Well, the import of the XML into the provided database is as simple as telling SQL to import the XML, since it was exported from that same database. I think it's something like one call to perform.
It's not hard, hell the hardest thing is making the C# wrapper application, and we all know how hard that is. We're talking 'hello world' level of difficulty here. It's got two buttons, 'Import from XML' and 'View Report'. Most of the actual work is in displaying the report, but it's a really small data-set compared to what we're working with in reality. We're a pretty small shop when it comes to software engineering considering what we do, I think there are around 20 people in various software-related roles. Most of us were hired in directly out of school, which is a problem, since we only have one person with any real SQL experience. The fact that it took people with no SQL experience a few hours to do seems to me to be a good indicator that it's not a hard test. However, you're right, it's also an indicator that we need more people in our SQL development teams... which is why we are hiring to begin with.
@Anketam said:
So CodeNinja would my instict of fleeing in fear be correct?
Yes, but not for the reasons you expect. I like my coworkers, we do pretty good considering our levels of experience and the demands management likes to heap upon us. I don't think we've ever
not succeeded, it just sometimes takes us right up to the line and requires us to put in huge hours, which isn't a problem for the company since we're all salary and don't get overtime or any compensation at all for anything over 40 hours.
I can't really recommend to anyone to work here if they are looking for a stable work environment with good compensation. If you're just looking for work and want to get along with your coworkers, it's great, but don't expect to be well paid or treated all that nicely most of the time. It's not uncommon for entire development teams to be called out in front of everyone by certain managers who
love to scream and use curse words. That said, we've got a World of Beer nearby and I have a mile commute every morning.