Responsibilities of a DBA
This are the Responsibilities for DBA.
Top 99 Responsibilities of a DBA
Database Architecture Duties
1. Planning for the database’s future storage requirements
2. Defining database availability and fault management architecture
3. Defining and creating environments for development and new release installation
4. Creating physical database storage structures after developers have designed an application
5. Constructing the database
6. Determining and setting the size and physical locations of datafiles
7. Evaluating new hardware and software purchase
8. Researching, testing, and recommending tools for Oracle development,
modeling, database administration, and backup and recovery
implementation, as well as planning for the future
9. Providing database design and implementation
10. Understanding and employing the optimal flexible architecture
to ease administration, allow flexibility in managing I/O, and to
increase the capability to scale the system
11. Working with application developers to determine and define proper partitioning
Backup and Recovery
12. Determining and implementing the backup/recovery plan for each
database while in development and as the application moves through test
and onto production
13. Establishing and maintaining sound backup and recovery policies and procedures
14. Having knowledge and practice of Oracle backup and recovery scenarios
15. Performing Oracle cold backups when the database is shut down to ensure consistency of the data
16. Performing Oracle hot backups while the database is operational
17. Performing Oracle import/export as a method of recovering data or individual objects
18. Providing retention of data to satisfy legal responsibilities of the company
19. Restoring database services for disaster recovery
20. Recovering the database in the event of a hardware or software failure
21. Using partitioning and transportable tablespaces to reduce downtime, when appropriate
Maintenance and Daily Tasks
22. Providing adjustment and configuration management of INIT.ORA
23. Adjusting extent size of rapidly growing tables and indexes
24. Administering database-management software and related utilities
25. Automating database startup and shutdown
26. Automating repetitive operations
27. Determining and setting critical thresholds for disk, tablespaces, extents, and fragmentation
28. Enrolling new users while maintaining system security
29. Filtering database alarm and alert information
30. Installing, configuring, and upgrading Oracle server software and related products installation
31. Logging Technical Action Reports (TARs); applying patches
32. Maintaining the “Database Administrator’s Handbook”
33. Maintaining an ongoing configuration for database links to other databases
34. Maintaining archived Oracle data
35. Managing contractual agreements with providers of database-management software
36. Managing service level agreements with Oracle consultants or vendors
37. Monitoring and advising management on licensing issues while ensuring compliance with Oracle license agreements
38. Monitoring and coordinating the update of the database recovery plan with the site’s disaster recovery plan
39. Monitoring and optimizing the performance of the database
40. Monitoring rollback segment and temporary tablespace use
41. Monitoring the status of database instances
42. Performing housekeeping tasks as required; purging old files from the Oracle database
43. Performing database troubleshooting
44. Performing modifications of the database structure from information provided by application developers
45. Performing monthly and annual performance reports for trend analysis and capacity planning
46. Installing new and maintaining existing client configurations
47. Performing ongoing configuration management
48. Performing ongoing Oracle security management
49. Performing routine audits of user and developer accounts
50. Performing translation of developer modeled designs for managing data into physical implementation
51. Performing correlation of database errors, alerts, and events
52. Planning and coordinating the testing of the new database, software, and application releases
53. Providing a focal point on calls to Oracle for technical support
54. Working as part of a team and providing 24×7 support when required
Methodology and Business Process
55. Coordinating and executing database upgrades
56. Coordinating upgrades of system software products to resolve any Oracle/operating system issues/conflicts
57. Creating error and alert processes and procedures
58. Creating standard entry formats for SQLNet files
59. Creating processes and procedures for functional and stress testing of database applications
60. Creating processes and procedures of application transport from DEV, to TEST, to PROD
61. Defining and maintaining database standards for the organization to ensure consistency in database creation
62. Defining database standards and procedures to cover the
instance parameters, object sizing, storage, and naming. The procedures
define the process for install/upgrade, corporate database
requirements, security, backup/recovery, applications environment,
source code control, change control, naming conventions, and
table/index creation.
