What does a dba do all day long?

ABIOLA OBILEYE
ORACLE CONSULTANT/TRAINER
DATASOFT CONSULTING
WWW.DATASOFT-CONSULTING.CO.UK
What does a database administrator (DBA) do all day?
09/01/2017 p. 1

PURPOSE OF THE SEMINAR
Provide insight into relational database management
Shed light on the importance of data in any
organization
Discuss how critical the role of a DBA is to its
success!
Highlight DBA attributes, Career path &
Remuneration
09/01/2017ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER p. 2

BENEFITS OF THE SEMINAR
 An understanding of what data is and how it impacts our
lives on a daily basis.
 An understanding of the role of a DBA and how critical it is
within any organization.
 Beneficial to those considering potential DBA career
prospects or anyone who has ever wondered about what
a DBA actually does.
 Overall, it will shed more light on this sector in the IT
industry.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this seminar, it is hoped that every attendee would have gained an
understanding of the following:
 What is data and how important is it?
 What is a database?
 Advantages of a RDBMS
 High Availability
 Disaster Recovery & Business
Continuity
 Who is a Database Administrator
(DBA)?
 Attributes of a good DBA
 How DBAs spend their time
 Responsibilities of a Database Administrator
 Tasks of a Database Administrator
 Challenges of managing databases
 Career path of a Database Administrator
 Business As Usual (BAU) vs. Project deliverables
 Contacting vs. Permanent Roles
 Database Administrator Salary ranges
 A DBA IS…
 Conclusion

WHAT IS DATA?! HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

WHAT IS DATA! HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?
Data can be described as distinct pieces of information, usually formatted in a special way that
constitute building blocks of information. It is any fact, number or text that can be processed by a
computer. It can exist in a variety of forms either on pieces of paper, as bits and bytes stored in
electronic memory or as facts stored in a person's mind.
The term data is often used to distinguish binary machine-readable information from textual
human-readable information. For example, some applications make a distinction between data
files - files that contain binary data and text files - files that contain ASCII data.
Data can be Qualitative or Quantitative.
Qualitative data is descriptive information - it describes something.
Quantitative data is numerical information - numbers.
 Data are corporate asset just like personnel, physical & financial resources.
 Effective data administration provides support for managerial decision making at all levels in
the organization.
 Ineffective data administration leads to poor data utilization.

DATA IS A COMPANY’S CORPORATE CURRENCY!!!
If data is so critical in our daily lives - households, schools, hospitals, businesses, small
and large organisations amongst others, it is definitely pertinent that we ask questions
such as:
 How do we ensure that data is easily accessible?
 How do we ensure that we can extract information from it?
 How do we ensure its continuous availability?
 How do we ensure that we protect it?
 Who should be responsible for our data?
It is safe to conclude that an organisation without a good database to store their
data cannot last for too long before becoming chaotic and completely un-
manageable.
A database is one of the most critical asset of a business. It needs to be on a
reliable, robust and secure platform. If the platform is not reliable, secure and
robust then businesses may lose millions of pounds as a result of downtime.

WHAT IS A DATABASE?
You can think of a database as an Electronic Filing System. It is
basically a collection of information organized in such a way that a
computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data which can
be manipulated in useful ways.
A database is a means of storing information in such a way that
information can be retrieved from it. A database is a software-based
container structured to collect and store information so it can be added
to, updated, retrieved or removed in an automatic fashion
A database provides proper storage for small and large amounts of
data. It provides easy and fast access to facilitate the processing of
data. Its content should be easily accessible to authorised users in a
quick and efficient manner. A database can store and handle vast
amounts of data.

WHAT IS A DATABASE?
A database management system (DBMS) is a set of software that is used to
define, store, modify, control the data and extract information. All software is
divided into two general categories: data and programs. Programs are
collections of instructions for manipulating data. Database programs are
software applications designed for users to make databases and create all
the programming necessary to fill them or delete them as needed.
Database systems have become the primary mechanism used by most
organization to store and manage their important information. With the
progress and advancement of computer systems, database is part and
parcel not only for modern organization, even small business related shops
are compelled to use this critical system.
In database management systems, data files are the files that store the
database information, whereas other files such as data dictionaries, store
administrative information known as metadata.

