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Rules of thumb for DBAs
The use of
Heuristics (rules of thumb) is a time-tested techniques for many
areas of Oracle database management:
http://www.dba-oracle.com/t_heuristics_tuning_rules.htm
Applying heuristics (“rules of
thumb”) to an Oracle tuning problem is a powerful technique, and
even though a heuristic may not apply to every situation,
understanding the general behavior of Oracle provides a baseline for
your Oracle tuning knowledge, a launching-point for advanced Oracle
tuning.
Craig Mullins, a
respected DBA and author has published an 8-part series of DBA rules
of thumb:
http://www.dbazine.com/blogs/blog-cm/craigmullins/
Mullins note some
of the most important rules of thumb for any Oracle DBA:
Document everything – Database
administration is a very technical discipline, but it is also a
discipline in which the practitioner is very visible politically
within the organization. DBAs should be armed with a proper
attitude and sufficient technical knowledge before attempting to
practice database administration.
Automate - Automation is key to
successful, smooth-running databases and applications... but
don't get too carried away by the concept.
Share your knowledge - Knowledge
transfer is an important part of being a good DBA - both
transferring your knowledge to others and participating in
having others' knowledge transferred to you. The more you learn
as a DBA, the more you should try to share what you know with
other DBAs. Local database user groups typically meet quarterly
or monthly to discuss aspects of database management systems.
Don’t Panic
- Problems will occur – there is nothing you can do to
eliminate every possible problem or error. Part of your job as a
DBA is to be able to react to problems with a calm demeanor and
analytical disposition. When a database is down and applications
are unavailable your environment will become hectic and
frazzled.
Focus Your
Efforts - The job of a DBA is complex and spans many diverse
technological and functional areas. It is easy for a DBA to get
overwhelmed with certain tasks – especially those tasks that are
not performed regularly. The best advice I can give you is to
remain focused and keep a clear head.
Invest in
Yourself - Most every IT professional continually looks for
their company to invest money in on-going education. Who among
us does not want to learn something new - on company time - and
with the company's money?
Diversify
your skills - A good DBA is a Jack-of-All-Trades. You can't
just master one thing and be successful in this day-and-age. A
day in the life of a DBA is usually quite hectic. The DBA
maintains production and test environments, monitors active
application development projects, attends strategy and design
meetings, selects and evaluates new products, and connects
legacy systems to the Web.
Have Business Savvy
- Although DBAs are technologists first and foremost, we need to
be ever cognizant of the business reasons that our beloved
technologies support.
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