Part 3. Database Administration

Edited by Paul S. Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp

A database administrator (DBA) has a tiresome and sometimes thankless job—until things go wrong. It’s then that a DBA’s skills are most apparent. But the less frequently anyone has to visit their DBA, the better that DBA is doing! So how does a good DBA do it?

A good DBA works with actions rather than words: automating, monitoring, tuning, but above all learning and constantly realizing what they don’t know. No one can know everything, and a good DBA recognizes that—even embraces it. A good DBA is always looking to improve their systems, learn tips and tricks, and prototype new configurations. A good DBA sets up alerts to be notified of errors and problems as soon ...

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