First Steps to Becoming an Oracle Database Administrator

You think you want to be an Oracle DBA? Well, first of all, consider the reality of the profession ...

Yes, wages for a senior Oracle DBA is very attractive. It has advantages and disadvantages for dba. 24X7 on-call is the norm, make calls during the holidays, weddings, baptisms, surgery, etc, are expected. If dba is saavy and automates much of their work, they had better find another means of * visible * add value to the company, or they are employed.

The bright side, the profession is evolving and always difficult, and that for many prevents never boring. Wages may be very good experience for a database administrator with special skills and a degree (six issues), and better leadership and management credentials and experience.

A database administrator is not only a mechanic who maintains the database engine online and running. He has been involved in capacity planning, which has a financial impact for the company. In many cases, the dba has direct contact with the customer if the company manages other information in any way, and therefore has an important role in the company's relationship is the customer. DBA is responsible for safeguarding the security and integrity of company data. Negligence on the part of the dba can rapidly provide a healthy company.

Ok, ready to begin? If you finish school and IT is not your level, it is always possible to break the ground. I have a master's degree in animal physiology, and began to learn to Oracle because when I Ininom over program management of environmental data at the University of McNeese State (mumble) years, the budget I inherited Here some first step:

First, if possible, move to your current position, where you will have the opportunity to work with the current dba (s), or create a small database of environmental superiority. Perhaps you could propose a small project which is not to generate more data (at least initially) than many other expensive hardware is required. If you are proposing a pilot project, you can justify having a small server at the end of the guarantee is the mouth pool. Make friends with the director (s). If you know Unix, with a Unix / Linux machine. If you do not know Unix, try to get a Windows box to flatten your learning curve. Want to learn ultimately that Linux, like most Oracle databases on Linux, in the real world than Windows.

Then go open an account (OTN) at the Oracle Corporation's TechNet site, otn.oracle.com (I am not affiliated with Oracle and do not receive any traffic to get there!). It's free, and you need to download the software development under license from Oracle (training is a legitimate use of the Oracle software is licensed). Use this account to access the document to install the latest Oracle database release. Pay special attention to hardware requirements.

If the above is not possible, the next option is to purchase equipment to create a sandbox for you. If you can not pay you, you can start Oracle Database XE. It is small and shiny and can be installed in most laptops. This is slightly different in XE, but it is very good for learning SQL, stopping and starting a database, configure the listener, and more.

If you have your hardware, I suggest you start with 2-dba document, the "Administrator's Guide", "Concept" and "SQL Language Reference."

Administration of Oracle databases is a hell of a big elephant to eat. It is a large body of knowledge, and it is a moving target. You do not know two days, although the title of a part of the documentation. Bring to a small bite at a time. If you have any problems during your training, do a web search to find out how others have solved the problem. If your company uses Oracle and Oracle Support to an agreement, I strongly recommend that your DBA team and ask them if you can add the company to CSI as a Metalink user. You should go to Metalink and ask for an account on a CSI, you get the number of dba team. After you apply, send an email Metalink who is the administrator of the CSI (Customer Service Identifier), and they approve it, it is better to speak of dba (s) first. Tell them you want to learn Oracle on your own and want to read Metalink Notes.

If you have large pockets, or your company agree to pay for training, look to take some courses with Oracle University. My experience that much more if I course Oracle first half efforts to get pictures of what is taught. Because the courses are not cheap, it is a good investment of your time. Oracle certification by itself is not of the earth in general you a job as an Oracle DBA, however, the equivalent of candidates, it could be "extra" things like having an interview. Most companies do an interview technique in hiring, maintenance is often very strict. Sometimes the interaction is too strict, that is someone who knows nothing about the HR Oracle has a series of questions, they have watched the Internet, and not understand the question nor the answer. May this be for you sense will probably not get a lot of poor follow-up questions ... it can work against you, even if there are other ways to do something, and HR are listed expected response. For example, many ways to clone a database ... cloning from a copy of cold, rman duplicate, export / import ... and more ...

The first time I aspired to become an Oracle DBA to 1998, I spent about two hours a day for about six months, while setting up a database of environmental data management. I took my certification exam (one twice) and has become an Oracle Certified Professional ". I knew almost nothing, but the fact that there was sufficient" book of knowledge that I went to Oracle Corporation 2-hour technical conference and went to work for them as junior dba. I have come a long way since then and even now, eleven years later, I continue to learn new things all the time Current practice my profession.