Getting Started with the database series-Basic article 3

Data | The current situation and prospect of database industry

In recent years, I've been dealing with database administrators and interviewing a lot of DBA posts directly. This article would like to summarize the requirements of the IT industry for DBAs and the new state of the domestic DBA. To be sure, it's a good job to be a senior DBA. If you're going to be a DBA, then hopefully this article will play a role.

What is DBA

Database administrator, English is the DBA. This position means a different meaning to different people. A small software development studio is a much broader responsibility than a large company with a high level of specialization. A company, whether it is developing its own application software, or buying third-party applications, as long as it involves the database (how many applications that do not involve databases)? The database is the soul and brain of the business, and you need to decide whether to hire one or several DBAs. Knowing what the DBA is asking for is critical to the definition of the position within the enterprise or to the future DBAs. Here's a list of some of the responsibilities of the DBA:

Install and upgrade database servers (such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server), and application tools.
Database design System storage scenarios and develop future storage requirements plans.
Once a developer has designed an application, the DBA is required to create the database storage structure (tablespaces).
Once a developer has designed an application, a DBA is required to create the database object (tables,views,indexes).
According to the feedback from the developer, modify the structure of the database when necessary.
Register the users of the database and maintain the security of the database.
Ensure that the use of the database is in compliance with IPR regulations.
Control and monitor user access to the database.
Monitor and optimize the performance of the database.
Develop database backup plan, restore database information when disaster occurs
Maintain archival or backup data on the appropriate media
Backing up and restoring Databases
Contact the manufacturer of the database system to track technical information.
The personality characteristics of DBA

Many times managers ignore the personality characteristics of DBAs, who only focus on the technical capabilities of DBAs. In fact, each of the responsibilities mentioned above means that the DBA needs to deal with a variety of people who may be vendors, users, developers, or administrators. This means that the DBA must have the following personality characteristics:

Confidence
Curiosity
Tough willpower.
Sophisticated
Self-driven
Pay attention to the details

Why are these personality traits important?

I have a few people who lack self-confidence, they ask me a lot of questions, they have no confidence even to make the smallest decision. They also lack the initiative to work. This may not be a big problem for junior DBAs, but for senior DBAs, if they lack self-confidence, who can they rely on to help them make decisions? In a DBA interview, even if you can't answer a technical question, you should show enough self-confidence. The most fatal is not to know the answer to the question, but do not know where to get the answer.

Almost all of the database systems are constantly being updated. However, not all updates have technical documentation. For a good dba, Curiosity is necessary. DBAs without curiosity and thirst for knowledge always wait for someone to tell them the answer. A highly inquisitive DBA will install the latest version of the database system and immediately start searching for even minor features and performance differences and enhancements to improve their work. One of the questions that must be asked when taking a test is: What references do you have on hand? How do you use them? There is no doubt that if you only answer the documents of the database, or you have not even read them, your "stock market value" will be greatly reduced. Curiosity drives DBAs to understand data Dictionary, management tools, or other support packages (Packages).

DBAs often run into tricky problems. Finding the answer is a personality trait that requires tough willpower and can withstand beating. I often see the questions the DBAs ask in some discussion groups or forums, which are often the questions that the questioner can solve if they have tough personality traits and try to find the answer to the question.

Self-drive is important for everyone, especially for DBAs. The DBA should be able to find a way to make the problem happen instead of waiting for it to happen. Self-driven DBAs often try to get or write some of the necessary scripts (script) to monitor items including datasheet size (table size), tablespace usage (tablespace Usage), and these items will be in trouble if they are ignored. When taking the test, DBAs are often asked to experience Pl/sql, SQL or Sql*plus, and these questions will separate you from the DBAs who have never written the scripts you need.

It goes without saying that you have to be sophisticated enough to deal with users and programmers and managers. A little DBA will not do anything good for you, it will only ignite hostile passions in your department. Tact is the ability to advise someone to go to the underworld, Haha, and in the end this person is in the mood of longing. Most of the time, developers, managers, and users will make unreasonable demands, and DBAs need to be adept at directing, correcting, and persuading them. When you take the test, your response can be a good indication of your tact.
Finally, attention to detail, this disposition is very important. Attention to detail the DBAs are neatly dressed, have their own schedules, and investigate the units they apply to before taking the test. The DBAs who pay attention to detail understand the kernel of the database and understand the relationships between views and tables.

Level of DBA

The level of DBA is not very strict. According to the database mastery, I simply divided into three levels: primary primary, Intermediate intermediate and advanced senior.

The Junior DBA, also known as Dbbs, is the abbreviation for the English database Baby sitter. Junior DBAs are often part-time, and they are often programmers or other jobs. Junior DBAs tend to write personal resumes well and participate in a lot of database-related projects or work. However, these projects or jobs are often: Third party software vendors have installed and configured databases, and they do only some monitoring work. They can deal with simple problems, but most of the time they ask the application vendor for help. Junior DBAs prefer graphical database management or monitoring tools, and they like access to a desktop database that is easy to use and simply apply the experience of these small databases to large database-related work.