ADVANTAGES OF A RELATIONAL
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (RDBMS)
 Consistent information
 Firmly established and flexible
 Sound theoretical foundation and use over many years has resulted in stable, standardized
products available
 Standard data access language through Structured Query Language (SQL)
 Easy management of data security and privacy
 Reduced application development time
 Costs and risks associated with large development efforts and with large databases are
well understood
 The fundamental structure, i.e. a table is easily understood and the design and
normalization process is well defined

HIGH AVAILABILITY
Maximum Availability Architecture addresses the complete range
of requirements for data protection and availability including
disaster recovery, typical for enterprises of all sizes and market.
With the advent of the Internet, many databases that could have
been available only during the day are now required to be
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Web sites have
changed from static, pre-defined content to dynamically created
content, using a database to create the page layout at the time a
page is requested.
If the Web site is available 24x7, so must the underlying
database.

HIGH AVAILABILITY
Managing a database in this environment requires an understanding of which types of
maintenance operations can be done online (with the database available to users) and
which must be scheduled for a maintenance "window" when the database may be shut
down. It also requires planning for redundant hardware and/or software components, so that
when one fails, others will keep the total system available to its users and the business it
serves. Techniques like online backups, clustering, replication, and standby databases are
some of the tools that the DBA can use to ensure higher availability.
Very Large Databases (VLDBs): As companies have found more and more uses for
database technology, they tend to save more data. Also, the type of data stored in
databases has changed, from structured data in neat rows and columns to unstructured data
such as documents, images, sound files, and even fingerprints. Both trends have the same
result: larger databases.
Managing a VLDB requires special skills of the DBA. The time required to do simple
operations like copying a table can be prohibitive unless done correctly. The DBA needs to
understand techniques like table partitioning (Oracle), federated databases (SQL Server), or
replication (MySQL) to enable a database to scale to large sizes while still being
manageable.

DISASTER RECOVERY & BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Disaster recovery is the area of security planning that deals with protecting an organization
from the effects of significant negative events. Significant negative events in this context, can
include anything that puts an organization’s operations at risk such as:
 Crippling malicious cyber attacks
 Equipment failures
 Accidental human disasters
 Natural disasters - hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.
It is the process of returning a database to a state of normality with minimum data loss
after the occurrence of a disastrous event.
Business continuity describes the processes and procedures an organization must put in place
to ensure that mission-critical business functions can continue during and after a disaster. The
emphasis is more on maintaining business operations than IT infrastructure.
Because business continuity and disaster recovery are so closely related, the two terms are
sometimes combined as Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR or BC/DR).

WHO IS A DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR (DBA)?

WHO IS A DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR (DBA)?
A database administrator is someone who uses
software to store and organize data, such as
financial information and customer shipping records.
They make sure that data is available to users and
is secure from unauthorized access.
Database administrators work in many different
types of industries, including computer systems
design and related services firms, insurance
companies, banks, hospitals, etc.

ATTRIBUTES OF A “GOOD” DBA
 KNOWLEDGEABLE
 ATTENTION TO DETAIL
 OBSERVANT
 PERSONABLE
 FOCUSED
 ENTHUSIASTIC
 PROACTIVE
 CAUTIOUS
 PATIENT
 FLEXIBLE
 COMMITTED
 DILIGENT

BE CALM!

HOW DO DBAs SPEND THEIR TIME?

