Re: ORACLE DBA INTERVIEW

In article <4v5c9q$dfp_at_knot.queensu.ca> oconnorm_at_eleceng.ee.queensu.ca (Mike O'Connor) writes:
>Steve Ray (steveray_at_planet.earthcom.net) wrote:
>: I am trying to identify questions that one might ask an Oracle DBA
>: during an interview.
>
>how about `what is your opinion of a company that doesn't have the
>professionalism to have someone in the room who, say, knows enough about
>oracle to be able to come up with a few intelligent questions?'
>
>if s/he responds positively, s/he is manifestly a liar, and do you
>really want someone like that working for your company?
>

A company without such knowledge available is going to have to get it from outside at some point. If you are saying they should get a consultant, the question becomes identifying questions that one might ask an prospective DBA interviewer...

It is an eminently reasonable question for Mr. Ray to ask, we should help him. Especially since this thread went around a couple of months ago.

Which versions of Oracle have you worked on? [I have gone around and around in email with some people on this. The more experienced DBA's are likely to _not_ be able to quote exact version numbers, because of the large number. What you are looking for here is a knowledge of how Oracle evolves over time, and, of course, discrepancies with the resume.]

Describe the differences between V6 and V7 Oracle. [I choked on this one once, after having done a number of upgrades - there is a whole manual on upgrading, where do you begin? Of course, that was a correct answer.]

Describe a DBA type of problem you had, and how you solved it. [Now, this is more like it. You don't necessarily need specific Oracle knowledge, although of course it would help to avoid BS, but what you are really looking for is evidence that the person has problem-solving that will fit _into your organization_. That is more important than specific data that can be looked up in manuals. The correct answer is organizationspecific,  and a BS artist who answers it correctly may be perfectly suited for your organization. It depends.]

Describe how Oracle does... locking, indices, views, clustering, tuning... [These are all technical questions best left to a consultant for evaluation of answers. But there is a wide variance of skill sets necessary between organizations, and you must make sure that whoever is evaluating understands your needs. Of course, some orgs might use these types of questions to evaluate presentation ability, rather than tech knowledge.]

Describe a situation where you found something useful in the manuals. [Personally, I find Oracle's manuals quite good, in spite of all the laughter you hear. Someone who disparages the manuals may be too much of a hotshot as a DBA - give them a development job.]

Describe a situation where you had to call Oracle support. [Is that a troll, or what? :) ]

How does your {degree,training} relate to being an Oracle DBA?

Describe the last point upgrade you did.

How have you used the various optimizer options? [Experienced person likely to expound on bugs with cost-based optimizer]

Do you think the newer versions of Oracle will change the DBA functions? [Pretty likely - look for answers about cacheing small tables, extents can be tuned and limitations are going away, knowledge of other 7.3 new features.]

Do you read and contribute to comp.databases.oracle, or forums in the commercial services? Which computer magazines do you read? Are you a member of any Oracle organizations?

jg

>is all.
>Mike O'Connor
>:

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Joel Garry               joelga_at_rossinc.com               Compuserve 70661,1534
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