ROLE OF A DBA

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Originally posted by julian
I personally enjoy programming with PL/SQL, Forms and Reports. Some business programming with PL/SQL could be more challenging that the DBA tasks.

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Yes, this is dependant on what the role of the DBA the business has defined. In some shops, using the DBA as an auxilliary programmer is part of the job's responsibilities.

Personally, though, I can't stand writing code for the business side. I find it boring and repetitive. If I HAVE to write code, it will be for the automation of database administration.

[Edited by marist89 on 04-04-2002 at 08:51 AM]

I have 12 instances on different platforms, with one ops. I do everything your guys mentioned, but I don't feel I have enough to do everyday. I ask my boss to give me more work to do; I keep on doing testing new features, softwares, but I still feel bored. I like the time when my databases have problems.
Now I am just study eveyday on my upgrading exam, unix certification exam.... I was thinking to find a new job in a more challenging enviroment, but now I doubt I can find it.
I want my job more challenging. How could it be?

Please don't be offended by my post! This is just my situation.

Thanks!

Ma'am, sorry if I offended, but as someone said earlier, the original semantics were not the most friendly. Not an excuse, but a reason.

As I said, most good DBA's want to be bored stiff, ie, set their db's up so that all that is needed is monitoring. At that point we are like fire extinguishers. You have to have them, but don't ever want to use them.

Very few of us ever reach that position. I have been a dba for 25 years working with Oracle for 15 (and SQL Server for 3). Between new systems/projects, Mr. Murphy's law and I dare any system to survive contact with it's users, a given day may be slow, but usually not.

(And it is on those days we can take part in these discussions.)

hi guys and Oracle gurus

Really it feels great after reading ur comments/ views/ opinions / experiences in day to day work life. There is so much to know from u guys .
Respect ur feelings and skills a lot !! U all are very talented in ur work !! So no hard feelings. !!
Agree that this is the best DBA COMMUNITY FORUM !!!

Each one of us has a different opinion and view point of view.
Tamilselvan says that this role is best to play at young age.
some one wants more work as he has less work now.
Jeffs point of view is absolutely right .
yes we all are *****ious in life, we want a good career in technology, at the same time we need good money also. but at the same time one should look ahead as what he / she would be doing after 3 years, 5 years from now.
One may do well now, better in 1st year, better than that in 2 nd year , but are u going to do the same thing after 3 years/ 5 years. New version come and go , we will do migration/ upgradation and then the Dba work , but one thing is sure that at the back of mind there is a always a question popping up , am i going to do this the same things for the rest of life ahead. ? so what next ? For me it will sure bother this !!

yes it is difficult question and it will take time to figure out what next to do ? As time passes by we have to be more polished rather than obsolute. !!

-- Gayatri Selvarajan.

Gayatri,
I don't know if you intend to become a dba. You assumptions are too simplistic. Worst of all you are assuimng that a company once launched becomes static. When a product goes live that is not the end of the application just the beginning. According to business/ clients requirements/competition/new opportunities etc; new products, or modifications or product intergration is going on everyday. Before the product finally hits your TV screen thousands of man hours have gone in the development and testing phase. In the testing (Quality Assurance) phase its the dba role the simulate the new/modified/intergrated applications impact when it is pushed to production. This can range from performance, backups, uptime to anything. The Dba then recommends or make modification to system/database configs accordingly. This is an ongoing thing. For these processes some companies can maintain up to 20+ instances. Until recently I was one of 3 dbas only responsible for the QA environment not even production.
Secondly the dba's role become more critical when involved with a 24/7 system. With databases you can never say what would happen. Dbas of serious companys sleep with pagers by their bedside. This doesn't look like a fun job.
Gayatri, the type of company that you assume doesn't exist. There is always something that needs to be done (though not evryday) that is not an automated process.
don't forget the BLAME when things go helter-skelter.
Dba role vary from company to company. For those that develop their own applications, test, deploy them, they generally need more dbas. Those that buy and deploy third party applications may need less.

I guess Gayatri is quite right at this point of time. When I usually consuled senior software people out in Industry about my own future I got reply which is not that good. They have said a simple thing that your career mainly focusses on a specific thing by which you can at the most become a database consultant (That to depends upon how's the orgn. May be you are doing same stuff). Where as if you are a development programmer then you have high chances of moving ahead at consultant level at fast level (At this point of time I am putting all seniority and Paymen issues to one side)

I realise this as I am a DBA with a Oraganisation which is in Networking Software domain and the understanding of this domain is much more better at my programmer's level than me (i.e. NMS, EMS, SNMP etc). When I start learning these things it seems to be long journey for me than them as they are continuously working on those things whereas I am not.
I have been told by many people if you really want to be a good consultant then you ll have to choose any specific domain which is not possible by just remaining a pure DBA (of course the discusion so far stated that nobody is pure dba) So I guess DBA's should be proactively involved in the main domainof business activity (Esp. in IT)

Amol

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Originally posted by amolik
Where as if you are a development programmer then you have high chances of moving ahead at consultant level at fast level

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sure? dont think so

Sometimes, I am really wondering why the company paying us so much to sit here browsing website.
But we don't have a choice, do we?

Thanks!

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Originally posted by amolik
of course the discusion so far stated that nobody is pure dba

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I'm not saying that I'm "Pure" by any stretch of the imagination, but DBA work is all I've been doing for years.

I am not sure ? What I told is what I heard. I am a Jr. DBA (but alone in my company) If this is not true then I ll be the happiest person.. but I ll be glad to know why you don't think so

Amol