First Real Project - Not sure where to start

Stiltz79

I have just been given my first real project since I started my new job about 6 months ago. I work in an extremely large manufacturing environment and I am a Intel Server Administrator Trainee. I have been given the task of locating all of the Microsoft Access Databases in our environment and completeing compatibility testing on them for our Windows 7/Office 2010 Rollout.

I'm still a trainee so I don't have Domain Admin rights or else I would go out and search the servers. I also know that there are databases that reside locally on desktops all over our plant.

Just to give you an idea:
Around 2700 employees in this office alone
4 Buildings in our area of town
6000+ Computers
400+ Servers
We have facilities in 18 different countries

This is the largest environment I have ever worked in. This is my first Server Side role and project based work. I have been on the Help Desk / Desktop Support side of things until now. I was fortunate to get accepted into a year long training program where I am at. I have a couple of mentors and have already learned a lot!

Any advice on how to track down these databases and who might own them? I don't want to be asking my mentor 5000+ questions because then he is doing the work for me.

DevilWAH

ask if your comapny has and desktop auditing software/ tools running. Many large compinies have these to see what is on the network.

then if so talk to the people who manage that and see if they can get you a list.

If you do have it running then it is a simple case to run a report for you and you manager will be a lot glader you have asked and got a report in a day, than spent weeks hunting around manualy..

If they dont have it running, then there are many toold around taht will seach people hard drives. But in this case you would need to have at least read access to there desktops. So again abck to your manager to ask for it.

MY advice is first see if the company has tools running that can do the work, and if so try to get them to help you (get optunity to show some insentive and learn about the network). and if not look around for desktop auditing tools, small and large, and find out what you would need to run it (access rights and so forth) then aprach your manager with the consept of your solution, along with what you need.

a case of "if you give me this access it will take X days, but if not and I have to do in manualy it will take X weeks".

No one minds being asked questions if the person asking is also sugesting a solution.

jibbajabba

To be honest, I was in the same situation once. In my experience the manager is well aware that you might not be able to finish the task with proper permissions.

In my case the management wanted to see my approach before letting me pushing any important buttons.

My advise : Research a lot and create a report of what would be necessary in order to get started ... Then if he says in good old Picard fassion "Make it so" - then you will probably get the tools / access needed in order to do this.. If not, THEN I would say "but I don't quite have the permissions" or "can you assign me someone with the proper permissions".

If you say straight from the beginning "Gimme access and I do so" - you might get questions what you intend to do - so you better be prepared what to answer

Stiltz79

Right now I am currently talking to the techs in my area to see what they know about any databases out there. I am compiling a spreadsheet with all of the information I feel is relevant and trying to find the owners of these databases. I will then provide this to my mentor along with a couple of suggestions on how I would proceed and see what he says. I just want to be very detail oriented and make sure I do a good job.

DevilWAH

I said it before but I think its worth pointing out again for any one in a simular situation.

I mange a number of staff and the all ask me questions about jobs I give them. But there are two very aproaches I get.

First are the guys who ask sstright out.

"how do I do that?".

the others are the ones that go away first and then ask

"I could do this like X or Y or Z, which would you like / do you think is best?"

In my view if you are going to ask a question make sure you have some solutions of your own to suggest. I might turn around an tell you that none of them are what I want and suggest a better way of my own to do it. But the very fact you have show you have thought about the issues before asking puts you in my good books.

Stiltz79

Perfect. That's what I'm trying to do. I like to run with things on my own until I'm unsure of what's next. Then I like to bounce ideas off of people and see what comes out of it. Thanks guys!!!