Phone: 07050 049283
Objective: To build a career in contracting
| 1997- | Extra Connections Ltd | Computer Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-1997 | Leicestershire County Council | Principal Programmer/Analyst |
| 1992-1994 | " | Programmer/Analyst |
| 1990-1992 | " | Lead Programmer |
| 1989-1990 | " | Programmer |
| 1986-1987 | GEC Avionics | College Based Student |
| 1989 | Leicester Polytechnic | BSc (Hons) Computer Science |
|---|---|---|
| 1982/4 | Bramhall High School | 3 A Levels, 8 O Levels |
Returning to the Council as a contractor, I have worked in Property, Education, Chief Executive's and Social Services departments, engaging in a variety of projects.
Notable amongst them has been the development of the Infolinx database, website ( www.infolinx.org ) and web service, which allow its users to get information on local organisations, businesses and facilities in an XML format. My work included designing the database, writing a Forms application to manage it, and writing the PL/SQL to publish it to the web.
I worked in developing a police intelligence application using Developer 2000 v6 and Oracle 8i. This involved developing a large number of complex forms to be deployed via a web browser.
I supported the Demand Derivation System, which holds gas demand information about the 20 million meter points in the UK for use in network modelling. This involved working with Developer 2000, PL/SQL and SQL*Loader.
I worked as part of the DC III (Domestic Competition Phase 3) team and was responsible for migrating an Access database to a client-server environment. The data was transferred to an Oracle database and I wrote a series of PL/SQL packages to perform batch processes. The existing Access front-end was retained and modified to address the new database.
I then worked on a system, again in Access and Oracle, to calculate invoices for Transco's meter reading charges.
I worked in the core development team on SSID, an Oracle system used to support the work of Social Services departments. My role was mainly to track down and fix bugs in their SQL*Forms 3 application, but I also wrote new reports and was able to advise them on some MS Access issues that arose.
I was responsible for moving a number of Oracle databases to a central data centre in Leicester. As well as overseeing the database issues that these moves threw up, I assisted in the configuration and maintenance of the AIX systems on which they were installed.
Joining the Council after graduation, I worked initially as a COBOL programmer working on the Community Charge software.
Promoted after a year, I was trained to use Oracle and given responsibility for one of the Council’s remote sites. As well as extensive programming in SQL*Forms 2.3 and ReportWriter, I was responsible for applying patches and updates to the Oracle software, tuning the database and providing technical support to colleagues.
Further promotion made me responsible for the physical design and implementation of a new Pupil Database. This involved database creation, sizing and locating tablespaces, development of system standards and presenting this to colleagues and customers.
Programming the new system involved much use of SQL*Forms 3, SQL*Menu, ReportWriter, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus and Unix shell scripts. I later co-ordinated the conversion to Oracle Version 7
By 1994 I was assisting and quality-assuring the work of 4-6 programmers whilst still doing a good deal of technical programming. I also began to work on the development of a Microsoft Access system for the Leicestershire Open College Network. The resultant product has since been sold to similar organisations nation-wide.
Local Government Reorganisation in 1997 gave me the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy and move into contracting.
As part of my degree course, I spent a year working at GEC Avionics (now Marconi Software Systems). I wrote programs, in CORAL, to drive radar apparatus in Nimrod and Sea King aircraft before transferring to a cable television project.
I enjoy hillwalking and serve on the Committee of the Leicester Local YHA Group. When not in the hills, I can be found most weekends searching second-hand bookshops for history books.
I am an expert on the nineteenth century Scottish poet William McGonagall, and contributed the introduction to the latest edition of his poems. I run the McGonagall Online website devoted to him, as well as several others related to my interests.
I'm also a keen amateur photographer.
Professional, academic and personal references are available upon request.