63. Defining the database service levels necessary for application availability
64. Defining methodology tasks for database software integration
65. Defining a methodology for developing and improving business applications
66. Creating a process to determine whether a new release is “stable” enough to be placed on the development system
67. Developing data-conversion processes for customization, testing, and production
68. Developing database test plans
69. Developing database administration procedures and responsibilities for production systems
70. Developing production migration procedures
71. Establishing and providing schema definitions, as well as
tablespace, table, constraint, trigger, package, procedure, and index
naming conventions
72. Facilitating design sessions for requirements gathering and defining system requirements
73. Providing database problem reporting, management, and resolution
74. Providing final approval for all technical architecture
components that manage and exchange data, including database management
software, serve hardware, data distribution management software, server
hardware, data distribution management software, transaction processing
monitors, and connecting client applications software
75. Providing processes for the setup of new database environments
76. Providing risk and impact analysis of maintenance or new releases of code
77. Providing standards and methods for database software purchasing
78. Providing standards and naming conventions
79. Handling multiple projects and deadlines
Education and Training
80. Attending training classes and user group conferences
81. Evaluating Oracle features and Oracle-related products
82. Understanding the Oracle database, related utilities, and tools
83. Understanding the underlying operating system as well as the design of the physical database
84. Understanding Oracle data integrity
85. Knowing the organization’s applications and how they map to the business requirements
86. Knowing how Oracle acquires and manages resources
87. Knowing enough about the Oracle tool’s normal functional
behavior to be able to determine whether a problem lies with the tool
or the database
88. Processing sound knowledge in database and system performance tuning
89. Providing in-house technical consulting and training
90. Staying abreast of the most current release of Oracle software and compatibility issues
91. Subscribing to database trade journals and web sources
Communication
92. Interfacing with vendors
93. Disseminating Oracle information to the developers, users, and staff
94. Training application developers to understand and use Oracle
concepts, techniques, and tools that model and access managed data
95. Assisting developers with database design issues and problem
resolutions, including how to run and understand the output from both
TKProf and the Explain Plan utilities
96. Training interim DBAs and junior-level DBAs
Documentation
97. Creating and maintaining a database operations handbook for frequently performed tasks
98. Defining standards for database documentation
99. Creating documentation of the database environment
Oracle DBA Responsibilities
(1) Creates and maintains all databases required for development, testing,
education and production usage.
(2) Performs the capacity planning required to create and maintain the
databases. The DBA works closely with system administration staff because
computers often have applications or tools on them in addition to the Oracle
Databases.
(3) Performs ongoing tuning of the database instances.
(4) Install new versions of the Oracle RDBMS and its tools and any other tools
that access the Oracle database.
(5) Plans and implements backup and recovery of the Oracle database.
(6) Controls migrations of programs, database changes, reference data changes
and menu changes through the development life cycle.
(7) Implements and enforces security for all of the Oracle Databases.
(8) Performs database re-organisations as required to assist performance and
ensure maximum uptime of the database.
(9) Puts standards in place to ensure that all application design and code is
produced with proper integrity, security and performance. The DBA will perform
reviews on the design and code frequently to ensure the site standards are
being adhered to.
(10) Evaluates releases of Oracle and its tools, and third party products to
ensure that the site is running the products that are most appropriate.
Planning is also performed by the DBA, along with the application developers
and System administrators, to ensure that any new product usage or release
upgrade takes place with minimal impact.
(11) Provides technical support to application development teams. This is
usually in the form of a help desk. The DBA is usually the point of contact
for Oracle Corporation.
(12) Enforces and maintains database contraints to ensure integrity of the
database.
(13) Administers all database objects, including tables, clusters, indexes,
views, sequences, packages and procedures.
(14) Assists with impact analysis of any changes made to the database objects.
(15) Troubleshoots with problems regarding the databases, applications and
development tools.
(16) Create new database users as required.
(17) Manage sharing of resources amongst applications.
(18) The DBA has ultimate responsibility for the physical database design.
The DBA should posses the following skills
(1) A good knowledge of the operating system(s)
(2) A good knowledge of physical database design
(3) Ability to perform both Oracle and also operating system performance
monitoring and the necessary adjustments.
(4) Be able to provide a strategic database direction for the organisation.
