Who wants to be a DBA? Quick rules of thumb
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In this session, we cover several important behaviors which improve outcomes and increase credibility for DBAs. Our discussion includes documentation, testing drills, solution scope, business savvy, risk, customer service, automation, sharing, and lifetime learning.
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Who wants to be a DBA? Quick rules of thumb
- 1. WHO WANTS TO BE A DBA? Ensure Better Outcomes using these Quick Rules of Thumb for the Accidental DBA Kevin Kline • Technical Evangelist, SQL Sentry • SQL Server MVP since 2003 • Twitter, FB, LI: @KEKline • Blog: http://blogs.sqlsentry.com/kevinkline
- 2. YOUR CO-HOST • Richard Douglas • Sales Engineer at SQL Sentry • Blogs: • http://blogs.sqlsentry.com/author/RichardDouglas • http://SQL.RichardDouglas.co.uk • Twitter: @SQLRich • Email: RDouglas@SQLSentry.com • Slides: http://www.Slideshare.net/SQLRich
- 3. FREEBIES! • SQL Performance: www.sqlperformance.com • Team Blogs: blogs.sqlsentry.comArticles: • Educational and Product Videos at sqlsentry.tvVideos: • Trial Downloads at www.sqlsentry.com/trial • Free Plan Explorer at www.sqlsentry.com/PlanExplorerDownloads: • Get our series of SQL Server Performance Tuning eBooks at www.sqlsentry.com/eBooks. $10 value each, for free!eBooks: • To schedule a one-on-one demo yourself, go to www.sqlsentry.com/BookADemo. • Or email us at SalesEngineering@sqlsentry.comDemos: • Free query tuning advice at Answers.SQLPerformance.comServices: • Twitter: @SQLSentry | Facebook: Facebook.com/SQLSentry | LinkedIn: SQL Sentry, LLCCommunity: The Hairy Execution Plan Contest starts in April!
- 4. Book a one-on-one demonstration at www.sqlsentry.com/BookADemo! FREE!
- 5. • Introductions • Practical Rules of Thumb Which Improve Outcomes for DBAs oDocumentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning • Q&A Previous webinar slides and video at http://blogs.sqlsentry.com/kevinkline/webinar-who-wants-to-be-a-dba/ AGENDA
- 6. • Well, more like general guidelines… • Help you become well-rounded, respected, and professional. • Experience and circumstance may supersede these rules of thumb. THE RULES
- 7. • Insurance • For thoroughness’ sake Note- taking as: • Manuals • Scripts • White papers • Et al Hoarding is Good: GET OUT YOUR PEN
- 8. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Reuse scripts and methodologies developed by the best in the business. Document processes. Build checklists. Be a clutch player. • Run frequent drills • Don’t panic! LUCK FAVORS THE PREPARED
- 9. Maintain your focus across diverse technical and functional areas Control scope: Remember the purpose for each task and how it effects the business (FOREST) Focus on effectively performing the steps to achieve your specific goal (TREES) Use the best technique or feature for the job (WEEDS) But remember “the perfect is the enemy of the good” FOREST, TREES, AND WEEDS
- 10. Technology is only part of your job. Technology is only there to make the business successful. Business requirements dictate which technology to use and how to apply it. Avoid technology fads. Talk to the users and get to know their needs. They are your true customer. Learn the natural ebb and flow of the business cycles. KNOW YOUR BUSINESS
- 11. Risks! Choose less risky options wherever possible – HA/DR strategies, technology choices, Analyze, test, and then apply. Everything you roll out might have to be rolled back. Plan for that worst- case scenario. Tests! Prepares you to react rapidly and effectively to problem situations. Sets the limits of the system. Identifies areas to keep an eye on. MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE
- 12. Do NOT infer service quality by how often the phone rings. Build strong quantitative performance metrics so you know, beyond any doubt, how the system is performing. QUANTITATIVE SERVICE METRICS
- 13. Frees time for more enjoyable tasks Works whether you’re present or not Reduces errors Saves time AUTOMATION
- 14. • Sometimes leads to delegation. Encourages reciprocation. Practice In-person sharing • You hired me … but get my network for free. I don’t know every answer. But we might know every answer. Get active in the local/online community. • FAST - Twitter? #sqlhelp #sqlpass #sqlserver • HIGH QUALITY – http://dba.stackexchange.com Interactions SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
- 15. New releases: both full versions and service packs More than just databases: XML & JSON, cloud, storage technology, BI, virtualization Industry standards: legal (HIPAA, PCI, and SOX), ANSI, ISO, TPC CONTINUING EDUCATION
- 16. SUMMARY
- 17. QUESTIONS Kevin Kline KKline@sqlsentry.com Twitter, FB, LI: @KEKline Blog: http://blogs.sqlsentry.com/ kevinkline Slides: http://www.Slideshare.net/ KKline84 Richard Douglas Rdouglas@sqlsentry.com Twitter: @SQLRich Blog: http://blogs.sqlsentry.com/aut hor/RichardDouglas Slides: http://www.Slideshare.net/SQ LRich
Editor's Notes
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Write Down Everything During the course of performing your job as a DBA, you are likely to encounter many challenging tasks and time consuming problems. Be sure to document the processes you use to resolve problems and overcome challenges. Such documentation can be very valuable should you encounter the same, or a similar, problem in the future. It is better to read your notes than to try to recreate a scenario from memory. Keep Everything DBA is just the job for you if you are a pack rat. It is a good practice to keep everything you come across during the course of your job. This includes, but is not limited to, •Manuals—old and new; online and printed •Scripts—to make changes, run reorgs, whatever •Programs—quick fix programs, sample programs, and so on •Proceedings and presentations—from user groups and conferences •Notes—from design reviews, specification meetings, team meetings, user groups and conferences, and so on •Textbooks—from any classes you have attended (as well as additional technical books such as this one) •White papers •Reports—from performance monitors, queries, applications, and so on •Articles—from magazines or links to Web sites (you might consider printing some of your favorite Web links) •Reference manuals—for all of your DBMS products and tools Be a pack rat.