Interview with Matthew Dawson – Senior Project
Manager, MWH Brisbane
RET: Why did you decide to purchase Superior SQL Builder?
 Matthew:
We acquired Superior SQL Builder for use in a water
supply strategy project that involves the conversion,
cleansing and transformation of database data from 18
different local authorities into a central database. We
needed a tool that allowed us to develop a large number
of SQL scripts in a timely and accurate manner.RET: What databases were used to store the source data? Matthew: Most of the source data was stored in Microsoft Access.
RET: And what database server was used for the central database?
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Matthew: The central database was MySQL. We also used Microsoft
Access as a user-friendly GUI for viewing/modifying data.
RET: What level of SQL expertise do you have in your office?
Matthew: We have strong SQL expertise in our office. We had a very
tight time frame however, so we needed a way to develop large SQL
scripts very quickly.
RET: ...and your team’s strong SQL expertise was not enough ?
Matthew:
No, for the time constraints we had we couldn’t afford to spend too
much time debugging and testing scripts. Something simple like
typing errors can cause lost time. Even top quality SQL people can
make mistakes. We also wanted some form of uniformity and modularity
at the way we approached the project as a whole. Individual
developers will approach the same tasks differently, which can make
testing and debugging more difficult and time consuming. Wading
through thousands of lines of someone else’s SQL to find a problem
is not much fun.
RET: Did Superior SQL Builder meet your needs for this project?
Matthew: Yes, it allowed us to complete the large SQL development
component of the project on time.
RET: Which features of Superior SQL Builder did you find most
beneficial?
Matthew: We particularly liked how we could build our own script
templates. This saved us a lot of time as we were able to generate
repetitive segments of SQL script that we knew we could rely on very
quickly. We also liked how we could generate equivalent SQL scripts
for both Microsoft Access and MySQL. We found this feature
particularly beneficial for this project. Overall, we found it to be
an excellent tool.
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