What is a DBA a nd what are their function? What is a DBA? What does a DBA do? The term, DBA refers to the Database Administrator. A database is a collection of information that's related to a particular function or purpose. In its simplest form, your contact information kept in a file on your system is a database. We will not dwell much on databases here but it is important to understand what drives the demand for DBAs. A key requirement of modern IT infrastructure is secure and timely access to and storage of vital data. The most reliable, time-tested method of storing electronic data is inside a database. Databases are needed by organizations that store and use information, irrespective of location or industry. And in today's knowledge-driven economy useful and timely access to information makes the difference. Why use databases is like asking why electricity is useful. Is there any industry or business that doesn't depend on information? The aim of databases is to aid the generation and the exploitation of knowledge in a reliable and cost-effective manner. How would banks survive without databases on customers and financial transactions? E-business sites use databases to track orders and inventory. Telecom operators can't do without databases if they must keep track of accounting and subscriber information. Airlines, airports depend on databases. The most popular database products are from Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, MySQL and Sybase. Oracle is the market leader in the database market followed by Microsoft SQL Server. And from the open source scene, MySQL is making impressive impact in the database world. So what does a DBA do? DBAs are regarded as "those professionals who organize information in a meaningful way so it can be easily maintained, retrieved and updated". DBAs ensure that data produces and delivers real business value. The role of the database administrator is very important in an organization. Though the role can be quite complex, let us identify the core functions. Database Implementation and Design A critical duty of the DBA is designing databases for maximal performance, scalability, flexibility, and reliability. A well-designed and implemented database justifies the database investment. In this regard, the DBA is responsible for installing new DBMS and upgrading existing DBMS. The DBA must be conversant with installation and upgrade issues, i.e. problems, requirements, etc. Performance Monitoring and Tuning A DBA must make sure databases are fast and responsive. A slow response database is usually indicative of poor system performance -something is wrong somewhere. The DBA monitors the state of the database for optimal performance and the error log or event log is also monitored for database errors. Poorly tuned databases are frustrating to use - they tend to add more stress than value. Monitoring is essential to assess the state of the database and tune accordingly. Availability, Backup and Recovery To many in the IT industry, the most important job of the DBA is that of a vailability, backup and recovery of data. Because of the value placed on electronic data, the database must be protected from all forms of failure -hardware, software, and human. A DBA maintains the information an organization needs to be successful. In the DBA world, "nothing else matters if your database can't be recovered". Availability means data must be available to all who need it when they need it. What is the use of having a great, functional database if half of the time, it is inaccessible due to one failure or the other. A database only has value when it is available. If data is not available, the business stops functioning. Imagine the impact this will have on a bank that can't have access to customers' balances. A DBA must be equipped to eliminate and reduce outages -planned and unplanned. Since not all failure can be predicted, the DBA needs to implement recovery procedures that will reduce downtime associated with failure. User and Data Security The DBA is responsible for security management. DBA work must be grounded in the fundamentals of IT security. Security must be designed into the database and applications. This involves assigning users to databases and determining the proper security level for each user. To make sure data is secure rigorous security schemes are required for production and test databases. Working with Developers and Network Administrators DBAs need to work closely with members of the technical team to ensure high, overall database performance. For instance, there is an increasing overlap between the functions of the DBA and the developer. DBAs also work with network administrators who run the servers on which their databases reside. In fact quite a few DBAs initially start out as programmers or network system administrators.
Oct 24, 2018
