Question on role of Inspecttech system administrators...

Hi Mark -

That’s a great question.

Our developers have done a great job building tools into InspectTech to accomplish some of the more commonly requested tasks without any programming language knowledge.

As always, there are exceptions to the rule and we get pulled in to build new features that don’t currently exist.

Is there anything more specific I can help answer?

Well yes ...As part of my job with a state government transportation agency, I define and evaluate jobs in all different types of occupational areas including IT jobs. At times, I look at system admin jobs and have to assess whether they entail substantial duties in a given area of IT specialization, such as database administration and/or programming. I'm just not clear on whether folks who function as InspectTech administrators are required to perform any bona fide IT work in DB administration or programming. As you say, the system is already set up to allow admins to accomplish many tasks without any programming. But in reading the InspectTech CE user manual, I do see references to administrators needing to do what may be considered conditional computer programming, at least to a limited degree (e.g., I see references to "if-then-else" language). And as for any database management system administration work, I'm not clear on whether, in this case, InspectTech admins are called on to perform full-scale DBA work. Getting a little insight on this would help me be more conversant in talking about such jobs to others in my department. Thank you.

Hi Mark!

System administrators wouldn't have to have any DBA or in-depth IT knowledge to administrate the InspectTech system.  
The if-then-else logic you see in the manual is related to configuring certain types of fields through the UI.  A user of the system, when designing a new form through a simple click-and-drag tool, would have the ability to configure a field with simple logic. 

For example:
If Field1 = A (let's say this is a county code)
Then Field2 = B (let's say this is the actual county name)

The other piece a user would want to have an understanding of are the queries.  While a user does NOT need to know SQL as we have a user-friendly front end, it would be very beneficial to understand how to build a logical query to extract the data being sought after.

For example:
I'm looking for assets where the deck condition is < 5.  In our product, a user would select:
Deck Condition field from a list of options
Select the operator, which would be < in this case
Select the criteria by either direct input or from a list provided to the user

In short, the administrator would have a broad knowledge of the data being collected in their system.  Being tech savvy is also very helpful!

Thank you for that helpful insight, Mark M. Just to clarify, does your use of the term "user" with regard to the InspectTech system refer to all users, system admins, or both users and system admins? I want to be clear that I'm seeking system admin-specific info here. I think you might be saying that InspectTech system admins might be considered "super users" in that they can perform all system functions in any system role -- and that while this requires full knowledge of system functionality, it does not entail in-depth specialized IT knowledge (e.g., as a programmer analyst or DBA)? 

The User Mark mentioned would be the local System Administrator, and you've nailed the description on the head. Specialized IT knowledge is not a prerequisite, geekiness is helpful, and proficient knowledge of both the system and the data being collected would ensure his/her success.

Users will have a variety of abilities, and a variety of roles, as you likely saw in the user manual. 

The User Mark mentioned would be the local System Administrator, and you've nailed the description on the head. Specialized IT knowledge is not a prerequisite, geekiness is helpful, and proficient knowledge of both the system and the data being collected would ensure his/her success.

Users will have a variety of abilities, and a variety of roles, as you likely saw in the user manual.