Ask the Expert

Q: Why is it important for DBAs to get involved with the architecture and design of a new system?

A: Decisions made on the technical infrastructure as well as data and application designs here will have a large impact on database performance and scalability. Database knowledge will help choose a better technical implementation. Once chosen, these can be difficult to change.

Q: Which method do you normally use to shut down a database?

A: Although the shutdown normal operation is a recommended approach, it is often impractical since you need users to disconnect themselves. The approach that I prefer is to perform a checkpoint using the command alter system checkpoint which will write data out to data files and speed up the restart. I then perform a shutdown abort, immediately followed by a startup restrict, and shutdown immediate. This is a fast, guaranteed shutdown that leaves the database in a consistent state once all of the steps have been completed.

Q: What is the best way to become a good Oracle DBA quickly and then to keep improving?

A: There are many things that you will need to do and many skills that you'll need to develop to do this job. First, learning the basic DBA skills, which you can get from books such as this as well as from courses, will give you a head start. Practicing what you see is probably the quickest and most practical way to learn. Getting involved in supporting some databases in development and production will force you to learn very quickly. Then working on development systems for different types of applications will help to round out your skills. Keep reading and learning and never assume that you know it all and you will do very well.