February 2020 Summaries

The latest release of jOOQ, a Java database-mapping software library, now fully supports CockroachDB, allowing developers to leverage SQL capabilities while coding in Java. Previously, some jOOQ users employed the Postgres dialect with CockroachDB due to their wire compatibility for simple integrations. With the release of version 3.13.0, the CockroachDB SQL dialect is now fully integration tested and supported, facilitating the creation of Java applications that benefit from CockroachDB's automatic sharding and high availability without the usual challenges of scaling and downtime. Users can begin utilizing this support by downloading jOOQ or following a tutorial on building a Java application with CockroachDB and jOOQ.

The blog post by Georgia Hong details her internship project at Cockroach Labs, where she worked on the Bulk I/O team to enhance the data import experience in CockroachDB using the 'nodelocal' feature. This feature allows users to interact with files in a node's local storage without relying on external services like Amazon S3. However, prior to her project, users often experienced confusion due to the distributed nature of CockroachDB, where nodes might not be able to access files stored on other nodes. To address these issues, Hong helped develop a BlobService that facilitates file sharing between nodes, allowing for more seamless imports and restorable backups. Additionally, she worked on making it easier for users to upload files directly to CockroachDB using the COPY statement, eliminating the need for external storage services. Her experience provided valuable insights into the infrastructure of distributed systems and involved collaboration across various teams at Cockroach Labs.

The tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on integrating CockroachDB with a Django application running on Ubuntu, focusing on version 2 of the django-cockroachdb library. It uses Python3, following a similar structure to a Digital Ocean tutorial on PostgreSQL but highlights differences such as role-based access management requiring an enterprise license. The instructions cover installing necessary components, setting up a CockroachDB instance, creating a database and roles, and configuring Django to use CockroachDB as its database engine. The guide also includes steps for migrating the database and running the Django application, emphasizing the use of Python3 and pip3 for package management.

Cockroach Labs has developed a comprehensive onboarding process called Welcome Docs to help new employees acclimate to their roles and the company culture effectively. These personalized documents serve as a roadmap, offering resources such as team-specific information, key Slack channels, and email groups. Additionally, new hires are paired with a "Roachmate" for guidance during their first month and are assigned starter projects tailored to their roles to aid in their integration and understanding of CockroachDB. This structured approach has resulted in a significant increase in new hires' confidence and clarity about their roles, as evidenced by increased satisfaction scores from onboarding surveys. By implementing Welcome Docs, the company has managed to streamline the onboarding process, thus reducing the workload on the People team and empowering managers to independently support their new hires.