This is the page with the newest 10 posts throughout all the posts on this website, ikawsoft.com. These posts will also appear on other pages.

My 10 Newest Posts
What You Want Versus What You Get
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What You Want Versus What You Get

If you ever work with a good management coach, one of the things you will talk about is the difference between what you want out of people and what you are actually getting out of people. The first thing a good coach will ask is, "before we talk about how other people can do things differently, what can you change to get more of what you want?"

What You Want Versus What You Get

If you ever work with a good management coach, one of the things you will talk about is the difference between what you want out of people and what you are actually getting out of people. The first thing a good coach will ask is, "before we talk about how other people can do things differently, what can you change to get more of what you want?"

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You Are Not A Software Engineer 😊
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You Are Not A Software Engineer 😊

You are not a Software Engineer. You are an architect (design), construction worker (build), electrician (flows & integrations), mechanic (diagnostics and troubleshooting) and housekeeper (maintenance). While software development is a white-collar office job, in order to do it well you have to get your hands dirty and engage with the work.

You Are Not A Software Engineer 😊

You are not a Software Engineer. You are an architect (design), construction worker (build), electrician (flows & integrations), mechanic (diagnostics and troubleshooting) and housekeeper (maintenance). While software development is a white-collar office job, in order to do it well you have to get your hands dirty and engage with the work.

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Schwarma 🌴
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Schwarma 🌴

As someone with Lebanese blood, I have always loved Middle Eastern food. My nonny (grandmother) used to make me grape leaves, and sometimes I would eat lahm bi ajeen (lamb pizza) for dinner. When I lived in Ghana, I fell in love with schwarma. Many Lebanese people moved from Lebanon to Ghana during the Lebanese Civil War. About five years after returning from Ghana, Christie and I went to a Lebanese restaurant, Manoushe, near Plaka in Athens during our honeymoon. I finally got to have great schwarma again, and Christie got to try really authentic schwarma for the first time. She loved it.

Schwarma 🌴

As someone with Lebanese blood, I have always loved Middle Eastern food. My nonny (grandmother) used to make me grape leaves, and sometimes I would eat lahm bi ajeen (lamb pizza) for dinner. When I lived in Ghana, I fell in love with schwarma. Many Lebanese people moved from Lebanon to Ghana during the Lebanese Civil War. About five years after returning from Ghana, Christie and I went to a Lebanese restaurant, Manoushe, near Plaka in Athens during our honeymoon. I finally got to have great schwarma again, and Christie got to try really authentic schwarma for the first time. She loved it.

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Philippine Fashion
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Philippine Fashion

I am not really a fashion person, but Philippine Fashion is refined, stylish and authentically Filipino.

Philippine Fashion

I am not really a fashion person, but Philippine Fashion is refined, stylish and authentically Filipino.

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Fiat 500 Sport
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Fiat 500 Sport

I used to love driving my Fiat 500 Sport from the city to work in the suburbs. It was fun and fast.

Fiat 500 Sport

I used to love driving my Fiat 500 Sport from the city to work in the suburbs. It was fun and fast.

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Douglaston Golf Course (Queens, NY)
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Douglaston Golf Course (Queens, NY)

We have great memories of playing at Douglaston every weekend we could. It’s pretty darn affordable for golf, and it’s a beautiful course that has some fun and challenging holes. It’s a really nice way to spend the day. ⛳

Douglaston Golf Course (Queens, NY)

We have great memories of playing at Douglaston every weekend we could. It’s pretty darn affordable for golf, and it’s a beautiful course that has some fun and challenging holes. It’s a really nice way to spend the day. ⛳

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My Rough Guide to Master Data Management
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My Rough Guide to Master Data Management

The goal of Operational Master Data Management (MDM) is to establish a golden record (single source of truth) about key business entities: customers, products, orders and more. The first line of defense is Data Validation, Data Quality (e.g. correctly formatted telephone numbers), Data Integrity and Data Merging & Deduplication (e.g. removal of duplicate customers and application of field level survivorship rules during record merges). Existing data quality standards must be brought up to SLA specification using automated and manual procedures.