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A DBA

 DATABASE PLANNING &
DEVELOPMENT
 DATABASE LOGICAL &
PHYSICAL DESIGN
 DATA INTEGRITY
 DATABASE AVAILABILITY
 DATABASE MAINTENANCE
 PERFORMANCE & TUNING
 TROUBLESHOOTING
 INSTALLATION, UPGRADE &
MIGRATION
 DATABASE CONFIGURATION
 DATABASE BACKUP, RESTORE
& RECOVERY
 DATABASE AUDIT & SECURITY
 DATABASE STORAGE &
CAPACITY PLANNING
 STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
09/01/2017 p. 25
ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER

Installation, Configuration, Upgrade & Migration
Although system administrators are generally responsible for the hardware and operating system on a given
server, installation of the database software is typically up to the DBA. This job role requires knowledge of
the hardware prerequisites for an efficient database server, and communicating those requirements to the
system administrator. The DBA then installs the database software and selects from various options in the
product to configure it for the purpose it is being deployed. As new releases and patches are developed, it's
the DBA's job to decide which are appropriate and to install them. If the server is a replacement for an
existing one, it's the DBA's job to get the data from the old server to the new one.
Backup & Recovery
DBAs are responsible for developing, implementing, and periodically testing a backup and recovery plan for
the databases they manage. Even in large shops where a separate system administrator performs server
backups, the DBA has final responsibility for making sure that the backups are being done as scheduled
and that they include all the files needed to make database recovery possible after a failure. When failures
do occur, the DBA needs to know how to use the backups to return the database to operational status as
quickly as possible, without losing any transactions that were committed.
There are several ways the database can fail, and the DBA must have a strategy to recover from a failure.
From a business standpoint, there is a cost to doing backups, and the DBA makes management aware of
the cost/risk tradeoffs of various backup methods.

Database Audit & Security
Because databases centralize the storage of data, they are attractive targets for hackers and even curious
employees. The DBA must understand the particular security model that the database product uses and
how to use it effectively to control access to the data. The auditing task is particularly important currently, as
regulatory laws like Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA have reporting requirements that must be met.
The three basic security tasks are authentication:
 Setting up user accounts to control logins to the database
 Authorization - setting permissions on various parts of the database
 Auditing - tracking who did what with the database.
Database Storage and Capacity Planning
The primary purpose of a database is to store and retrieve data, so planning how much disk storage will be
required and monitoring available disk space are key DBA responsibilities. Watching growth trends are
important so that the DBA can advise management on long-term capacity plans.

Performance Monitoring & Tuning
The DBA is responsible for monitoring the database server on a regular basis to identify bottlenecks (parts of the system
that are slowing down processing) and remedy them. Tuning a database server is done on multiple levels. The capacity of
the server hardware and the way the operating system is configured can become limiting factors, as can the database
software configuration. The way the database is physically laid out on the disk drives and the types of indexing chosen also
have an effect. The way queries against the database are coded can dramatically change how fast results are returned.
A DBA needs to understand which monitoring tools are available at each of these levels and how to use them to tune the
system. Proactive tuning is an attitude of designing performance into an application from the start, rather than waiting for
problems to occur and fixing them. It requires working closely with developers of applications that run against the database
to make sure that best practices are followed so good performance will result.
Troubleshooting
When things do go wrong with the database server, the DBA needs to know how to quickly ascertain the problem and to
correct it without losing data or making the situation worse.
Special Environments
In addition to these basic responsibilities, some DBAs need special skills because of how the database is being used.

Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL)
In data warehouse environments, a key task is efficiently loading the data
warehouse or data mart with large volumes of data extracted from multiple
existing production systems. Often these production systems have different
formats than the standardized definitions in the data warehouse, so data must
be transformed (or "cleansed") before loading. Extracting the data may or
may not be the DBA's responsibility in a given company, but making sure
what is extracted is useful is, and the DBA is a key part of the team.
The bottom line for IT leaders
Increasing feature sets in popular database products have steadily increased
the number of things a DBA has to master. IT leaders who check for skills in
the above key areas can make sure the DBA they hire is up to the task.

GET THINGS UNDER CONTROL!

TASKS OF A DBA
 Creates and maintains all databases required for development, testing,
education and production usage.
 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.
 Performs ongoing tuning of the database instances.
 Installs new versions of the Oracle RDBMS and its tools and any other tools
that access the Oracle database.
 Plans and implements backup and recovery of the Oracle database.
 Controls migrations of programs, database changes, reference data changes
and menu changes through the development life cycle.

