Database administration and automation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Database administration is the function of managing and maintaining DBMS (database management systems) software. Mainstream DBMS software such as Oracle, IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server need ongoing management. As such, corporations that use DBMS software often hire specialized IT (Information Technology) personnel called Database Administrators or DBAs.
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[edit] Types of database administration
There are three types of DBAs:
1. Systems DBAs (sometimes also referred to as Physical DBAs, Operations DBAs or Production Support DBAs)
2. Development DBAs
3. Application DBAs
Depending on the DBA type, their functions usually vary. Below is a brief description of what different types of DBAs do:
1. Systems DBAs usually focus on the physical aspects of database administration such as DBMS installation, configuration, patching, upgrades, backups, restores, refreshes, performance optimization, maintenance and disaster recovery.
2. Development DBAs usually focus on the logical and development aspects of database administration such as data model design and maintenance, DDL (data definition language) generation, SQL writing and tuning, coding stored procedures, collaborating with developers to help choose the most appropriate DBMS feature/functionality and other pre-production activities.
3. Application DBAs are usually found in organizations that have purchased 3rd party application software such as ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management) systems. Examples of such application software includes Oracle Applications, Siebel and PeopleSoft (both now part of Oracle Corp.) and SAP. Application DBAs straddle the fence between the DBMS and the application software and are responsible for ensuring that the application is fully optimized for the database and vice versa. They usually manage all the application components that interact with the database and carry out activities such as application installation and patching, application upgrades, database cloning, building and running data cleanup routines, data load process management, etc.
While individuals usually specialize in one type of database administration, in smaller organizations, it is not uncommon to find a single individual or group performing more than one type of database administration.
[edit] Nature of database administration
Database administration work is complex, repetitive, time-consuming and requires significant training. Since database hold valuable and mission-critical data, companies usually look for candidates with multiple years of experience. Database administration often requires DBAs to put in work during off-hours (for example, when there is a database-related outage or performance has severely degraded). However DBAs are usually well compensated for this as well.
[edit] Database administration tools
Often, the DBMS software comes with certain tools to help DBAs manage the DBMS. Such tools are called native tools. For example, Microsoft SQL Server comes with SQL Server Enterprise Manager and Oracle has tools such as SQL*Plus and Oracle Enterprise Manager/Grid Control. In addition, 3rd parties such as BMC, Quest Software, Embarcadero and SQL Maestro Group offer GUI tools to monitor the DBMS and help DBAs carry out certain functions more easily.
[edit] IT automation and impact on database administration
Recently, automation has begun to impact this area significantly. Newer technologies such as Opsware's SAS (Server Automation System) and StrataVia's Data Palette suite have begun to make database servers and DBMS software fairly autonomic (self-managing). However this only reduces the amount of mundane, repetitive activities and does not eliminate the need for DBAs. The intention of DBA automation is to enable DBAs to focus on more proactive activities around database architecture and deployment.
[edit] Learning database administration
There are several education institutes that offer professional courses, including late-night programs, to allow candidates to learn database administration. Also, DBMS vendors such as Oracle, Microsoft and IBM offer certification programs to help companies to hire qualified DBA practitioners.
