RE: Help - DBA interview questions I faced

Patrice,

This is excellent! Thanks capsulizing the essence of a DBA.

Make that a *good* DBA. :)

Jared

                                                                                       
                              
                    "Boivin, Patrice                                                   
                              
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                    12/27/01 04:55 AM                                                  
                              
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Dharan,

Read the Concepts Manual again. If you can, go through the DBA 101 book and
perhaps some of those "Starter Kits" Oracle Press has been cranking out lately.

Are you administering Oracle database(s) now? Take time to poke around and see what is happening. Create a user account for yourself to experiment with, being careful not to cripple the rest of the system. You can do that by ensuring you don't have rights / privileges that give you too much freedom on the database.

To understand, you need to read (know), but you also need to practice
(experience). Once you will have done both, you will have learned from
mistakes and you will understand what is happening. That will also give you
a handle on which questions are relevant and which are not during interviews. Your next Oracle interview might be administered by someone who
knows little or nothing about Oracle. (i.e. they are looking for a DBA, because their previous one left in disgust or they never had one).

If you understand the basics of Oracle and you demonstrate during the interview that you do not consider saving face (putting up appearances) being more important than learning and fixing problems, you will have an honest chance at being hired as a junior DBA.

At first you will have to live, eat, breathe, dream Oracle. You have to decide on this path and never give up. Never giving up is a crucial DBA trait. You have to be more stubborn than the server(s) you administer. You
also have to be willing to change your approach if the previous one didn't work, the end result is what you aim for, and it is what you keep striving for until you get there. You have to take personal responsibility for the systems you administer. You must be reliable.

Regards,
Patrice Boivin
Systems Analyst (Oracle Certified DBA)

Systems Admin & Operations | Admin. et Exploit. des systèmes
Technology Services        | Services technologiques
Informatics Branch         | Direction de l'informatique
Maritimes Region, DFO      | Région des Maritimes, MPO

E-Mail: boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca <mailto:boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>

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