The Stomach-Dropping Mistakes We Make in Tech

In the fast-paced world of technology, we all encounter moments that leave us with a feeling of dread. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience under your belt, a single mistake can lead to significant consequences.

Reflecting on my own journey, I recall an incident from my early days as an implementation consultant. At the time, I was still familiarizing myself with SQL, and eager to deliver results for my clients. One particular task involved executing a deletion of records based on a client’s request. Our Integrated Software Environment (ISE) provided a handy feature that allowed me to test my code by highlighting specific segments. Confident in my skills, I carefully highlighted the select statement but neglected to adjust the where clause. In a matter of moments, I executed a command that would lead to the deletion of millions of critical records from the production database, and shockingly, it occurred during our busiest season.

Fortunately, our team was using Oracle 11g, which had recently introduced the flashback functionality. This feature saved the day, allowing us to recover the lost data before any lasting damage could occur.

This experience was a turning point for me. It underscored the importance of running tests in a safe environment and double-checking every command before executing it in production. Since then, I have been a staunch advocate for rigorous testing and caution with database operations.

Each of us has moments in our careers that make our stomachs drop. What have been some of your most memorable blunders in the tech industry? Remember, every mistake can serve as a valuable lesson!