skelly-806234 (10/27/2009)
There's no way you can come up with even a ballpark number of DBA's per server. With the right tools, a well set up infrastructure, reliable networks and well written applications, a single DBA could support a very large number. But if the network is flaky and the apps are dodgy, and there's no investment in monitoring and response tools, even a single server can become a handful.I think a better question would be to ask what a DBA needs to be able to manage a large number of servers well?
I absolutely agree. It all depends on the factors you state....Even one critical db server can be a constant handful if it is just a design nightmare...A lot depends on what you as the dba inherit when you take on the new job and the environment...and a lot of times the people that created the entire mess in the first place are long gone anyway so you are stuck with cleanng it all up and getting it organized and automated...So the sooner you get started the better your daily life is going to be in the long run...
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"