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From SQL Developer to become a DBA

  • April 30, 2007 at 7:38 am

    #92346

    How many of you change career from Sql Server developer to DBA?

    Why did you change it and what were the difference between the two careers?

  • April 30, 2007 at 4:44 pm

    #703448

    I became a DBA after being a developer for 11 years, though I worked on

    a mainframe OLTP system rather than SQL Server.  Frankly, I don't know

    any DBAs who weren't developers first.

    I changed because I was interested in the inner workings of databases

    and had lost interest in developing applications.  The DBA position had

    research and study time built in.  It was a lateral move for me, so I

    sure didn't do it for money!

    As for the differences between my developer job and my DBA job, I no

    longer have to mess with program revisions, GUI design, service request

    deadlines, and batch job scheduling.  I can explore the features and

    intricacies of each RDBMS that I support and I'm involved in lots of

    projects, not just those in the application system I supported as a

    developer. 

    Greg

    Greg

  • May 1, 2007 at 7:19 am

    #703525

    I've actually avoided that path because of 1) the late nights and weekends it possibly requires and 2) I feel like there's more creativity in development (bet some replies come in about this!) However, I try to learn as much as I can about the inner-workings of SQL to make my job easier and not trouble our DBAs about things I can find out for myself. Perhaps because of the creativity factor (we're a small shop so we each wear many hats) and the fact that I just plain love my job , 10 - 12 hour days don't pose a problem for me.

  • May 1, 2007 at 9:31 am

    #703572

    James,

    If you work 12 hour days, how long do your DBAs work?!? 

    Greg

    Greg

  • May 2, 2007 at 6:35 am

    #703773

    I began my career as a web developer using Oracle. I was with a very small company and I played Sys Admin/Developer/DBA. They gave me these tasks even though I had no experience and I was learning things as fast as I could on my own just to keep up with our company's growth. It was this first job that really gave me my skills. I was handed an Oracle DB on Sun hardware when all I really knew was Windows and Intel. To make it worse, the consultants who had built the DB had put everything (OS, DB apps, Data, indexes, everything) on one drive. Shortly after our web site launched everything came to a grinding halt. So I had to learn Sun OS, Sun Hardware, and Oracle DB optimization in a hurry.

    Anyway, back on track, my next few jobs (over about 10 years) were all pure development. The databases were in place and I was just writing apps. Most places I wasn't even allowed to touch the database except through programming API's.

    Then I landed at my current job. I was hired as a "Reporting Specialist". Nothing new there. I've been the report guy before. But it's a small shop. I soon became the "Bulk Data Guy". Large data loads from clients became part of my job. Next came "Hey, we need a new database server. And can we upgrade from SQL7 while we're at it?" And everyone looked at me.

    So, here I am again. Back where I started but with a lot more experience under my belt. I spend about 30% of my time doing DBA-ish things and the rest doing developer-ish things. I'm the only one here who really pays any attention to the DB unless something goes wrong. I do like the job, but I don't think I'd be happy if my whole job was the database.

    Oh, and work is not my life (anymore). The occasional weekend or evening hours are ok. I do a pretty good job of leaving the career at the office.

  • May 2, 2007 at 11:37 am

    #703891

    I am working as database developer  in my current compay, but it was called development dba in my previous company. Both position does almost same work, such as data modeling, database object develoment, performance tuning, database management, security management, database support. Only I am not work on databse recovery. Is my work database developer or development dba. what do you mentioned for dba? do you only mean operational dba or production dba?

  • May 2, 2007 at 1:50 pm

    #703917

    In 12 years of being a DBA, I think maybe for a year out of that have I only been one or the other.  The rest I do both the SQL development and the DBA work.

    Most places I have simply been the goto guy for any issues involving SQL, wheter code, db design or the "oh my god we just lost the server" stuff.

    Most of my late night stuff has been fixing code someone else wrote, usualy in old applications I have taken over.  Once in a while in crappy code I wrote myself (hey it happens even to me!).  Rarely have I had to stay late to fix DBA type issues, but I work hard during normal hours to ensure that any unforseen events can be handled with a minimum of fuzz.

  • May 3, 2007 at 8:03 am

    #704066

    My career path has been a winding one.  I have been a programmer, a network engineer, and  desktop support in both hardware and software.  At this point, I have been a fulltime DBA for the last 5 ½ years.  Ever since I entered the computer field after college, I wanted to be a DBA for the following reasons:

     

    1. Many projects revolve around database work.  The input of a DBA is often times highly valued.
    2. A good DBA needs to be a well-round.  A DBA needs to know how to help developers write fast applications and also have a working knowledge of networks and hardware to troubleshoot performance problems and configure hardware correctly.
    3. DBA work would not change as much as programming languages.
    4. I feel that DBAs have a wider job selection.  If I decide to go back into programming, I will have part of that skill set.  If I want to be a network engineer, I can fit that position also.

  • May 3, 2007 at 1:46 pm

    #704203

    It wasn't my choice to change.  For years Sybase mostly "just ran", and the use was limited to a few departments.  Then as we had to accept early SQL Servers there was a need to be more proactive.   Meantime, other developers were moving from client apps in C and VB to web based platforms.

    Now that I am trying to get everything off Sybase and SQL 2000 (it's come a looooonnng way since 6.5), I could use 2 helpers just to manage.  SQL Server doesn't "just run" - tho it's not bad at it these days - but everything is using it.  We used to create a new database every couple of years, now its every couple of days.

    I love to write code, but I can satisfy that writing my backup and sanitation scripts.   The down side is I now have a strong depth of practical and theoretical knowledge on RDBs, but little time to apply it - the developers don't have time to become database experts.   So sometimes I feel like an overpaid clerk or custodian. 

    I recently started giving classes at lunchtime on SQL Server 2005 and general database information.  These are well received.   I'd love to spend my time working hand in hand with the developers, helping them with the database design, access, security, and so forth - instead of cringing every time I see someone has copied my AWK generated SQL from 1987, when I converted our Britton Lee Embeded QUEL into Sybase SQL in calls to dblib.

    It would be wondergful to teach it full time, but I question how I would keep up my knowledge if I wasn't also working with it day to day - I'm a kinesthetic learner, I have to DO it to teach it.

     

    roger

    Roger L Reid

  • May 3, 2007 at 10:07 pm

    #704277

    My route to DBA was a varied one and I have never had an official programming or DB class.  I had always planned on a business career (accounting/finance/international trade) but programming had always been a hobby for me starting way back in the mid 80's but didn't really take off until I was in living and working in Brazil and built my first accounting application in dBase.  Then another and another and the databases slowly grew larger and more powerful as the applications that I developed became more complicated.  So each time I had to learn a new database...dBase, FoxPro, MS Access, DB2, SQL. 

    One late night while writing one of my college papers, I realized that all of the applications that I seemed to develop revolved around data and every one friends/classmates always came to me for help organizing/storing their data.  Even during my Masters and PhD years in Econ and Finance, everything seemed to revolve around data...all of my research contained tons of data that needed to be organized and I could see business intelligence was going to be where it was at because he who holds the information, holds the key.  So I learned as much as possible about RDBMS and the rest is history and never a dull moment.   

    Accepting all invites

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