Feel new job has too much new concepts. (data warehousing)

[413x]

Those who might remember I recently took a new job due to instability in my old situation.
The job is BI and data warehouse (BI being what I know (cubes to dashboard to analysis) and DWH what I don't.

So I took a new job.
In the interview I was very clear that I knew half the job spec. And was totally new to the other half.

They said this is OK. We will train you and you will initially be on the part you know mostly.

I feel now a month in that I'm am much much more on the part I don't know. As well as being in a new company with 1 colleague who is very busy.

I feel I'm being too slow to pick up new stuff. There are a lot of processes which have many steps, many locations and some. Stuff 'you just know'.
My memory isn't great. And my boss saying you just learn this over time is a bit frightening.

The company said they struggled to fill this position and I'm wondering if I've taken a 2 jobs in one position. That my boss can handle but maybe I can't.

I'm mostly concerned with there being just too much knowledge to absorb. Not just in too short a time.. But even once the role is established.
I was wary of this being the case with the DWH side. My boss is being good. But I fear his patience may run out of this just doesn't go in.

I can do the individual elements . (build a Ssis package. Write sql, do the mapping)
But being set on 'here a requirement to bring in new columns.. Go' I just cannot put all the pieces together


Basically.. Have I gotten myself into a position too senior for me.. Despite being clear in interview I do not know DWH stuff.

I bet some of you guys are DWH specialists. And can tell me if I have even a hope of pulling this off?

Also this is quite an expansive (to me) warehouse. Multiple international entities with different erps all merging into one.

 

[413x]

So, no, I don't know anything about data warehouse, but what I would say is, you're one month into a new job. You're at the stage where imposter syndrome is common, everything is new, and you're still settling in. I feel like you're being way too hard on yourself. Give it time, you'll be fine!

As a side note - I know you've changed jobs a couple of times during the pandemic. Have these all be WFH? I myself have changed jobs a couple of times too during the pandemic, and because the job changed, but my working environment didn't (same desk at home), I felt the same way, like I should have been settled in and 100% up to speed with everything in a few days. It doesn't work like that, especially in a role like you're currently in.

Stop being so hard on yourself, you'll get there.

I think if I had a team it would be better. Its just me and my boss. I could lean on multiple people.
Yes I have changed jobs twice! Both for same reasons. Job was changing to something less skilled.

Yeah I feel. I'm being hard on myself. But I feel if I'm too slow as my boss (who is my only support) is so busy it's just going to be a burden to him. Its one of these where I feel I probably need more support than is able to be provided. Or they should have gotten someone with DWH experience and lacking in the BI.

Also. I know technically its not my problem if my boss is too busy. But it also is my problem.

And yes being WFH isn't ideal in this situation

 

[413x]

It sounds quite normal in a specialised role to me, particularly in the current climate. I have a friend who has a very specific engineering role and he was headhunted by a small business starting up and he feels the same way atm. The last job he had he'd learned from being an apprentice at 18 and worked there until he was 30 so it was plain sailing. The role on paper usually never plays out how you think it will and some companies will tell you anything in an interview to get you onboard. No interviewer is going to turn around and say "No sorry, we can't train you in those areas but you can still have the job." Training is usually always promised but is rarely given in any meaningful way.

Yeah I feel like this.
The training can only come from in house resource.
That resource is very stretched.
If I'm taking more time to learn than the company thought its going to cause frustration.

I feel like I was the best of an imperfect bunch.

I'm trying not to just say 'yes I understand' when I don't. Which I obviously have to do. But I do feel this is going to become a problem. My boss is completely overloaded. And I don't think he gets much credit (as is always the case in DWH jobs) for what he does from the senior stake holders




On of the biggest blocks in finding here is.. I can't problem solve my way out.
There are too many unrelated 'just know' steps that if you don't know.. You don't know!

This is probably the first job I feel I can't pick up without basically hand holding

 

[413x]

With ref to memory, make sure you're building a second brain. I have learned this the hard way, historically I've been relatively good at keeping track of lots of concurrent tasks/pieces of information, but there comes a point - especially with unfamiliar roles - where this doesn't work anymore. It took me a while to admit to myself that my brain couldn't store all of this stuff itself, but once I did I could then take steps to build systems that could essentially offload things from my brain freeing me up to do focus heavy tasks. You may already be all over this, but the memory part of your post sounded familiar to me.

It's my biggest issue. And I feel that's how a lot of DWH people get by. They have a good memory. My boss sure does.

I've never had a role I need a massive memory for. There's always been few processes and lots of problem solving.
This feels like the processes part is much much bigger.

I'm struggling to map these (ie document) in a way I can refer back and actually understand and repeat it.
I'm even trying videoing the calls. But there is still too much missing

 

[413x]

I too am about 1 month in to a new role, a rather different one to what I've done before in a company miles bigger than I've previously worked in. The imposter syndrome feeling is real!

Fortunately, it's a project type role (albeit that's something I've no real previous experience with), so I've been able to chop it all into chunks and just try not to think about all the stuff I don't understand yet and will need to think of a solution to later on. Every time I start to think of the whole thing it feels like staring into the abyss!

Just. Keep. Trucking.

Good luck!
Yeah it's a bit overload at the minute. And I'm doing stuff which could break the entire company!

It's fine before. OK you might break a cube. But that's only a few people impacted.

If I make a mistake on the live warehouse.. Oops.
Obviously theres dev and test. But I'm doing stuff on live.

 

[413x]

It sounds like the bit you're struggling with is the data layout within the companies data streams coming into the DWH?

If that's it and you can do the technical bits then I wouldn't worry, you're only a month in it really is stuff you'll come to just know by exploring and getting stuck in.

Yes. It's things like 'how do I know this erp system field maps to what DWH field?'
Things like this mainly.
And also interpreting other people's code.

I know understand moving data up through stage, map, warehouse etc.
I get source control and how that works too.
And the process for dev - test - live.
Deploying packages (mostly ssis) to thier respective environments.

But interpreting stakeholder language to DWH and where which erp field goes and most importantly.. Why.. Is hard

 

[413x]

Thanks everyone so far. It is helpful.
Thought be a lot Of people familiar with this stuff.

@HangTime

Boss says he's happy and it will come in time. Luckily he's a nice guy and we get on well.

He's admitted he's behind in documentation etc. Which isn't ideal but it's something we are gonna work on.

It's actually quite logical and neat. It's mainly the erp to DWH I'm struggling with. And people using incorrect or correct (sometimes I don't know) names when referring to things.

I do feel. I'm picking up concepts and the individual elements and it is more 'grand scheme' that's difficult.

I'm definitely not wanting to pick the easy stuff. Ideally. I'll. Work on processes a few times. For the same one to help cement it in. Better to ask for help now than later on harder stuff I feel.

The team is me.. And my boss!