TASKS OF A DBA
 Implements and enforces security for all of the Oracle Databases.
 Performs database re-organisations as required to assist performance and ensure
maximum uptime of the database.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 Enforces and maintains database constraints to ensure integrity of the database.

TASKS OF A DBA
 Administers all database objects, including tables, clusters, indexes,
views, sequences, packages and procedures.
 Assists with impact analysis of any changes made to the database
objects.
 Troubleshoots problems and issues regarding the databases,
applications and other development tools.
 Creates new database users as required.
 Manages sharing of resources amongst applications.
 The DBA has ultimate responsibility for the physical database design.

SAMPLE LIST OF TASKS
Task title Frequency Specific time Effort Notes
1 Monitor alerts Hourly 1 minute Enterprise Manager, Solarwinds and custom
2 Check database backups Daily Morning 15 minutes Use Enterprise manager and DB Consoles
3 SQLserver failback to primary Daily Morning 5 minutes Required most days.
4 Check overnight processing Daily Morning 20 minutes ETL, legacy, data feeds, etc.
5 Check Linux file system backups Weekly Monday AM 10 minutes
6 Passwords expiring soon Weekly Monday AM 5 minutes
7 Ebusiness Suite tablespace check Weekly Monday AM 10 minutes Both environments
8 Linux password change Quarterly 1 hour
9 EBS apps password change Quarterly 0.5 day
10 Test backup / restore Onebase Yearly 2 days Elapsed time approximately 2 weeks
11 External Audit Yearly 2 days
12 Internal Audit Yearly 2 days
13 Sox Audit Yearly 2 days
14 eBusiness suite refresh environment Ad-hoc 2 days Approximately twice per year
15 Cognos 10.2.2 upgrade Ad-hoc 5 days Spread over duration of project
16 Upgrade Onebase SE1 to SE2 Ad-hoc 1 Month Required for licensing reasons.
17 Internet access to Apex Ad-hoc 2 weeks ORDS + Tomcat
18 Integrate additional EonStors Ad-hoc 2 weeks
19 Vertex project support Ad-hoc
20 Apex DBA support Ad-hoc
21 Cognos administrator DBA support Ad-hoc
22 Resolving misc issues Ad-hoc 20%
23 Enforce Linux password complexity Once 1 day Also expiry and reuse rules.
24
25
Database re-organisation to assist
performance and ensure maximum uptime
for the database Daily Varies
26 Provide Technical Support to all Teams Daily Varies
27 Capacity Planning Weekly Varies
28 Refresh environments Ad-hoc Varies
29
Impact Analysis for any changes to database
objects Daily/Ad-hoc Varies
30 Download and Install Patches Ad-hoc Varies
31
Monitoring database's health and taking
preventitive and corrective action as required Daily Varies

Oracle Database Backups:
Level 0 backups – Run every Saturday for all the databases but the start times vary.
Level 1 backups – Run every day at 8.00PM except Saturdays for all the databases.
Archive backups – Run every day at 8.00AM for all the databases.
Linux Backups:
Linux files are backed up every Saturday roughly between 4.00PM and 6.00PM. The time varies with
servers. On completion of the backup, emails are sent out to the Linux administrator. Linux backups are
scheduled on Cronjob separately for Oracle owned files and Root owned files.
The database and server backup files are written to the Windows share which is mapped to /winshare
filesystem on all the Linux servers. These backup files on the Windows share are copied to tape every
Wednesday at 4.00PM by the Sysadmins. We follow a retention period of 7 days for the Oracle
production backup files on windows share.
The Oracle RMAN backups older than 5 days are deleted every Wednesday at 6.30PM through EM jobs
for all the databases.

