Re: What Qualifications are need to be a DBA??

From: Michael J. Hillanbrand II <mjhii_at_pop.erols.com>
Date: 1996/08/22
Message-ID: <321C5D77.76C3_at_pop.erols.com>#1/1


Brad Puett wrote:
>
> I ask this question, because I think I've got pretty good qualifications to
> be a DBA, but having never "officially" held a DBA job (and because I'm
> looking for one now in the Research Triangle Park, NC area (Hint! Hint!),
> I would like to know what other DBAs think those qualifications should be ....
>
> I can do *and* have done the following:
>
> * Minimum of 7 years of Oracle experience (includes DB2 experience, also).
>
> * *Extremely* Proficient in DDL and SQL (both 6.x and 7.x -- NOTE: only
> features I have not used of Oracle (excluding things
> like Forms, etc.)
> is packages, triggers and similar PL/SQL 7.x *new* features
>
> * physical table design (I've created several Data Bases, from 5
> -100 tables
> plus figured out how to copy databases from a
> "Production" environment
> to a "Development" environment *and* back (if needed)!!
>
> * load/unload utilities (That was the reason I was hired for my last job!)
>
> * backup/recovery utilities (Not only have used them several times, have
> even automated them for daily/weekly cron jobs; also
> have been
> there on several sleepless nights recovering crash
> databases!)
>
> * performance tuning (just did some of this in my last job (4 - 5
> months) --
> I'm not an *expert*, but I made several significant
> (i.e. affected Data
> Base in a Positive way) changes to the SGA
>
> Are there more skills / experience I need to pick up before "trying" for a
> job as a
> DBA? DO I need System Administration (read: Hardware) skills? (I'm pretty low
> in this area since, when problems arise, I think more "software" than
> "hardware"!!
> (Have "recovered" a system before ...)
>
> Any suggestions/ideas/"contructive critism" is welcomed!!!
>
> --
> Brad Puett
> bpuett_at_interpath.com

Okay the response is part in humor with serious undertones

Become a Paranoid.

A DBA must be the most paranoid person in the shop.

You must believe that the developers will do something

to wreck your weekend...

that support will not have the answer....

that you are existentially alone with a hurting database...

ans smile knowing that even if you have to trash this one and rebuild it.....

It will happen again the next time you have someplace to be.

-- 
__________________________________________________________________
Michael J. Hillanbrand II                            Dulcian, Inc.
                   Oracle Data Base Administration
Voice: 215-773-7307                           Fax:    610-277-2966
mailto://mjhii_at_pop.erols.com or mailto://mjh_at_salts.icpphil.navy.mil
              Delaware Valley Oracle Users Group, Inc. 
                http://basement.sqrug.com/OUG/DEVOUG/
Contact me for Newsletter ads, articles, book reviews & Website Info.
Received on Thu Aug 22 1996 - 00:00:00 CEST

Original text of this message