RE: DBA Job Functions

Two quick additions I would suggest:  

1. Regarding security, the DBA needs at least to be a liaison with the network access folks to determine who gets to see and possibly modify anything in the databases
2. Regarding Database Design, preferably the DBA group is custodian of the Data Flow Diagram (DFD) for all the databases and applications even if they do not use a database. In large companies this is a cross department function. Knowing all the afferent legs of acquiring data and the efferent legs to other systems including reports is the only reasonable way I know of to locate all the transform centers and prevent multiple systems reprocessing your data (usually slightly differently with attendant hilarity resulting) and to know where particular bits of information exist in your corporation. Only then can you optimize access and know which things are reliable sources of truth and which things are suspect or derivative. I consider all this to be essential to do a decent job of Database Design of compartments within the whole.

Okay, maybe #2 wasn’t that quick. There is increasingly a great divide between full function DBAs and Database Operators. Both are needed. The long term value of full function DBAs in the face of increasing automation at the margins and deployment to the cloud is enhanced by including the corporate DFD in your required knowledge base. This also plays into actually being Agile, because then the DBA team knows where to acquire data from the existing database to answer the call for new functionality or likewise the sensible place to add tables and/or columns if a call for new functionality requires additional information in the Data Flow.  

mwf  

From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org [mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Sheehan, Jeremy Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2018 8:47 AM To: Niall Litchfield
Cc: oracle-l-freelist
Subject: RE: DBA Job Functions  

Agreed on the cloud! We’re moving that direction (just like everyone else) and I can see a good portion of this going away. Another piece that I forgot to mention is he wanted to know which activities would be considered project/non-project work. Pretty much everything I considered non-project is gone when in relation to the cloud.  

Thanks for the reply!  

From: Niall Litchfield [mailto:niall.litchfield_at_gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2018 4:43 AM To: Sheehan, Jeremy <JEREMY.SHEEHAN_at_fpl.com> Cc: oracle-l-freelist <oracle-l_at_freelists.org> Subject: Re: DBA Job Functions  

CAUTION - EXTERNAL EMAIL   That's a pretty good list for the job as it is today. In a cloud world it will look quite different (half your list disappears) .  

On 20 Feb 2018 19:19, "Sheehan, Jeremy" <JEREMY.SHEEHAN_at_fpl.com> wrote:

Hello Guru’s,  

My boss is asking me to compile a list of typical job functions for a DBA. I came up with a brief list, but would like to hear any other recommendations that you might have. What he said was, “We don’t want to go into great detail, but not be too vague either. Somewhere between the 10,000ft and 1,000ft view.  

Agile Work

Backup/Recovery

Change Deployment

Database Design

Database Install

Documentation

DR Activities (testing/maintenance)

Lifecycles

Performance Tuning/Monitoring

Scripting DB/Host

Solution Design

On-call/Operations  

Thanks in advance,  

Jeremy

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