DBA Support

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DBA Support

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

SSC Guru

Points: 736430
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October 25, 2012 at 10:29 pm

#283570

Comments posted to this topic are about the item DBA Support

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P Jones SSChampion Points: 12361 More actions · Answer 1

All the sql server databases - I'd be all day counting them - I haven't even managed to count servers yet! But I have to say a huge thank you to Ola Hallengren for his work that saves my sanity.

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/scripts/Backup+%2f+Restore/62380/

JakobBindslet Old Hand Points: 355 More actions · Answer 2

We are three DBAs managing more than 3000 SQL Server databases. Using more than 100TB of storage. Databases range from a few MB til 7-8 TB databases.

Our environment uses SQL Server 2005/2008/2008R2 and a few 2012s.

We have automated the environment to a very high degree, using SQL Server/SQL Agent and PowerShell. Including automatic discovery, backup, maintenance, reporting, as well as some migration, recovery, and capacity management functionality.

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Jakob

tsceurman Old Hand Points: 366 More actions · Answer 3

We have (or will have soon) 3 production servers and 1 dev server, with approximately 150 databases across them all. I am the de facto DBA, although we do not have that actual position/title at present (my official title is Applications Programmer Analyst).

I have been, over the past several months, working on automating as much as possible, due to the simple fact that administering databases and servers is not my primary job. Backups, index maintenance, integrity checking, monitoring... I have been working to implement as much automation as possible. The hardest part is not knowing what I don't know; I know there are things that I should be looking at, but I have not had much time to dive into those areas, and the time usually comes when an issue appears (funny how priorities can change rather quickly in emergencies...). If it weren't for the level of automation, I know from experience that there are things that just wouldn't be done.

Abu Dina SSChampion Points: 14155 More actions · Answer 4

Let's see what my new DBA repository tells me:

18 SQL Server instances.

492 Databases.

6TB of data

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It takes a minimal capacity for rational thought to see that the corporate 'free press' is a structurally irrational and biased, and extremely violent, system of elite propaganda.
David Edwards - Media lens[/url]

Society has varying and conflicting interests; what is called objectivity is the disguise of one of these interests - that of neutrality. But neutrality is a fiction in an unneutral world. There are victims, there are executioners, and there are bystanders... and the 'objectivity' of the bystander calls for inaction while other heads fall.
Howard Zinn

Andrew Kernodle SSCertifiable Points: 5314 More actions · Answer 5

I manage a paltry two databases at my workplace, one in SQL Server, one in Microsoft Access. Not exactly a huge burden of work there, with only about 3GB of data, but I'm definitely doing everything I can with these databases (and a spare test one for experiments) to learn all I can about working with SQL Server. Learned the importance of doing backups of everything to multiple places and restoring them daily, indexing, optimization, and so forth. I'd actually like to move to an environment that has a bit more to manage... Sometimes there's just very little to do here, since the business needs don't escalate very often. That just leaves more time for learning and testing, though 😀

- 😀

HildaJ SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4516 More actions · Answer 6

I just recently got the job that I currently have, I'm a few weeks into it. We have one production database server and one development server, and currently working on a stage database server. We have about 20 databases that range in size from 30 gb to very small database all running on SQL 2008 R2. I really love the DBA job, it's very cool to work with data and help the users to pull that information into readable format. I'm very impressed on what some of you guys are currently supporting. I like to read a lot about managing DB, scripts and all this cool stuff to keep up to date and defintely to work on automating as many tasks as possible.

Rod at work SSC-Dedicated Points: 34015 More actions · Answer 7

1 production SQL Server instance; 4 production databases.

1 test SQL Server instance and the same 4 test databases.

I'm an accidental DBA; the only DBA we have here.

Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.

derek.colley SSCrazy Eights Points: 8040 More actions · Answer 8

This is a nice question, but skating a bit close to the confidentiality line for me I'm afraid. A bit of basic research with Google will uncover which company I work for.

