Database Administration

Database Administration
Lecture 1

Who is DBA??
• DBA is a resource that supervises both the
database and the use of the DBMS.
• DBA is usually a group, but sometimes it refers
to the database administrator.

What is DBA
• Database administration refers to the whole set
of activities performed by a database
administrator to ensure that a database is always
available as needed. Other closely related tasks
and roles are database security, database
monitoring and troubleshooting, and planning for
future growth.
• Database administration is an important function
in any organization that is dependent on one or
more databases.

Role of DBA
• The primary role of database administration is to
ensure maximum up time for the database so
that it is always available when needed. This will
typically involve proactive periodic monitoring
and troubleshooting. This in turn entails some
technical skills on the part of the DBA. In addition
to in-depth knowledge of the database in
question, the DBA will also need knowledge and
perhaps training in the platform (database engine
and operating system) on which the database
runs.

• A DBA is typically also responsible for other secondary, but
still critically important, tasks and roles. Some of these
include:
• Database Security: Ensuring that only authorized users
have access to the database and fortifying it against any
external, unauthorized access.
• Database Tuning: Tweaking any of several parameters to
optimize performance, such as server memory allocation,
file fragmentation and disk usage.
• Backup and Recovery: It is a DBA's role to ensure that the
database has adequate backup and recovery procedures in
place to recover from any accidental or deliberate loss of
data.
• Producing Reports from Queries: DBAs are frequently
called upon to generate reports by writing queries, which
are then run against the database.

Policy Formulation and Implementation
• Access Privileges
– Users should access the database only in ways in
which they are entitled.
• Security
– Access restrictions ensure that the database is
secure.
– Passwords, encryption, and views implement
security.
– Effective password protection is critical.

Planning for Disaster
• Databases can be harmed from hardware and
software malfunctions, and outsides forces
like floods and power outages.
• DBA’s must take active role in formulating
disaster recovery plans.

Archives
• An archive is a place where corporate data is kept.
• Information in an archive is removed from the
database and stored in the archive for future
reference.
• Archives are usually kept in a mass-storage device
like a disk, tape, CD, or a DVD.
• It is important such archives be kept off-site to allow
recovery should disaster strike

Data Dictionary Management
• Essentially the catalog, but it contains a wider
range of information, including information on
tables, fields, indexes, and programs.
• The DBA manages and updates the data
dictionary, which establishes naming
conventions for tables, fields, etc., and data
integrity rules.

Additional responsibilities of DBA
• Training
– DBA gives training on the DBMS and how to
access the database
• DBMS Support
– The DBA is charged with all aspects of a DBMS,
including selection and management
– DBA must evaluate each prospective DBMS using
a checklist like that shown in
Figure 8.10.

Additional Responsibilities of DBA
• Database design
– DBA is responsible for tuning the design, i.e.,
making changes that improve system
performance.

Is DBA job Easy ???
• You can find no more challenging job then job of
DBA in IT industry. Life of DBA is quite hectic.
• The DBA maintains production and test
environments, monitors active application
development projects, attends strategy and
design meetings, selects and evaluates new
products, and connects legacy systems to the
Web. And, of course: Joe in Accounting, he just
resubmitted that query from hell that’s bringing
the system to a halt. Can you do something about
that? All of this can occur within a single workday.

• DBAs are expected to know everything about everything.
From technical and business jargon to the latest
management and technology fads, the DBA is expected to
be “in the know.” And do not expect any private time: A
DBA must be prepared for interruptions at any time to
answer any type of question—and not just about
databases, either.
• When application problems occur, the database
environment is frequently the first thing blamed. The
database is “guilty until proven innocent.” A DBA is rarely
approached with a question like “I’ve got some really bad
SQL here. Can you help me fix it?” Instead, the DBA is
forced to investigate problems where the underlying
assumption is that the DBMS or perhaps the DBA is at fault,
when the most common cause of relational performance
problems is inefficiently coded applications.

Salary of DBA
Source : http://www.indeed.com/salary/Oracle-Database-Administrator.html

Database Administration

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