A calm disposition and the ability to remain cool under strenuous conditions are essential components of the makeup of a good DBA. So number four in our series of DBA rules of thumb is "Don’t Panic!"
I used to have a big orange button with the words "Don't Panic!" on it hanging up in my office. Fans of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will recognize the phrase, and I think I got the button in a software game based on those books back in the 1980s. I gave it away a long time ago to a friend when I left one of the company's I was working at as a DBA. He needed it more than I did at the time! But I always kept that mantra in the back of my head as I continued along my journey as a DBA.
Problems will occur – there is nothing you can do to eliminate every possible problem or error. Part of your job as a DBA is to be able to react to problems with a calm demeanor and analytical disposition. When a database is down and applications are unavailable your environment will become hectic and frazzled. The best things you can do when problem occur is to remain calm and go about your job using your knowledge and training.
As the DBA you will be the focus of the company (or at least the business units affected) until the database and applications are brought back online. It can be a harrowing experience to recover a database with your boss and your users hovering behind your computer terminal and looking over your back. Be prepared for such events because eventually they will happen. Panicking can cause manual errors – the last thing you want to have happen when you are trying to recover from an error.
The better you perform up-front planning and the better your procedures, the faster you will be able to resolve problems. And if you are sure of your procedures you will remain much calmer.
Following these basic maxims will make database administration a much more manageable task within your organization.