Re: Case study for interviewing Oracle DBA

Thomas Day wrote:

>#1 - in my experience, is never delete a file. Always rename it. If
>the database breaks you have a chance to name it back and try to
>recover. If the database is working fine 24 hours later then you can
>delete it.

I agree, but even 24 hours may not be enough, one must check everything:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.databases.oracle.server/browse_ thread/thread/982a35609be0cef8?tvc=2&q=insubject:trivia+author:joel+auth or:garry

>I've had these case study tests thrown at me and frankly I don't think
>much of them. There's never enough information to do more than make a
>very generalized recommendation. In the real world these questions
>are answered by business and financial policies rather than best DBA
>practices.

Unfortunately, they inevitably are looking for some key words. Your last sentence is too correct - there should be some interaction between policies and practices, including a methodology for evolution. Some people aren't using RMAN yet...

I think all versions of case studies in interviews should not be given too much weight. While it is certainly better than objective tests or certificates suitable for framing or wrapping fish, there are simply too many variables in dba work and too much variation in sites to deterministically know if someone is going to work out. I've even seen a month trial-hire not be enough.

Ellis R. Miller wrote:

[cool rant not quoted.]

You've really put your finger on it. Technical proficiency usually loses out in any environment that unrealistically pigeonholes workers (or only gives lip service to "being a family"). But you don't really have to put a value judgement on that fact, merely be pragmatic and use it in your favor (judging from your list of companies, I expect you do this), like the karate master redirects the force of a punch. I am glad to be insulated from the high-mukkity-muck PHB's as much as possible so I can actually get something done. And giving a bit of help to the idiot MBA's without making them feel inadequate can go a long way towards job security. Turn your rant into a thesis :-)

>Now, the question is
>if I find this list so invaluable and so do others and it is one of the
few
>places (sometimes the only one) where I learn from REAL peers why isn't
this
>sort of expertise, leadership, and mentoring present in ANY of the IT
>departments I have had the pleasure of propping-up for three to six
months
>over the past five years?

Maybe any place that _is_ well run doesn't need someone like you? That's one of my rationalizations. Then I see someone from some place that didn't hire me asking a reeeeal basic question online and my rationalizations break down...

Joel Garry
http://garry.to

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