Re: Oracle DBA query

From: Hans Forbrich <forbrich_at_yahoo.net>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 19:28:36 GMT
Message-ID: <EN_9c.29638$Ct5.18847@edtnps89>

Prabal wrote:

> Hi,
>
> This message has to do with the job responsibilities and challenges
> faced by an Oracle DBA. I want to pursue for Oracle DBA certification.
> I have a BS degree in Computer Science and a working knowledge of C
> and C++ on Unix environment. I want to get certified and work as an
> Oracle DBA. It may sound weird considering my background. But has
> anyone done this? Is it worth going for certification? Are Oracle DBAs
> busy with their jobs all the time? I hear that these guys are the
> highest paid in the IT industry? Is it true? Can anyone highlight the
> challenges a DBA faces? How about job security? Are DBAs in the age
> group of 25-40? What after then? Will a Solaris certification benefit
> along with it? Too many queries.
>
> Bye
> Prabal

All your questions have been answered several times in the archives of this newsgroup. However, summarizing two specific ones:

OCP

Due to errors in the OCP examinations, a number of Oracle professionals believe that the OCP rating is not worth it. Some even state or imply that having the OCP is of negative value.

While there is truth to that, you also need to look at the local area and determine whether organizations are hiring based on skill or on certification.

If you do pursue certification, be aware that there are many, many myths around Oracle admin and Oracle capabilities. Some are the result of changes over versions & time, others are misinterpretations by people coming from other RDBMSs such as DB2 (UDB) and MS SQLServer (which is NOT simply "SQL"). Discussing such myths is a popular pasttime in this newsgroup.

B) What does a DBA do?

Get familiar with Oracle's resource sites such as http://otn.oracle.com and http://docs.oracle.com - the latter takes you to the complete documentation.

There is one document in particular, the Oracle Database Administration Guide, that has an excellent overview of the various roles and responsibilities related to working around a database and around Oracle databases in particular.

Cross-posting is not appreciated as many of us read all the groups. Suggest you search for 'comp.database.oracle' and 'charter' for more info.

/Hans Received on Mon Mar 29 2004 - 13:28:36 CST