Other than the ADMINISTRATOR on NT, or the ROOT or
SUPERUSER account on UNIX, the Oracle DBA account, usually called ORACLE, will
be one of the most powerful accounts on the system. This is required due to the
Oracle system being more like an operating system than just a set of
executables. In order to start up and shut down, create the required files, and
allow global sharing of the kernel and perhaps the tools, the Oracle DBA account
needs much broader privileges than a normal user account. The account must have
the privilege to create directories, files, and other system objects, as well as
the ability to place objects in shared memory.
The second-largest contributor to a bad install
experience is an underprivileged Oracle DBA account. The account must be set up
as stated in the installation documentation for the install to be successful.
After the installation, some adjustment of account privileges can be done if the
system administrator really doesn't want an account outside of his or her realm
of control to have such broad privileges, but no adjustments can be made until
the install is complete. In most cases, however, the privileges removed by an
overzealous system administrator will have to be periodically reinstated for
code relinks, special file work, and, of course, upgrades. This will soon
convince most system administrators to set them and leave them. After all, if
someone can't be trusted with the required privileges to do his or her job,
should the person be trusted with the job in the first place? It is advised that
the Oracle DBA be sent to at least an introductory course in system
administration so as to know what not to do with the privileges. A course in
system tuning is also advised.
Training
It has been said that success in a new venture usually
depends on three things: training, training, and training. This is especially
true in the realm of the Oracle DBA. Oracle Corporation, and many third-party
vendors, offer numerous classes at locations across the United States and
Europe. There are also many sources for computer-based training (CBT), as well
as online resources such as the RevealNet, Inc. Oracle Administrator (which I
helped to author and a part of which can be downloaded from the company Web
site). These classes are Oracle-specific and address issues that DBAs,
developers, and managers need to be aware of and take into account. With most
Oracle purchases you can negotiate training units, or TUs. Use them; they are
worth their weight in gold. While there have been a few successful
seat-of-the-pants Oracle installations, most end up in trouble.
The Oracle Masters programs are especially useful in
that they take the guesswork out of which classes you should take. Consult with
Oracle training about schedules and classes. For large Oracle installations with
large numbers of developers and administrators, Oracle, and vendors such as TUSC,
will provide on-site classes that may significantly reduce your training costs.
Another good program is the Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) DBA
certification program. For a fee, you can go to any Sylvan Learning Center and
take a set of examinations that will determine if you have the prerequisite
knowledge to be a DBA on Oracle. However, if you don't have at least two years
of experience in Oracle and some training, don't waste your money. I have taken
these exams; they aren't a piece of cake by any means.
If you have training on-site, don't allow outside
interruptions to intrude upon the class. These can be disruptive and are rude to
the instructor. Besides, it wastes your training money.
Would you allow a first-time driver to just jump into
the car and drive off? It is amazing how many sites turn new and complex systems
over to personnel with perhaps a good background in databases but no experience
whatsoever in Oracle. Yes, there are generic issues, but there are enough
details specific to Oracle alone that training is highly recommended. If it
costs $20,000 to fully train a DBA, isn't it worth it? How much money would it
cost if the system were down for several days while an inexperienced DBA pored
through the manuals and tried to communicate intelligently with the Oracle help
line? What if a critical application were destroyed because of something the DBA
did or didn't do? At one site, an experienced DBA, new to the Oracle database
system, didn't follow the normal database datafile-naming convention recommended
by Oracle. Even though backups were taken, they didn't get the one SYSTEM
datafile that was named incorrectly. As a result, when an application required
recovery due to data corruption, the system couldn't be restored. This resulted
in the users abandoning the application and investing hundreds of hours
reinventing it on Mac systems.
In my incarnation as a sysop on the DBAPipeline at
www.revealnet.com and the lazydba and MOSC forums I assist with, I answer
newbie questions on a daily basis that can usually be answered by looking at the
manuals. Don't waste support analysts? (and my) time by asking us questions that
you can answer yourself. Besides, I have found I learn better if I look it up
rather than have someone tell me; I?m sure you have had the same experience. If
you ask a question that is easily looked up in Oracle manuals, I may answer ?RTFM,?
which stands for "Read the f****** manual."
and include the URL for the page.
