May 2, 2016 at 11:05 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item What Does a DBA Do?
May 3, 2016 at 1:04 am
As a non-DBA poster here I can see that the combination of specific role responsibilities and the expected interaction points with the colleague will guide the formulation of the response. Which is basically what I got from the editorial anyway.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
May 3, 2016 at 5:23 am
Gary, the interesting part for me is that people ask a developer "what are you working on?" and they ask me "what do you do?". Both are about getting to know someone, but the questions come across differently (though I may be biased!).
May 3, 2016 at 6:52 am
Andy Warren (5/3/2016)
Gary, the interesting part for me is that people ask a developer "what are you working on?" and they ask me "what do you do?". Both are about getting to know someone, but the questions come across differently (though I may be biased!).
A developer (or programmer) makes the things people see on the screen. So they know what they do, just not what they are doing today. But a Data Base Administrator administrates. That makes no sense. Heck, I want to know what a DBA does. 😉
May 3, 2016 at 6:57 am
Like Iwas Bornready said, I believe that this that will be because people know software from using it but don't have any dealings with databases. My family struggled with understanding what I did (probably to my poor descriptions or possibly as I worked on back end systems a lot of the time) until I worked on a customer fruit & veg scale for a supermarket chain that I could show them in a store a year later.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
May 3, 2016 at 9:02 am
(looks like the newsletter is delayed today)
The key is calibrating the answer to the asker. Explaining what I do to my Mom is different than explaining it to my new colleague.
When talking with strangers or filling out a credit app or my tax forms, I say that I'm a computer programmer. When talking to computer people, I tell them I'm a database guy. If they want to get in to deeper detail, I'll mention SQL Server and administrator.
In the past 20+ years, I was 80-90% DBA, 10-20% database developer. On the DBA side I would monitor backups and DBCCs, take care of problems for both, monitor disk space, work with security, etc. I'd also write reporting or query systems when the canned apps didn't support them, thus the developer part. I've never worked in a shop that had an actual developer staff, much less testing/QA/UAT.
Current job is almost 100% developer, so I guess I'm back to being a programmer. I'm solo developing a very specialized student information system with the data repository in SQL Server and the front end in Access. It works well as I'm used to most of the quirks of Access, having used it since 1.0. Theoretically I'll gain access to our existing SQL Servers at some point as they've never had a DBA (they've all been vendor "supported"): I expect interesting times when I start digging in to those.
The realms that I haven't worked in as a DBA are mainly HA/DR and BI/Warehousing.
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[font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font]
May 3, 2016 at 1:48 pm
Part of the confusion I think is because there are infrastructure DBAs and development DBAs and they are different tasks. The latter will spend most of their time in code and in non-production, the former will build and manage production servers. A good DBA can do either, but at least at larger shops quite often will have their focus narrowed to the point where you have to ask what they do. Some people hear "DBA" and assume I will fix your code, whereas I manage so much infrastructure that I simply don't have time to dig into your code unless there is a glaring production problem.
May 3, 2016 at 5:02 pm
A challenging question without a "right" answer.
My title (with personal input) is Systems Analyst/Programmer but I also fulfill the DBA role through default (there not being anyone else with that responsibility/expertise). As such I do what I have to in regards to keeping SQL databases functional and backed up. For the most part we are fortunate that the routine (SQL maintenance plans) do their job and the developers (me or third party) have done a good job of building the application/queries/stored procedures....
My Network Administrator (with admin rights to our SQL Server databases by necessity) has been a life saver at times with a different perspective from experience and/or Google search phrasing.
At least in our environment, being a DBA means the data stays available and the applications that interact with it function within reasonable limits regarding performance and validity (bad data is a constant problem but mostly due to backwards compatibility and/or too lenient business rules).
With 10 years of experience in this role it works. It's not always fun but it is always challenging. Never enough time to spend on one area unless that requires immediate attention and then only to the point that a workable fix (not always the best one) is in place. I'm thoroughly dependent on the stability of SQL Server and the solutions to problems that I can find through forums like SQLServerCentral!
May 3, 2016 at 5:30 pm
I agree with the above replies - there's no one-size-fits-all, and the role ranges from infrastructure to development. I'm in a "Database Administrator" role where I spend the large majority of my time as an SQL and SSRS developer (some C#/.NET development), with the manager being an ex-front-end developer who is close friends with the front-end developers of similar age, so they're a little overbearing, and I don't have any real authority to institute standards, practices or policies. I do get to asked to help with query optimization and indexing or asked to investigate data inconsistencies occasionally, which I enjoy heaps.
I've spent the last while working on a query to update data between two systems. I heard a developer loudly proclaim a few days ago "Database Administrators are really just developers, they shouldn't be called something different!". It's a humbling experience :-).
I usually describe my position as "I make sure the information we hold is accurate, and I help people get the information they need out of our computer systems when they need it" and follow that with an example of a recent high-profile data request.
May 3, 2016 at 8:02 pm
I agree with tailoring the answer to the one asking the question because their perspective is different. Whatever the answer is, it has to include "the one who helps others." Be that in the company or elsewhere, I think it's as integral as continuous learning.
May 4, 2016 at 1:44 am
Andrew P (5/3/2016)
...I heard a developer loudly proclaim a few days ago "Database Administrators are really just developers, they shouldn't be called something different!"...
Pure Muppetry!!!
Not the same. Probably said by someone who shouldn't call themselves a developer either.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
May 4, 2016 at 2:32 am
Do Basically Anything 😀
May 4, 2016 at 5:16 am
sdelachapelle (5/4/2016)
Do Basically Anything 😀
Default Blame Accepter.
May 4, 2016 at 5:16 am
I’m curious if you’ve found an answer to question that is useful, and ideally succinct, an answer that informs and opens the door to future collaboration?
.
What about DBAPE - Database Admiinistrator, Protector and Enabler?
Nice and short, but might not open the door to future collaboration.
MarkD
May 4, 2016 at 6:06 am
I am the keeper of the data. I am responsible for keeping it secure and immediately available to all applications.
Both my mother and my new colleague would understand and appreciate that description. 😀
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