Part 1: The Database Administrator's Primary Responsibility

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item Part 1: The Database Administrator's Primary Responsibility

  • Well said John. A simply stated and accurate introductory topic.

    Can I hazard a guess that part two is on how to implement an effective and tested backup and recovery strategy? 😀

    Tim

    .

  • Hi Tim,

    Thanks for the great feedback.

    Your psychic powers may have eluded you on this occasion but I guess you will just have to wait and see 🙂

    Cheers,

  • I will wait for the next part.

    "Keep Trying"

  • :unsure: Unfortunately it is not always us “Acidental DBAs” that need convincing. That manager you talked about needs convincing that buying SQL is not a panacea in itself. As a result time needs committing to managing the system and/or tools need purchasing to assist in the management on numerous instances.

  • PAH (9/14/2009)


    :unsure: Unfortunately it is not always us “Acidental DBAs” that need convincing. That manager you talked about needs convincing that buying SQL is not a panacea in itself. As a result time needs committing to managing the system and/or tools need purchasing to assist in the management on numerous instances.

    An excellent point!

    As Database Administrator’s, we have a responsibility to ensure that we communicate effectively to management regarding the implications of both our actions an inactions.

  • I'm a DBA in New Orleans, LA, and I work for the Health Sciences Center. I concur that data is extremely important and guarding it with valid backups is one of the most important duties of a DBA. Our data center was located in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and we did not have access to it for over a month. We had to setup our infrastructure from scratch. Had we not been prepared with valid backups, hospitals and schools would not have been able to operate correctly and efficiently. We worked day and night to get things up and running, and we were able to successfully do so. Now we have a complete production system offsite, and we are even better prepared, if we ever have another disaster.

  • This article is great.. I will follow it as I will need it.

    In my case I've been a Data Analyst in my previous positions until now. My manager came to me last week and asked how I felt about taking over the SQL Server responsibilities for the organization, I work in Health care for an Organ procurement organization. Not really knowing what I was getting myself into I said sure, I've reading online books trying to get as much help as possible to cover all of my basis and this article i think will be good.

  • smeye1 (9/14/2009)


    I'm a DBA in New Orleans, LA, and I work for the Health Sciences Center. I concur that data is extremely important and guarding it with valid backups is one of the most important duties of a DBA. Our data center was located in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and we did not have access to it for over a month. We had to setup our infrastructure from scratch. Had we not been prepared with valid backups, hospitals and schools would not have been able to operate correctly and efficiently. We worked day and night to get things up and running, and we were able to successfully do so. Now we have a complete production system offsite, and we are even better prepared, if we ever have another disaster.

    Your experience demonstrates first hand not only how important data is but also how essential it is to have a Disaster Recovery strategy in place.

    Thanks for sharing it with us.

  • I think something that is often missed is monitoring - people set up lots of lovely processes and systems, backup plans, etc.etc. - but then they (or management, or management don't allow them to...) fail to monitor if what they set up works, backs up ok, restores, monitor the data for quality and issues, etc. etc.

    Case in point somewhere not so far from where I sit, where an entire years worth of work was lost for a couple of thousand people when a raid system failed. The official word was that they had `had a failure on all 3 levels of their backup systems`. The raid failed, its backup systems failed, and the daily backups being made failed.

    The actual word was actually that the backups failed as no-one had made any backup's for over a year. No-one checked the backup's were being made, what was happening to them, if they worked, what the person responsible for making the backups was doing, etc.etc.etc.

    I think management often like to fire and forget - i.e. buy in something, get it set up and installed and then assume that it will magically take care of itself. Resources can then be moved onto other things. (Even if those resources kick up a fuss about it 🙂 ). Certainly in my experience anyway!

    M.

  • Maybe it's the contrast with dreadful reality but I believe I detect a Dr. Seuss flavour? As in

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_the_Places_You'll_Go!

    (if that comes out as an actual link.)

    Will you succeed?

    Yes, you will indeed.

    (98 3/4% guaranteed.)

    Et cetera.

  • Martin Bastable (9/15/2009)


    I think something that is often missed is monitoring - people set up lots of lovely processes and systems, backup plans, etc.etc. - but then they (or management, or management don't allow them to...) fail to monitor if what they set up works, backs up ok, restores, monitor the data for quality and issues, etc. etc.

    Case in point somewhere not so far from where I sit, where an entire years worth of work was lost for a couple of thousand people when a raid system failed. The official word was that they had `had a failure on all 3 levels of their backup systems`. The raid failed, its backup systems failed, and the daily backups being made failed.

    The actual word was actually that the backups failed as no-one had made any backup's for over a year. No-one checked the backup's were being made, what was happening to them, if they worked, what the person responsible for making the backups was doing, etc.etc.etc.

    I think management often like to fire and forget - i.e. buy in something, get it set up and installed and then assume that it will magically take care of itself. Resources can then be moved onto other things. (Even if those resources kick up a fuss about it 🙂 ). Certainly in my experience anyway!

    M.

    So true. It sounds like you work at the same place as me.

    Part of the problem is suppliers sell products to the management as a cure all. The cost of the software, application, hardware and OS etc are all taken into account but, the ongoing costs of management are not.

  • I had a SQL Server teacher who said the primary responsibility of a DBA is "to protect the data". I like that definition as opposed to just "data".

    - "Data Mother" Michelle

  • They will give you a key

    To a noisy large room

    Full of stuff that you'll see

    In a "Dilbert" cartoon.

  • Very good . Am waiting for the part 2 .

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