The primary DBA is the best distinction. Intermediate DBAs and senior DBAs are not very well differentiated. Their differences lie in differences in experience and personality traits and abilities. There are a number of intermediate DBAs who are capable of most of the work of a senior DBA, including:

Database installation
Database Configuration and Management
Permissions settings and security management
Monitoring and performance tuning
Backup and Recovery
Solve the general problem

Intermediate DBAs tend to practice a year or so, familiar with a database in an operating system environment. Because Windows NT and UNIX are very different for intermediate DBAs. Intermediate DBAs are familiar with SQL, and they have purchased several books on the database and delve into them. Intermediate DBAs tend to be database programmers at the same time, their work on performance, stability, security is basically not very high, often with the senior DBA to do some routine work.

Senior DBAs are very small in the country. They bought too much data on the database in English, perhaps from a friend from Amazon. The money to buy books is a very small proportion of their remuneration. Advanced DBAs are generally familiar with several large databases under many operating platforms. They know the strengths and weaknesses of different databases in different environments, and can make decisions on the choice of database platforms and database environments. They are generally familiar with system architecture and database design, and can optimize the database at various levels. Senior DBAs are usually equipped with assistants who are more inclined to make decisions and plans. Senior DBAs are often in the key business areas of banking, insurance, online trading, and so on that have high stability, security, and performance requirements.

In many cases, it is not important to obtain a database expert certification certificate. I know a lot of database vendor training as long as you go will get the certificate. There are a lot of companies that offer commercial training and their quality of service is also good and poor. So the certificate is not particularly meaningful.

A few popular database systems

The most "easy" database system-microsoft SQL Server

If you are going to be a DBA, it is recommended that you choose a database system that is now more popular. This means that you will have more opportunities for employment, communication and training, and that there are popular reasons why you can worry a lot. Of course, the employment competition pressure is also relatively big. The average beginner chooses Microsoft SQL Server, a database system that is ideal for small and midsize enterprises, and readers who are familiar with access can easily become a DBBS by using Microsoft SQL Server initially. J
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 quotes, 5 user version 1399 USD, increase user, 127 USD per user.

The most "difficult" database-uncrowned King Oracle

If you have access to Oracle, that's a good chance. Oracle is currently the most promising database manufacturer, because of its powerful capabilities and configurable, manageable, Oracle DBA salaries are generally higher than other database administrators. Moreover, Oracle's key applications in large and medium-sized enterprises are more common. Oracle can run on platforms such as Windows NT, Sun Solaris, Linux, and so on. In many cases, you are not only familiar with NT, but you are also familiar with UNIX, and Oracle's unfriendly interface and box of Oracle product data can also be a hindrance.
Oracle 8i Standard Quote, if run in Windows NT, with Jserver and intermedia, support 5 concurrent users, quote 3925 USD per CPU. When adding concurrent users, 785 dollars per user. Add additional named users when 392.5 dollars per user.

The aristocratic-IBM of the database system UDB/DB2

As a result of the 30 database research, IBM DB2 really called "the aristocracy of the database system". Whether it's a small business system or a big banking system, it's safe to use DB2. Recently introduced new DB2 6.1, management and adjustment tools are more outstanding and easy to use. DB2 can run on the Intel architecture or run on IBM's s/390 mainframe computers. If your industry is particularly praised for IBM machines, it is recommended that you learn IBM DB2.

There are two versions of DB2: Workgroup Edition and Enterprise Edition. Workgroup Edition 999 USD per server, plus 249 USD per concurrent user. And the Enterprise version is 12500 dollars per CPU, unlimited number of concurrent users.

Java-centric Database-sybase adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) 12.0

The upcoming Sybase ASE 12.0 is directed toward Java programmers. This Java-centric database system is the best choice for businesses that are ready to build enterprise applications under the Java platform. But ASE is not a leader in the database field, although it has improved a lot compared to its previous version, and supports multiple CPUs and more concurrency, and there are many new features. But Sybase's scenery seems to have ceased.

The expected Informix Centaur

Sometimes "first" just means your opponent needs to wait a long time to catch up with you. This is what Informix, founded in 1997, faces. Informix is one of the first large database vendors to add multimedia features to relational database systems. But today, IBM, Oracle, and Sybase have all crossed the concept. So Informix has to look for new support to differentiate itself from other database vendors. This is the goal of Informix Centaur. Informix Centaur combines an object-relational database of Informix Dynamic Server 7.3 with Informix Universal Data Option 9.1 for better adaptability and multimedia support. Details of how we wait to see!

Payroll for a DBA

There are a number of factors that affect your salary as a DBA:

Your experience and your ability to determine the level of DBA
The database system that you are familiar with
Your personality traits and potential.

The following table shows the basic salary status of the domestic DBA, and explains how the dab level and how your familiar database system affects your DBA's salary. Of course, this is only my personal grasp of the situation, only to a certain extent represent the average level of the industry.


DBA level Database System primary DBA annual salary (million) intermediate DBA annual salary (million) senior DBA annual salary (million)
Oracle 4 8 11
Microsoft SQL Server 3 5 8
IBM DB2 4 8 10
Sybase 3.5 6 8
Informix 4 7 10
Note: It is calculated 13 months per year. The figures in the table are average annual salary.