I'm going to settle for, 'lots'.

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Note to developers:
CAST(SUBSTRING(CAST(FLOOR(NULLIF(ISNULL(COALESCE(1,NULL),NULL),NULL)) AS CHAR(1)),1,1) AS INT) == 1
So why complicate your code AND MAKE MY JOB HARDER??!:crazy:

Want to get the best help? Click here https://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/forum-etiquette-how-to-post-datacode-on-a-forum-to-get-the-best-help (Jeff Moden)
My blog: http://uksqldba.blogspot.com
Visit http://www.DerekColley.co.uk to find out more about me.

Chris Metzger Ten Centuries Points: 1268 More actions · Answer 9

As an accidental DBA we're at 113 instances on 3 Production 2008R2 systems and hundreds of databases but fortunately I was smart and automated EVERYTHING when I took this job. Plus it helps that our developers wrote a lot of stored procedures into our databases so all we have to do is schedule a task and call them. Without automation for maintenance (we use LiteSpeed with Spotlight for monitoring because we can also manage the OS at the same time as SQL) I would lose my mind. This does not include test environments and other smaller database products like Progress OpenEdge.

Miles Neale SSChampion Points: 13147 More actions · Answer 10

I also for security purposes cannot supply the metrics. But we have two DBA's who manage the various machines and databases. We have at least three environments on common virtual servers those being production, dev/test, and rip_and-tear. We also have a few SQL installations on workstations for personal data analysis, cube and pivot table development, and high risk manipulation and programming. We have sql 2000 through SQL 2012 all running in one capacity or another. The database size is from really small to almost large. And we manage metadata, tabular, spatial, and document and image data. We also manage the SQL in the back-end of SharePoint.

Management tools include a collection of scripts, alerts, and monitors to check the health and well being of the servers and the data. This collection is being reviewed, researched, and expanded as time allows and need demands.

M.

Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!

SQLBill SSC Guru Points: 51440 More actions · Answer 11

We don't organize by number of databases...we each have 10-15 servers to be responsible for. I too was an accidental SQL Server DBA at my first job. I was actually trained as an Oracle Programmer, but that had to change quickly. Eventually I moved on. But how I wish I could go back to that first job knowing what I know now. The things I struggled with setting up and figuring out how to do....could have done it so much easier.

-SQLBill

amkarkha SSC Journeyman Points: 88 More actions · Answer 12

Small business. I am a developer. 'Captive' DBA, I am the only option we have.

One SQL server 2008R2, Two databases (one production on test). 40GB data. Hosted in Cloud IaaS.

I have automated backup (daily full and log), index rebuilding. log shipping using Sql server maintenance plans.

I have not set the email notifications. I audit the server about once every two weeks.

What concerns/scares me is what I may be missing or am unaware of.

I am curious to know about - 'a day in the life of a DBA that manages thousands of databases (like some of the responders have mentioned)'.

jhennes2 SSC Journeyman Points: 75 More actions · Answer 13

I manager over 650 databases across 30+ instances. 2005, 2008, 2008R2. Several terabytes of data to 10-20 GB to 300 MB for the sizes of databases. Typical day - answering questions, migrating applications to 2008 from 2005, automation and reviewing SCOMS alerts, and restoring production to test environment for process testing.

jmadsen 98862 SSC Eights! Points: 914 More actions · Answer 14

12 server instances

6600+ databases

Various production, test, BI, reporting servers/DBs.

Prod DBs range from 2MB to 15GB

BI/reporting DBs from very small to 500GB

2 "DBAs"; I'm the only official DBA, my boss does much of the work also.

I do not do any server maintenance, upgrades etc., a senior sysadmin does that.

When I started everything was already very automated.

My typical days are monitoring servers, adhoc requests, "data troubleshooting/updates", and BI/ETL projects.

BI has been getting more and more part of my workload.