ReportServer database to find this information?

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If I type this in R, what does the REP() function do?

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