An Overview of a DBA

Who is a DBA?

A DBA is an IT professional, who maintains, manages, and administers databases and the Database Management Systems (DBMS) that store those databases.  A DBA mainly deals with enterprise DBMSs (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server etc.) that contrast with personal DBMSs (e.g., Access).

The acronym DBA stands for Database Administrator, not Database Analyst.  A database analyst, however, can assume the role of a DBA.  A DBA focuses mostly on management and administration, but a Database Analyst focuses mostly on development and management.

Formal vs. Tool-Based DBA

A Formal DBA is an IT professional, who usually has a degree in Computer Science, starts his/her career as a programmer/analyst, and specializes in all aspects of databases, DBMSs, and related technologies by assimilating broader aspects of computing.

A Tool-Based DBA is an IT professional, who usually has a degree in a discipline other than Computer Science, primarily learns to use only the tools and techniques associated with a DBMS, and lacks the of knowledge of broader aspects of computing.

The following diagram "Career Path of a DBA" shows academic background and areas of work experience for a DBA, which also differentiates a Formal DBA from a Tool-Based DBA:

Role of a DBA in an Organization

If an organization is thought as a human body, then an enterprise Database Management System is its heart, the data are its blood-cells, and the information generated from the data is its blood.  A Database Analyst is the haematologist and a DBA is the heart specialist for the organization.

A DBA can be viewed as an all-in-one IT resource for the organization, as he/she has experience in the core IT functions identified in the following diagram:

An enterprise DBMS, along with its associated applications, is relatively the most expensive software for its functionality and necessity in an organization.  A DBA maximizes the organization’s Return on Investment (ROI) by exploiting the DBMS’ fullest potential and helping developers make efficient and secure applications.

A DBA stays vigilant for an organization’s business applications and information repositories to avoid data loss, protect data security, ensure data availability, and maintain data compliance.

Major Tasks of a DBA

• Evaluates database server’s hardware, operating system, and related technologies
• Plans, installs, and upgrades database software
• Plans and creates databases and/or implements database designs
• Plans and performs database backup and recovery
• Monitors database related aspects of operating system, storage, and network
• Monitors and addresses various aspects of databases, DBMSs, and related technologies
• Monitors and tunes database performance
• Develops and maintains database and DBMS related processes, policies, and standards