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• Bad Standards #5 - None Shall Pass!

  Rigidly adhering to a standard, any standard , without being reasonable and using your ability to think through changing situations and circumstances, is itself, a bad standard. If you are a Monty Python fan you probably recognized the title of this blog Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 05, 2008 2:06 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, standards

• Bad Standards #4 - Data Duplication

  Today's blog entry on bad database standards is a little different than the previous ones we've discussed. In this case, the bad standard is that there is no formal standard. The first three entries in our on-going "bad standards" series Read More... Posted Tuesday, November 04, 2008 11:31 AM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: data storage, DBA, standards

• Bad Standards #3 - Table Limits for Online Joins

  Tonight's entry continues our on-going series on "bad" database standards. And the "bad" standard we'll discuss tonight is a particularly nasty one. Although the general idea behind this standard might seem to be understandable, Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 28, 2008 11:31 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, standards, SQL, queries

• Bad Standards #1 - Limits on Indexing

  With this blog entry I start a new series discussing bad database standards. Almost every DBA group keeps a database standards manual - but most do not keep it up-to-date. I'll try to tackle some of the more popular standards that should be done away Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 22, 2008 1:48 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, database, standards

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 8 - Develop Business Acumen

  Heads-down DBAs who know technology, but not their company's business, soon will be on the endangered species list. So number 8 on our list of DBA rules of thumb is to develop business acumen and learn to be a Business Savvy DBA! Although DBAs are Read More... Posted Monday, October 13, 2008 5:47 AM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, SLA, ROT, business

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 7 - Diversify!

  A good DBA is a Jack-of-All-Trades. You can't just master one thing and be successful in this day-and-age. So number 7 in this on-going series of DBA rules of thumb is to diversify your skill set . A day in the life of a DBA is usually quite hectic. Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 08, 2008 2:44 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 6 - Invest in Yourself

  Most every IT professional continually looks for their company to invest money in on-going education. Who among us does not want to learn something new - on company time - and with the company's money? Unless you are self-employed, that is! So number Read More... Posted Friday, October 03, 2008 2:58 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 5 - Focus Your Efforts!

  In a complex, heterogeneous, distributed world it can be hard to keep your eye on the right ball, at the right time. So number 5 in our continuing series of DBA rules of thumb is to make sure that you "Focus Your Efforts!" The job of a DBA is Read More... Posted Thursday, October 02, 2008 12:05 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 4 - Don't Panic

  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 Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:40 PM by cmullins | 1 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 3 - Share

  Knowledge transfer is an important part of being a good DBA - both transfering your knowledge to others and participating in having others' knowledge transferred to you. So be sure to share your knowledge freely with others in need instead of hoarding Read More... Posted Monday, September 29, 2008 9:43 AM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT, user groups

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 2 - Automate Intelligently

  Number 2: Automate Why should you do it by hand if you can automate DBA processes? Anything you can do probably can be done better by the computer – if it is programmed to do it properly. And once it is automated you save yourself valuable time. Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2008 11:57 AM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT, automation

• DBA Rules of Thumb, Part 1 - Document Everything

  Database administration is a very technical discipline, but it is also a discipline in which the practitioner is very visible politically within the organization. DBAs should be armed with a proper attitude and sufficient technical knowledge before attempting Read More... Posted Monday, September 22, 2008 9:23 AM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA, ROT

• On Firemen, Web Time, and Service Levels

  I'm of the opinion that database administration needs to be practiced in a more rigorous manner. Too often the DBA is viewed as a fireman. This is not meant to disparage firemen, of course, but the fireman is called after the fire has started. Database Read More... Posted Tuesday, September 09, 2008 6:19 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: recovery, backup, DBA, proactive, SLM, RTO, SLA

• The Tao of DBA

  Can the ancient Chinese philosophy of Tao be applied to database administration? Go with the flow of things, and you will find yourself at one with the mysterious ways of the universe. -Chuang Tzu The senior DBA rocked back in his chair and smiled. The Read More... Posted Thursday, September 04, 2008 1:34 PM by cmullins | 0 Comments Filed under: DBA

• DBAs Becoming Application Administrators?

  I ran across an interesting opinion piece on the CIO Magazine web site by Juan Irizarry on the expanding role of database administration. His thesis, is as follows: The field of database administration is constantly evolving and growing. Enterprise wide Read More... Posted Thursday, August 28, 2008 4:45 PM by cmullins | 2 Comments Filed under: backup, metadata, DBA, database