Re: why administrator refuse to give permission on PLUSTRACE

From: DA Morgan <damorgan_at_psoug.org>
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:15:17 -0800
Message-ID: <1194236113.432494@bubbleator.drizzle.com>

Galen Boyer wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Nov 2007, damorgan_at_psoug.org wrote:
>

>> My point was that while the developers here seemed more than willing
>> to point fingers at incompetent DBAs from my experience the developers
>> are equally guilty of not keeping their skills current. Not more so
>> ...  equally so.

>
> A few of the DBA's on this group take the "DBA is God and developers are
> idiots" tone and attitude in all of their opinion based posts. I've seen
> enough really really bad and stupid DBAs in my career to know that his
> attitude is not warranted, at all. The description of stupid idiots is
> found at all levels, which is inclusive of the supposedly omnipotent
> DBAs.

Often attitude is what DBAs use to cover ineptitude. That is not true of some of the DBAs here where the attitude is likely the result of being tortured to tears by years of working in a synapse-free zone. But outside of this group it is often the case.

> Daniel, I don't live in an ideal world, as opposed to you. Why? When you
> are on an assigment, it is already an ideal world.

I don't live in an ideal world. My teaching at the university doesn't equal 10% of my time spent working with Oracle. The vast majority of my time is spent consulting ... something you may not be aware of given that I don't need to advertise myself in that regard.

My clients range from the best and the brightest ... I wish I knew as much as some of them ... to the ones where I wonder how they managed to tie their shoe laces that morning.

> Because you are qualified to be the DBA you expect all DBA's to be.

Not at all. But I do expect them to try.

> So therefore, to
> you, no developer's should have access to production.

Correct. The solution to a problem is not to paper it over. If the DBA can't do the DBA's job then fix the problem. Assigning a developer to do it is a kludge. A company incapable of hiring a good DBA is equally incapable of determining the fact that a developer is in fact qualified. The fact that anecdotally someone falls down a flight of steps and their acne is cured is hardly a rational reason to throw teenagers down a flight of stairs (granted there may be some rational reason but that isn't it <g> ).

> The issue is that
> most DBAs aren't nearly as good as you or Sybrand, or Lewis, or Noons,
> or ... Most of us developers are not privileged to work in an
> environment where the DBA is actually highly qualified.

Nor should you assume that all developers are as qualified as you are. One does not define "best practice" situationally. You don't write a procedures manual that says ... "if the surgeon is good let him cut but if he's bad get out a letter opener and do it yourself." You get a good surgeon.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
Puget Sound Oracle Users Group
www.psoug.org

Received on Sun Nov 04 2007 - 22:15:17 CST