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Did you ever use runbooks? Our mainframe was losing favor internally, but it taught a lot of great lessons. One of the big lessons I learned was around runbooks that we, as DBAs, had to write for our Ops team. The Ops team would do all sorts of things for us in the afterhours, including rudimentary restart-the-job sorts of fixes, for all sorts of applications and SQL Server database operations. In a broader sense, Slide 6 is about how the best organizations plan for continuity when “the person who knows everything about that” isn’t in the office. Does that sound familiar? If you’ve used runbooks, then I’m sure you’ve got a lot of stories you could tell how they really help.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Analyze, Simplify, and Focus As we've learned in the previous chapters, the job of a DBA is complex and spans many diverse technological and functional areas. It is easy for a DBA to get overwhelmed with certain tasks—especially those that are not performed regularly. The best advice I can give you is to remain focused and keep a clear head. Understand the purpose for each task and focus on performing the steps that will help you to achieve that end. Do not be persuaded to broaden the scope of work for individual tasks unless it cannot be avoided. In other words, don't try to boil the ocean. If nonrelated goals get grouped together into a task, it can become easy to work long hours with no clear end in sight. Analyze, simplify, and focus. Only then will tasks become measurable and easier to achieve.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Remember that being technologically adept is just a part of being a good DBA. Although technology is important, understanding your business needs is more important. If you do not understand the impact on the business of the databases you manage, you will simply be throwing technology around with no clear purpose. Business needs must dictate what technology is applied to what database—and to which applications. Using the latest and greatest (and most expensive) technology and software might be fun and technologically challenging, but it most likely will not be required for every database you implement. Talk to the users—not just the application developers. Get a sound understanding of how the databases will be used before implementing any database design. Gain an understanding of the database's impact to the company's bottom line, so that when the inevitable problems occur in production you will remember the actual business impact of not having that data available. This also allows you to create procedures that minimize the potential for such problems. Talk to the users.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Controlling risk note: Analyze your environment and the business needs of the databases to create procedures and policies that match those needs. Test those procedures. Finally, apply them to the production databases.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning The McDonalds story – Moral it is better to be predictably satisfying than occasionally spectacular.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Automate! Why should you do it by hand if you can automate? Anything you do can probably be done better by a computer—if it is programmed properly. Once a task is automated, you save yourself valuable time—that probably will be spent tackling other problems. Furthermore, don't reinvent the wheel. Someone, somewhere, at some time may have already solved the problem you are attempting to solve. Look for Web sites that allow you to download and share scripts. If you have the budget, purchase DBA tools as discussed in Chapter 22. Don't reinvent the wheel.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Share Your Knowledge The more you learn, the more you should share that knowledge with others. Many local database user groups meet quarterly or monthly to discuss aspects of database management systems. Be sure to attend these sessions to learn what your peers are doing. When you have some good experiences to share, put together a presentation yourself. Sometimes you can learn far more by presenting at these events than by simply attending because the attendees will seek you out to discuss your approach. Another avenue for sharing your knowledge is using one of many online forums. Web portals and Web-based publications are constantly seeking out content for their Web sites. Working to put together a tip or article for these sites helps you to organize your thoughts and to document your experiences. Furthermore, as the author of an article or column on the Web, you will gain exposure to your peers. Sometimes this type of exposure can help you to land that coveted job. Use online forums. Finally, if you have the time, considering writing for one of the database-related magazines. Writing an article that gets published will take the most amount of time, but it can bring the most exposure. Furthermore, some of the journals will pay you for your material. However, the best reason to share your knowledge with others is because you want them to share their knowledge and experiences with you. A spirit of cooperation maintains the community of DBAs who are willing and eager to provide assistance.
- Documentation | Testing | Scope | Savvy | Risk | Service | Automation | Sharing | Lifetime learning Keep Up-to-Date Finally, keep up-to-date on technology. Be sure that you are aware of all of the features and functions available in the DBMSs in use at your site—at least at a high level, but preferably in-depth. Read the vendor literature on future releases as it becomes available to prepare for new functionality before you install and migrate to new DBMS releases. The sooner you know about new bells and whistles, the better equipped you will be to prepare new procedures and adopt new policies to support the new features. Keep up-to-date on technology in general, too. For example, DBAs should understand XML because it deals with data and will impact database design and administration. Don't ignore industry and technology trends simply because you cannot immediately think of a database-related impact. Many non-database-related “things” eventually find their way into DBMS software and database applications. Keep up-to-date on industry standards—particularly those that impact database technology such as the SQL standard. Understanding these standards before the new features they engender have been incorporated into your DBMS will give you an edge on their management. The DBMS vendors try to support industry standards, and many features find their way into the DBMS because of their adoption by an industry standard. As already discussed, one way of keeping up-to-date is by attending local and national user groups. The presentations delivered at these forums provide useful education. Even more important, though, is the chance to network with other DBAs to share experiences and learn from each other's projects.