Newbie needs advice.

Sorry for bothering you with such a stupid questions, but I need some advice from a real life Oracle DBAs. I am a MS SQL Server DBA for the last 5 years. Have over 10 years of IT experience. Now I want to get more into Oracle. I want to become an Oracle DBA. The thing is, we don't have an Oracle at my current job, so I have to prepare for this on my own, at home. For now, I am studying Oracle and taking certification exams. I realize, that without Oracle experience, it's going to be hard to find a job as an Oracle DBA. The questions are: should I even bother playing with Oracle on Windows platform, or in real life it's mostly UNIX ? Because it's unreal to have a commersial UNIX system to have at home (where do I get it ?), will Linux be enough ? What does Oracle DBA have to know about UNIX (Linux) ? Should I be like a UNIX administrator, or just to know enough about UNIX (Linux) to know my way around this OS ? Any other suggestions ?

Hi.

Oracle is almost identical on all platforms. I've worked with NT/2000, HP-UX, Solaris and Linux and it's practially the same on all of them.

I would suggest you start on NT/2000 since you'll already have a good understanding of the OS. Once your Oracle skills have picked up a bit you might want to try Linux. It's about as close as you'll get to the big UNIX stuff without paying a fortune.

The amount of UNIX knowledge you need varies depending on the company. Some companies have UNIX system administrators so all you need to know is how to copy and move files etc. Others rely on the DBA to know loads of system admin stuff. The more you know the better, but you can get by with "UNIX for dummies" in some companies :) The OS specific manuals will tell you most of what you need to know for installation and performance tuning of specific platforms so it's not too bad.

Oracle is significantly more tricky than SQL Server. Try not to get stuck in the "This is bullsh*t, it's so much easier in SQL Server!" frame of mind. The truth of it is that Oracle is a pain in the ass compared to SQL Server, but that complexity allows it to do some pretty cool stuff.

It's a good idea to have some experience of a few different engines these days. We've got SQL Server and Access here as well as Oracle. You'd be surprised how many times I get asked questions about Access and SQL Server that start with, "Your a DBA so you should know this!"

Good luck

Thank you, Tim. I really appreciate your response. It's true. While I was preparing for my first Oracle exam SQL & PL/SQL (I passed it last week with a 100% score), I realized that it's a lot different then SQL Server. And, yes, some things are easier to do in SQL Server then Oracle. But Oracle is still more powerful then SQL Server.
Is it going to be really hard to find a job as an Oracle DBA without any real Oracle experience ? Or my SQL Server experience will help me with that ? How do I go about that ?

Once again Tim is right on the money (a nominee for hero status).
In my shop most Oracle boxes are running on HP/UX but there are a few that are on NT, both production and developement. So NT is still used but I would start learning some Unix as well. I knew nothing about Unix when I started here, now I know next to nothing.

The vi editor is a killer, I think it was invented on Mars.

Good Luck
MH

Thank you, guys. What about those other questions ?
Is it going to be really hard to find a job as an Oracle DBA without any real Oracle experience ? Or my SQL Server experience will help me with that ? How do I go about that ?

Quote:

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Originally posted by victorv
Thank you, guys. What about those other questions ?
Is it going to be really hard to find a job as an Oracle DBA without any real Oracle experience ? Or my SQL Server experience will help me with that ? How do I go about that ?

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Victor;
You should really read the "Certification" page since this is an ongoing topic on that page. To answer your question YES it will probably be very hard to find a job with no Oracle experience. The SQL Server experience will certainly help but I'm not sure how much. Today's economy is also not going to help you on your job hunt, you will be competing with experienced DBA's that are out of work. Breaking in is never easy but it is do-able.

MH

Victorv:

Alot of places will want you to have experience. There will be some places that deal mostly with SQL Server and some Oracle. You might stand a better chance in those companies than someone like me.

SQL Server use is growing big-time. I think this skill will be worth more and more over the next few months/years.

If you're determined you will get there!

Mr.Hankey:

Why not try using a windows editing tool. I use a product called UltraEdit (http://www.ultraedit.com). You can use this on your PC and open/save documents over FTP to UNIX boxes. It makes editing parameter files very easy. Oh the joys of cut & paste rather than yank :)

I think it cost me $25 (US) and I take it everywhere.

Thank you, guys.
I really appreciate your help.

Quote:

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Originally posted by TimHall

Mr.Hankey:

Why not try using a windows editing tool. I use a product called UltraEdit (http://www.ultraedit.com). You can use this on your PC and open/save documents over FTP to UNIX boxes. It makes editing parameter files very easy. Oh the joys of cut & paste rather than yank :)

I think it cost me $25 (US) and I take it everywhere.

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I learned vi because it is the defacto standard on all unix variants.

I can see it now: I go into a new client who's box has just crashed. I say, "Sure, you're paying me $250/hr to get this thing back up, but I can't edit a text file until I install my editor."

Quote:

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Originally posted by TimHall
Victorv:

I think it cost me $25 (US) and I take it everywhere.

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That's a little more info than I needed Tim, you English guys are a weird bunch! :)

Seriously, thanks for the tip but I have come to terms with vi. It took about a week of playing and studying (O'reilly books are great). I insisted on learning it, I may not be the most educated or experienced but I love the challenge and refuse to walk away from it. Pain is good!

MH

Quote:

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Originally posted by marist89

I learned vi because it is the defacto standard on all unix variants.

I can see it now: I go into a new client who's box has just crashed. I say, "Sure, you're paying me $250/hr to get this thing back up, but I can't edit a text file until I install my editor."

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I'm not suggesting you forget about VI altogether, but you have got to move with the times. If that weren't the case this forum would be called FlatFilesSupport.com :)

Victorv:

If you feel a bit shaky on UNIX I've just spotted this book on amazon:



It might help, once it's released :)

Thank you, Tim. I don't really feel shaky...:))) I don't know UNIX at all...:))) Yeah....I'll get this book....If I'll know Linux, can I say that I know UNIX alltogether ? I mean, if I'll try to learn Linux at home, can I be sure that I'll be able to work with any version of UNIX ? ARe those versions similar ?

If you know Linux, you are almost there. There are some differences from platform to platform, but most of them are quiet close. Try to get to know of how to make use of the man pages, which would be really helpful to you during this learing process.

Unix Rules! :)

San

Thank you, sambavan. I already installed Red Hat Linux 7.2 on my computer. Manpages - it's like a help system in Linux ?