A DBA IS REASSURING

CHALLENGES OF MANAGING DATABASES

CAREER PATH OF A DBA

BUSINESS AS USUAL (BAU) vs. PROJECT DELIVERABLES
As an Oracle DBA, you will come across both Business As Usual (BAU) and Project based roles
during the course of your career.
During business as usual operations, the working practises are procedural in order to achieve
continuity with the aim to constantly improve the work; whereas projects are about change, so may
be in part procedural (such as change control procedure) but fundamentally they involve the creation
of new operating practices.
In a project the deliverables are produced once, whereas deliverables are repeatedly produced
during business as usual. A project introduces a new product or a change in product whereas
business as usual seeks to reproduce the same item. For example, a project would produce a new IT
system and roll it out in the business whereas business as usual would be operating that IT system
day in day out.
A project produces the product in a finite, set time period whereas in business as usual the products
are repeatedly produced for an indefinite amount of time. E.g. a roll out of an IT system would have
to be completed by a particular target date whereas operations of that system would be ongoing.
For a project the plans and specifications that are put in place are bespoke and unique. Each project
is different in implementation details so requires a bespoke approach to implementation.

CONTRACTING VS. PERMANENT ROLES
Contracting is sometimes seen as the holy grail of IT and FT work, and with earning potential that can be double
the wage of permanent staff, it can seem very tempting indeed. But is contracting really that covetable?
It is not a myth that you can earn vastly more as a contractor than you could as a permanent employee, but it’s
not a given either. A senior permanent employee can earn nearly as much as an equivalent contractor, but will,
in addition to his or her salary, have a range of benefits that aren’t offered to the contractor. These can include
pension schemes, private health care, car allowances, professional development funds, to name a few; however,
such roles do tend to be very senior, and are few and far between.
In many ways, the greater earning potential that a contractor enjoys is compensation for the lack in job security.
More effort needs to be invested to maintain steady workflow, and depending on a range of factors including
your skills, reputation, timing and the state of the economy, you may find it difficult to secure your next contract.
The contract market tends to be highly counter-cyclical, so in a boom, you may find that the market is actually
tougher than in a bust.
On the flip side, what you lack in security and stability, you gain in having more flexibility and freedom. You are
also more likely to work on more varied projects and gain more experience with different technologies and
working constellations; this can potentially progress your career more quickly.
So if you have the skills and you can stomach the lack of stability and security, then chances are that you will
thrive in a contracting role. However, if you are in a good job with prospects, and you enjoy the culture and
environment in which you work, staying put might be the best option.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING A CONTRACTOR
Better remuneration: As a contractor you should receive more for your services than permanent staff. It is worth
remembering that even if the equivalent contractor rate is much higher than the perm rate, the cost to the company is
lower.
Factors that affect how much you are worth include the economic climate and supply and demand for your skills in the
market place. Companies often use contractors because they want them to transfer their skills to their permanent staff,
since contractors often have a higher level of technological competence.
Tax savings: Use an umbrella company to ‘run’ yourself or go into business with a limited company. Both options will
likely save you considerable amounts of tax and make contracting even more profitable. If you agree to a contract of more
than 24 months, keep in mind that you won’t be able to claim site-based business expenses.
You are your own manager: As a contractor you choose whether or not to accept work so you can select contracts
according to your own preferences.
Job variation leads to skills: Contractors normally take contracts ranging between 3 and 12 months in duration. By
working on shorter contracts you will gain experience faster, work on more varied projects and hopefully get some big-
name companies on your CV. Changing projects on a regular basis gives you a chance to update and further your skills
and to learn from the best. In general, contractors have more advanced skills than their permanent counterparts, which will
give your career a boost.
International opportunities: Some fields offer ample opportunity to work abroad on international assignments.
Build your network: Undertaking contract work allows you to build business contacts and if a client likes your work they
will be happy to hire you again or recommend you.