(5) Excellent knowledge of Oracle backup and recovery scenarios.
(6) Good skills in all Oracle tools.
(7) A good knowledge of Oracle security management.
(8) A good knowledge of how Oracle acquires and manages resources.
(9) Sound knowledge of the applications at your site.
(10) Experience and knowledge in migrating code, database changes, data and
menus through the various stages of the development life cycle.
(11) A good knowledge of the way Oracle enforces data integrity.
(12) A sound knowledge of both database and program code performance tuning.
(13) A DBA should possess a sound understanding of the business.
(14) A DBA should have sound communication skills with management, development
teams, vendors, systems administrators and other related service providers.
DBA Responsibilities:
* Installation, configuration and upgrading of Oracle server software and related products
* Evaluate Oracle features and Oracle related products
* Establish and maintain sound backup and recovery policies and procedures
* Take care of the Database design and implementation
* Implement and maintain database security (create and maintain users and roles, assign priveledges)
* Do database tuning and performance monitoring
* Do application tuning and performance monitoring
* Setup and maintain documentation and standards
* Plan growth and changes (capasity planning)
* Work as part of a team and provide 7×24 support when required
* Do general technical trouble shooting and give consultation to development teams
* Interface with Oracle Corporation for technical support.
This is a pretty accurate description of Oracle DBA duties. The
programming comes into play with the backup and recovery scripts. As
for tuning, this is a huge thing in itself, and may contain programming
responsibilities. Overall, a good knowledge of SQL is required. For a
great discussion on this, see “Oracle8: A Beginners Guide” by Oracle
Press.
Well, the backup strategy, and configuration is DBA
stuff around here, but, as far as licensing…well
tell mgmt. what we need…and they take care of making
sure we are licensed correctly for Oracle db and
tools.
It is nice to have mgmt. who actually understands
tech…but, a good mgr. is one who knows how to
delegate authority, and trust the people to do their
jobs. A micro-managing fool is a pain in the ass, and
aside from ultimately stressing you out, will often
lead to failures…especially in a larger environment.
With the current job mkt…it is a little more scary
to leave a job, but, if this situation isn’t working
for you, I’d start looking. You may have to be
flexible with respect to location (eg you might have
to move), but, there are jobs out there to be had.
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Oracle DBA Responsibilities
(1) Creates and maintains all databases required for development, testing,
education and production usage.
(2) Performs the capacity planning required to create and maintain the
databases. The DBA works closely with system administration staff because
computers often have applications or tools on them in addition to the Oracle
Databases.
(3) Performs ongoing tuning of the database instances.
(4) Install new versions of the Oracle RDBMS and its tools and any other tools
that access the Oracle database.
(5) Plans and implements backup and recovery of the Oracle database.
(6) Controls migrations of programs, database changes, reference data changes
and menu changes through the development life cycle.
(7) Implements and enforces security for all of the Oracle Databases.
(8) Performs database re-organisations as required to assist performance and
ensure maximum uptime of the database.
(9) Puts standards in place to ensure that all application design and code is
produced with proper integrity, security and performance. The DBA will perform
reviews on the design and code frequently to ensure the site standards are
being adhered to.
(10) Evaluates releases of Oracle and its tools, and third party products to
ensure that the site is running the products that are most appropriate.
Planning is also performed by the DBA, along with the application developers
and System administrators, to ensure that any new product usage or release
upgrade takes place with minimal impact.
(11) Provides technical support to application development teams. This is
usually in the form of a help desk. The DBA is usually the point of contact
for Oracle Corporation.
(12) Enforces and maintains database contraints to ensure integrity of the
database.
(13) Administers all database objects, including tables, clusters, indexes,
views, sequences, packages and procedures.
(14) Assists with impact analysis of any changes made to the database objects.
(15) Troubleshoots with problems regarding the databases, applications and
development tools.
(16) Create new database users as required.
(17) Manage sharing of resources amongst applications.
(18) The DBA has ultimate responsibility for the physical database design.
The DBA should posses the following skills
(1) A good knowledge of the operating system(s)
(2) A good knowledge of physical database design
(3) Ability to perform both Oracle and also operating system performance
monitoring and the necessary adjustments.
