Successful DBA

  • Hi,

    Could anyone please help me out...

    How can one prove themself to be a successful DBA as a fresher.How is it possible to work as a DBA without any prior experience after having got training.How can one convince the organization that they will be a successful DBA.

    Thanks in advance..:)

  • Tough question 🙂

    Taking classes in SQL Server really only teaches you the fundamentals of administration and design. And yes, you could jump straight from these classes into a job.

    That said, if you are joining a company as the only DBA, you'll have a steep learning curve ahead of you. If the previous DBA left the environment in a healthy state, then it buys you some time to get to grips and learn (a lot) more about SQL Server. On the other hand, if the previous DBA left the environment with performance problems, bad database designs etc then you really are trying to run before you can walk and I would not advise this for a new DBA.

    If I was in your position, however, I would be more interested in looking for junior roles. This site is a fantastic medium for learning and you also cannot beat having experienced DBA's sitting across the room from you.

    Good luck

  • Oh, and as a fresher - I assume you mean just out of college or university?

    If I was looking to hire someone just out of university, I'd want to get a feel for your knowledge around administration, database design and t-sql, but, I'd also be looking at your potential and how I feel you can develop as DBA.

    So, for an interview, if a DBA is what you want to be and that is the career path you have chosen, let the employer know about it...

  • Accdng to me, initially 1 has to work around with the databases as a developer and to the most extent use the same as a back end for developing application.

    During that stage itself, he has to read/get information about more administration stuff with the databases. Then only chances of becoming a professional DBA will be valid. Now-a-days, DBA has to play vital role by also doing development activity with related to databases especially since the introduction of SSIS,SSAS & SSRS...

  • Yes I am fresher just out of college.

    I had undergone training for some months but have never worked on live projects.

    But they have put me in a project and asked me to convince them as a DBA.How can I convince them?

    I have never worked til now on live servers.

    Thanks

  • Better talk to yur PM and understand how best your services are required to play a role for DBA. Being a fresher, I'm not sure the volume of the data thats getting transmitted here and there and how gonna you handle stuff like that... Have a discussion with him and find out how is next person really having expertise on the database side. Take inputs from them and slowly start off with your tasks..

  • Well not to sound rude, but I wonder how you got the job in the first place. Most companies ask a lot of questions, but then again some dont. All I can say is learn, learn, and read, and read. Otherwise you will have big problems. I know 2 people who went right from school into a job both never working on servers before, and both got their MCSDBA but had never been in a prod environment, or designed anything.. Sadly both got fired very quickly, one because the previous DBA left the system in a bad state and they didnt have the background to keep up. And the second one because they made a stupid mistake. If you are the sole DBA then its a tough question, and there is no easy answer to prove to them. Just be careful because what you design for them now will stick with them for a long time and if its not right

  • Nisha N.Kumar (10/24/2007)


    Yes I am fresher just out of college.

    I had undergone training for some months but have never worked on live projects.

    But they have put me in a project and asked me to convince them as a DBA.How can I convince them?

    I have never worked til now on live servers.

    Grab highly recommended books, read and study like mad. Since you're playing catch-up, you're going to have to spend a lot of your own time to come up to speed.

    Anything that is operational related, security, backup/restore, make sure you understand exactly what you're doing before you do it. Double check your steps before starting. Make sure you have your sources identified (Books Online, MVP blogs, forums like here) and well-researched so if something goes wrong, it's not because you haven't tried to cover every detail.

    With respect to development work, look at your query plans. Find out which ones don't perform well. Run the traces to determine how the app is performing. Bring forward recommendations of what to fix, as well as how to fix it. Quantify improvement where possible (test a fix on a dev server and show the difference in query plans, for instance).

    In other words, seek to at least satisfy whenever anything is asked of you. Look to excel whenever possible. You're trying to prove to them that they aren't making a mistake letting you take the reins. Therefore, you have to show you do your research, you are meticulous in your planning, you have good analysis skills, and you are working hard to make the project succeed.

    That's how you prove yourself if you're green.

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • I guess it really depends on what the company defines as a good DBA . In my Previous company i worked mainly as a developer but was then slowly pushed into the role as a part time DBA. I started of by trying to get the basic tasks right , Every DBA role has some amount of routine Tasks that are part and parcel of the job. get them right , the rest are one off issues that your better of learning by trail and error.

    I am not a fully qualified DBA but the people in my company feel i am good at it 🙂

    Jayanth Kurup[/url]

  • Thanks a lot everyone for your replies

  • I will have to assume that they already have some DBA's on staff. When I brought up Jr DBA's, this is how I determined when they were ready to advance.

    Now I am going to start this off assuming we are talking about a production DBA. Development DBA's are a different breed and for that just do your best on whatever projects they give you. Don't argue (a lot, do express your opinion) if someone more senior says that it should be different than you think.

    First of all. You expect them to break something, so you are VERY cautious to give them as little rope as possible. The last thing I wanted was my helping them to make my life a mess.

    Don't LIE about what you do. If you break something, tell your senior people as soon as possible to get it fixed.

    Don't do or try anything you have been asked NOT to do (this will prevent the fear of telling the truth).

    As questions, but be also be cognizant of anxiety. If they are in a panic, don't add to it by bothering your senior people. Just watch and LEARN!

    I would expect that most mistakes won't be repeated and NEVER repeated more than once. Remember just like a Doctor "First DO NO HARM!" Should be your rule of thumb for every production DBA.

    When in a critical situation (it will happen). DON'T PANIC!!!! Even when you are 100% sure about your course of action.. STOP! Think about everything it will impact again. What you will do if it doesn't fix the problem. Next think about how you might undo what you did. And lastly. Try to take notes some how of exactly everything you are doing. This could be very important to review after the fact in the event you need to do a post mortem report.

    If your advisors are anything like me. I simply would grant them more and more responsibilty over time. The more mistakes the longer I would wait until I gave more responsiblity. Understand that I would often stretch new hires out over a YEAR before I let them take a night shift on a production server.

    Just to give you an idea of how long it takes. I am a well seasoned production(15 years) DBA and I was a System Admin for 5 years before that. I recently changed jobs and took over an existing site. It took me a good 4 months before I was comfortable with the process at my new company.

  • Rudy's only rule:

    Before you take any action make sure that you can recover from it prior to taking it 😉

    RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."

  • Since I doubt heavily that they are paying you for experience you don't have....learn as fast as you can, learn to be good using the tips above, and THEN look to have your position adjusted.

    Sounds to me that someone is trying to get a DBA "on the cheap". A good DBA tends to have a lot of challenges and responsibilities to take on. Once you understand what your real responsibilities are, and how to do them well, and you've proved yourself - don't let yourself be taken advantage of.

    In other words - be careful that a short term "opportunity" doesn't turn into a long-term S***ing opportunity of you by the organization....

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?

  • Matt Miller (10/26/2007)


    In other words - be careful that a short term "opportunity" doesn't turn into a long-term S***ing opportunity of you by the organization....

    True, but once a person has legitimate skills and can document experience on a resume, there's a lot of love out there for competent SQL Server DBAs...

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • K. Brian Kelley (10/26/2007)

    True, but once a person has legitimate skills and can document experience on a resume, there's a lot of love out there for competent SQL Server DBAs...

    Absolutely - Just be aware of your worth (once you ACQUIRE it that is...).

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?

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