In my opinion, 9 times out of 10, the answer to creating a reliable single source of truth is an MDM Hub. The data entity types with the greatest business value (customer, order, product, inventory, etc.) are moved to a centralized datastore --typically a database. The Hub then handles all of the first line of defense operations and data quality jobs. Data cleansing procedures are continuously run in the background to improve data quality levels in The Hub. The consuming enterprise systems* that rely on data in The Hub call its suite of API services for CRUD operations and more. Finally, a team of Data Stewards is established to apply the Data Governance policies of the organization.

*Order Management, Warehouse Management, ERP, CRM, eCommerce, Marketing etc.

My Rough Guide to Master Data Management

The goal of Operational Master Data Management (MDM) is to establish a golden record (single source of truth) about key business entities: customers, products, orders and more. The first line of defense is Data Validation, Data Quality (e.g. correctly formatted telephone numbers), Data Integrity and Data Merging & Deduplication (e.g. removal of duplicate customers and application of field level survivorship rules during record merges). Existing data quality standards must be brought up to SLA specification using automated and manual procedures.

In my opinion, 9 times out of 10, the answer to creating a reliable single source of truth is an MDM Hub. The data entity types with the greatest business value (customer, order, product, inventory, etc.) are moved to a centralized datastore --typically a database. The Hub then handles all of the first line of defense operations and data quality jobs. Data cleansing procedures are continuously run in the background to improve data quality levels in The Hub. The consuming enterprise systems* that rely on data in The Hub call its suite of API services for CRUD operations and more. Finally, a team of Data Stewards is established to apply the Data Governance policies of the organization.

*Order Management, Warehouse Management, ERP, CRM, eCommerce, Marketing etc.

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Key Elements to Better Error Handling
 

Key Elements to Better Error Handling

1. Include Error Handling Everywhere (Top Level Code, Methods, etc.)
2. Use One Centralized Error Handling Routine
3. Implement A Global Switch for Alert/Message Box Error Messages
4. Log Error to File
5. Log Error to Database When Possible
6. Append the Stack Trace to the Error that Is Logged
7. Avoid Duplicate Logging
8. Send Error E-mail Alert to Designated E-mail Distribution List

The idea behind this approach to error handling is to consistently apply standard, uniform, processes and procedures across teams and organizations. Think operations applied to software engineering.

Key Elements to Better Error Handling

1. Include Error Handling Everywhere (Top Level Code, Methods, etc.)
2. Use One Centralized Error Handling Routine
3. Implement A Global Switch for Alert/Message Box Error Messages
4. Log Error to File
5. Log Error to Database When Possible
6. Append the Stack Trace to the Error that Is Logged
7. Avoid Duplicate Logging
8. Send Error E-mail Alert to Designated E-mail Distribution List

The idea behind this approach to error handling is to consistently apply standard, uniform, processes and procedures across teams and organizations. Think operations applied to software engineering.

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My Must Have UI Elements for Business Applications and More
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My Must Have UI Elements for Business Applications and More

1. Display Version Number or Build Date
2. Display Logged In User Name
3. Display Application Environment: Production, UAT, QA, Development
4. If Applicable, Display Logged In User Type
5. Include One Click Logout Function
6. Include Feature to Submit Change Requests and Defect Reports

My suggestion is to include these elements on every screen/page using a status bar as shown in the image of this post. For applications where displaying these elements isn’t sensible from a user experience perspective (e.g. eCommerce sites), output the elements to the page as comments so they are not visible but are accessible. This is helpful to technical support and for error traceability.

My Must Have UI Elements for Business Applications and More

1. Display Version Number or Build Date
2. Display Logged In User Name
3. Display Application Environment: Production, UAT, QA, Development
4. If Applicable, Display Logged In User Type
5. Include One Click Logout Function
6. Include Feature to Submit Change Requests and Defect Reports

My suggestion is to include these elements on every screen/page using a status bar as shown in the image of this post. For applications where displaying these elements isn’t sensible from a user experience perspective (e.g. eCommerce sites), output the elements to the page as comments so they are not visible but are accessible. This is helpful to technical support and for error traceability.

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Martin HD-35
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Martin HD-35

I played a Taylor 510 for more than 20 years. I owned this Martin HD-35 for about six months, and like everybody says: "get a Martin". 😮

Martin HD-35

I played a Taylor 510 for more than 20 years. I owned this Martin HD-35 for about six months, and like everybody says: "get a Martin". 😮

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