I just got my first dba job. What i

[Guest_imported]

I just got my first dba job. What is the first thing to do as soon as I sit behind the server on my first day on the job? What questions do I need to ask and not to ask the dba on site.

 

[carp]

I think the first thing I would do is ask for the disaster recovery plan and make sure the backup strategy supports the recovery plan.

 

[THoey]

I agree with Carp.

The first thing to know is what will I need to do if something goes wrong.

After that I would want to sit down with some fine reading, like a data dictionary. What tablespaces do I have, what tables are in those tablespaces, what is the use (i.e., number of records a day, etc) of those tables. What applications effect what tables. With that information, can you start looking into the sizing and controlling of those tablespaces.

Another thing to check into is the security of the database. Passwords, users with what roles, etc. I have seen too many times where Billy Bob User has been so active in the database, and the previous DBA was busy/lazy, that he was given DBA privs.

Hopefully, all that information will be in one place, a contingency notebook or something.

Good Luck.


Terry M. Hoey
th3856@txmail.sbc.com

Ever notice that by the time that you realize that you ran a truncate script on the wrong instance, it is too late to stop it?

 

[Alerik]

Eem, I'm in a similar possition,
FIrst time on Oracle, used to SQL-7:

First thing I'd do is make sure the redo-log files
are mirrored ok.
(This is, Now, From Bitter Experiance!!)

 

[carp]

Alerik/PlayerPlayer -
Speaking of mirroring, don't forget to make sure your control files are mirrored (and that they, as well as the redo log files) are on separate devices. Of course, this should be covered in the backup/recovery strategies.