March 1, 2006 at 10:29 am
Hi,,
I went to SQL 2005 training last week and I had lots of thinkings about my career as DBA(SQL) while I was listening lecture..
Looks like many tools are comingled with .NET stuffs..
From my Tech background which I started with PC Tech(3yrs) and Network admin(4yrs) and DBA(6yrs).. I did not have much experience with any programming skills.. I took some of courses but my job led me to more focus on DBA stuffs like SP and tuning etc..
RIght now I am kind of regret that I did not have much hand-on experience with programming side..
At class, more than 80% of students are programmers.. They said they are doing DBA works as well as programmer jobs at the same time.. Microsoft is pushing lots of tools that can be used by programmers who can manage SQL server very well..
However I think to manage database more effectivly, I need to have some programming skills.
Finally my Q is that what direction do I need to take?
Areas of DBA are getting narrower and narrower..
Any idea will help to consider me and anybody who is having a same issue with me.
Thx
Jay
March 2, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Jay,
The area of the traditional operational DBA is becoming more narrow. We all need to continue to grow and adapt to the new concepts and ideas being put forth by those who dictate the tools we will use to create the solutions of tomorrow. My suggestion would be to get a good introductory .NET or Visual Studio 2005 book.
I would start with VB 2005 and then maybe progress to ASP 2005, and onward. There is alot of automation and other enhancements you could leverage with the additional knowledge which would make you more mareketable and you life as a DBA more productive and rewarding.
Adam Jorgensen
Principal Architect
Top Gun Performance
jorgensen.adam@gmail.com
“Tuning Is Not Just For Guitars...”
March 3, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Well, if you've been following the MS official DBA path, they've split it into three paths: DB Admin, DB Developer, DB Knowledge Worker (Bus Intel, reports, OLAP type stuff).
What do you like to do? Do you like the server administration? If so, concentrate on T-SQL, WMI, VBScript, maybe some VB.Net. If you like to write code, but don't want to develop front-end or even middle-level components with C#/VB, consider buckling down on the T-SQL and learning how to create stored procs, triggers, design databases, etc. If you like writing reports and/or analyzing data, look at Reporting Services, Analysis Services, Integration Services/DTS, etc.
However, if you really want to learn coding, I would look at what type of code you want to write. C# probably has a lot of growth. VB.Net is okay, but I see more trends towards C# in the long run. ASP.Net will get you started with web programming. Web Services are growing right now from what I can see.
The question really comes back to you and what you want to do. While I believe that MS is simplifying a lot of the administration tasks to the point where you don't have to worry about them as much, that means that you have more to plan. Database Mirroring? Replication? Backups? Disaster Recovery? Snapshots? Performance? Baselines? Sure there are tools for a lot of those, but you need to know what's best for the appropriate scenario. (This is a Great solution. This is a Good solution. .... Someone tell me those answers have been dropped from the SQL exams. 🙂
There are lots of options out there. If you give us some idea of where you want to be, maybe we can give some more directed advice. After all, becoming a VB.Net programmer when you hate to write code would not make for a good long-term (or even short-term) career. Same for Production DBA if you don't like doing those tasks (or bus-driver or mail carrier or ....).
-Pete
March 3, 2006 at 4:33 pm
One other thought on the programming aspect. It's amazing what you can do with a database, some stored procs, DTS, and a little ingenuity. I've built some apps that I never thought I'd be called on to build as a DBA. 🙂 Middle-level stuff without a user-interface, but I've done quite a bit with just the components that come with SQL Server.
-Pete
March 14, 2006 at 8:58 am
Hi,
i have also worked as Network / System Administrator and now since 6 years i am working as a MS SQL DBA also i dont want any programmer to let fell uncomfortable nor i wants to be rude but truely speaking DBA is one who is onsible for MS SQL Server Database as whole in terms of
Database Design
Database Creation - Alteration
Database Tuning Up
Tuning Up of SQL Server Hardware
Tuning up T-SQL (views , sps , triggers etc. )
Recovery of Database
checking Database Backup
and many more ...
Hemantgiri S. Goswami | SQL Server Specialist & Consultant
SQL Server Citation[/url] | Follow me on Twitter
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