“Logging Like A Baus” – PowerShell Logging Best Practices

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When a plane crash happens, people turn to the Flight Recorder (the black) box for answers. When code breaks, people turn to the logfiles for answers. PowerShell logging is not just needed, but REQUIRED. Like a detective in a murder mystery, logs provide essential clues to what happened.

This talk will challenge/motivate the way you think about logging in PowerShell, by exploring the best practices that are REQUIRED and perhaps save you working on the weekend. In this session, we will be going through the best practices of logging so you have CREDIBLE clues to follow. Covering such items as:

1. What is Considered to be Adequate Logging?
2. The 4 W’s
3. Logging Streams
4. Handling Errors
5. Logfile Retention
6. Logging locations

During this presentation, we will be working through a mini-project, refactoring the code according to these principles.

Transforming people to write more meaningful log events is something of a passion of mine and I believe that it’s something impactful that the audience will benefit from. I log using different methods every day, however, the principle remains the same. Think of your future colleagues and future you. You will benefit from it.

This will be a speech version of the “Logging Like A Baus” chapter of the PSConference Book. Currently it is in draft format, however, please contact @markekraus or @TrebuchetOps

Technical Requirements:

1. Audience Participation - I will be asking questions to the audience and if possible to assist me. I was speaking to Glen and he mentioned that this might now be possible. I can work around this.
2. Demos can be done live and other online interaction demos can be prerecorded.