(4) Be able to provide a strategic database direction for the organisation.
(5) Excellent knowledge of Oracle backup and recovery scenarios.
(6) Good skills in all Oracle tools.
(7) A good knowledge of Oracle security management.
(8) A good knowledge of how Oracle acquires and manages resources.
(9) Sound knowledge of the applications at your site.
(10) Experience and knowledge in migrating code, database changes, data and
menus through the various stages of the development life cycle.
(11) A good knowledge of the way Oracle enforces data integrity.
(12) A sound knowledge of both database and program code performance tuning.
(13) A DBA should possess a sound understanding of the business.
(14) A DBA should have sound communication skills with management, development
teams, vendors, systems administrators and other related service providers
DBA Responsibilities:
The job of the DBA seems to be everything that everyone else either
doesn’t want to do, or doesn’t have the ability to do. DBAs get the
enviable task of figuring out all of the things no one else can figure
out. More seriously though, here is a list of typical DBA
responsibilities:
• Installation, configuration and upgrading of Oracle server software and related products
• Evaluate Oracle features and Oracle related products
• Establish and maintain sound backup and recovery policies and procedures
• Take care of the Database design and implementation
• Implement and maintain database security (create and maintain users and roles, assign privileges)
• Perform database tuning and performance monitoring
• Perform application tuning and performance monitoring
• Setup and maintain documentation and standards
• Plan growth and changes (capacity planning)
• Work as part of a team and provide 7×24 support when required
• Perform general technical trouble shooting and give consultation to development teams
• Interface with Oracle Corporation for technical support.
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Required Skills:
• Good understanding of the Oracle database, related utilities and tools
• A good understanding of the underlying operating system
• A good knowledge of the physical database design
• Ability to perform both Oracle and operating system performance tuning and monitoring
• Knowledge of ALL Oracle backup and recovery scenarios
• A good knowledge of Oracle security management
• A good knowledge of how Oracle acquires and manages resources
• A good knowledge Oracle data integrity
• Sound knowledge of the implemented application systems
• Experience in code migration, database change management and data
management through the various stages of the development life cycle
• A sound knowledge of both database and system performance tuning
• A DBA should have sound communication skills with management, development teams, vendors and systems administrators
• Provide a strategic database direction for the organisation
• A DBA should have the ability to handle multiple projects and deadlines
• A DBA should possess a sound understanding of the business
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Qualifications:
• Must be certified as an Oracle DBA
• Preferably a BS in computer science or related engineering field
• Lots and lots of EXPERIENCE
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Typical Interview Questions
General Questions
• Tell us about yourself/ your background.
• What are the three major characteristics that you bring to the job market?
• What motivates you to do a good job?
• What two or three things are most important to you at work?
• What qualities do you think are essential to be successful in this kind of work?
• What courses did you attend? What job certifications do you hold?
• What subjects/courses did you excel in? Why?
• What subjects/courses gave you trouble? Why?
• How does your previous work experience prepare you for this position?
• How do you define ‘success’?
• What has been your most significant accomplishment to date?
• Describe a challenge you encountered and how you dealt with it.
• Describe a failure and how you dealt with it.
• Describe the ‘ideal’ job… the ‘ideal’ supervisor.
• What leadership roles have you held?
• What prejudices do you hold?
• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• What are your career goals (a) 3 years from now; (b) 10 years from now?
• How does this position match your career goals?
• What have you done in the past year to improve yourself?
• In what areas do you feel you need further education and training to be successful?
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work for this company. Why should we hire you?
• Where do you see yourself fitting in to this organization . . .initially? . . .in 5 years?
• Why are you looking for a new job?
• How do you feel about re-locating?
• Are you willing to travel?
• What are your salary requirements?
• When would you be available to start if you were selected?
General Oracle Questions
• Did you use online or off-line backups?
• What version of Oracle were you running?
• Haw many databases and what sizes?
• If you have to advise a backup strategy for a new application, how would you approach it and what questions will you ask?
• If a customer calls you about a hanging database session, what will you do to resolve it?
• Compare Oracle to any other database that you know. Why would you prefer to work on one and not on the other?