DISADVANTAGES OF BEING A CONTRACTOR
Job security: Entering a weaker market, termination of your project, or having skills that are out of
demand are all threats to your job security. Stay on top of your development and plan for rainy days.
Administration: As a contractor you will always have more administration work in your spare time than
you would if you were a permanent employee. You must read up on how umbrella companies work, and
may also need to hire an accountant to ensure you are compliant and tax-efficient.
Applying for contracts: Imagine job-hunting every six months; this would drive most people crazy, and
it’s worth keeping this side of contracting in mind.
Short-notice holidays: Essentially, these don’t exist. You need to plan your holidays for when you have
gaps between jobs.
Holiday and sick pay: Again, these are a thing of the past, so ensure you make provisions for any
eventualities.
Skills training: One way of looking at this is that you may get free training and skills development on the
job, but if you do need to go on a course, you will have to pay for it from your own funds.
The reality is whether to freelance or not is seldom an easy question to answer, as permanent and
contract work can have just as many advantages as disadvantages. Ultimately it boils down to your
priorities and lifestyle.

DBA SALARY RANGE
Last Updated: Sunday, 15 May 2016 18:10
Database administrator salaries are among the highest base wages in IT, and experienced
DBAs and database managers can earn well into the six-figure range. Here is a dynamic
look at the database administrator salary landscape, featuring key figures, trends and
analyses of the leading salary surveys and national employment data.
Job Title 2013 Salary 2014 Salary 2015 Salary 2-Year
Change
Database Admin $83,000 - $119,500 $87,500 - $126,000 $91,000 - $134,750 +
11.5%
http://www.itcareerfinder.com/brain-food/it-salaries/database-administrator-salary-
range.html
http://www.dba-oracle.com/t_dba_salary_trends.htm

DBA SALARY RANGE
This 2005 DBA Salary survey shows Oracle Architects with the highest pay ($90k/year)
followed by Oracle DBA at an average of $65k year. It also shows Oracle salaries being
highest in California. Also in 2005 this survey shows an average DBA salary averaging
$86,000 per year and Oracle OCP average DBA salaries over $75,000 per year.
As of 2015, the starting salary for a DBA depends largely on the quality of their education,
your major, and your commitment to a profession in database administration, as noted in
this 2015 DBA salary survey.
On average, a DBA salary will be approximately age x 2. If you are 22 years old, expect a
starting DBA salary to be about $44,000. As your experience increases, so does your DBA
salary, such that you could expect about $100,000 per year when you are 50 years old (age
x 2) with 28 years experience.
Quality and DBA salary
Today, inflation and increased demand have increased the DBA pay scale.

A DBA IS:
 A PERSON OF INFLUENCE
 A PERSON OF AUTHORITY
 A PERSON OF POWER
 A PERSON OF VALUE
 A PERSON OF TRUST
 A HIGH INCOME EARNER
 A LEADER

CONCLUSION
Corporate organisations depend on several utilities - centrally managed services distributed across networks - the
most common being electricity, water, and telephone services. Increasingly, organisations also depend on LAN
and database services. Some organisations, such as airlines, with their reservation systems, or Amazon.com, with
its Internet-based order system, are extremely sensitive to the availability of an underlying database service.
Established utilities such as telephone and power companies have evolved over time to maintain a relatively high
degree of reliability and predictability - or at least, high by the standards of the database industry. They've done
this by defining exactly what they need to deliver and then carefully monitoring actual delivery on a real-time basis,
storing these measurements for review and management. Service outages are analysed with an eye to preventing
their recurrence, and problems are anticipated and prevented more often than reacted to. Even natural disasters
are planned for, and the response is swift, co-ordinated, and well-rehearsed.
Any database that is key to an organisation's operations - such as Amazon.com's order database - is functionally
the same as any of these other utilities; work cannot proceed if the service is interrupted. The Internet is driving
much higher database-uptime standards, because even a small mom-and-pop site that wants to sell on the
internet must be up all the time, otherwise, it will lose orders.
As Glenn Slate, operations manager for eMerchandise.com, puts it: "Better no visitors than visitors who have a
bad experience, because they will go away, stay away, and warn their friends away. Response time, uptime, and
reliability are crucial, especially for us, because we target an international audience. Many people in this industry
don't realise we're on a frontier. Every shopper today will influence 20 friends who are getting online tomorrow.
A company’s corporate currency is it’s data therefore it must be protected at all costs to keep the
business in operation.

A DBA IS INFLUENTIAL AND RESPECTED

What does a dba do all day long?

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