Confused: How to become a DBA? Do a DBA need programming experience?

halaakajan

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the_hutch

Database work is mostly likely going to require some programming. Will definitely need programming skills if you are going to be on the development side. But most database jobs include a mix of both development and management. You'll need to know SQL. XML is helpful too. And depending on what you are working with, you will likely need to know some scripting as well.

the_hutch

I kinda fell into my database job on accident with no previous DBA experience. But I don't think that happens very often.

higherho

Depends on the software you use but mainly SQL DBA's we have here. Though most of the time they try to push me to do a lot more SQL configuration than what I'm supposed to do. O well, great learning experience.

halaakajan

Thanks for the Information.

the_hutch

higherho wrote: »

Depends on the software you use but mainly SQL DBA's we have here. Though most of the time they try to push me to do a lot more SQL configuration than what I'm supposed to do. O well, great learning experience.

Actually it really doesn't matter what software you go with. The GUI may be different, but the commands will be exactly the same, as almost all databases use SQL language which is regulated by ANSI. This is why its always better to learn the actual SQL language instead of just the database GUI.

JDMurray

SQL is definitely a programming language, and stored procedures sure need to be debugged. Many DBAs need to work with programmers, so knowing how they think and what their needs are will help you reconcile "programmers vs. DBAs" issues more quickly.

Have a look at these:
Production DBA or Developer DBA: What's the Difference? | Brent Ozar PLF
database design - How could DBAs be more 'programmer friendly'? - Database Administrators

the_hutch

http://www.sqlcourse.com/index.html

This website has two really good courses that introduce SQL commands and it uses a real back-end database to test your queries. Its a great introduction if you are trying get familiar with databases. Once you know the commands, start working with some actual databases. If you can't get a copy of SQL Server, you can always start with Access which comes with most loads of MS Office. Or you could install an Oracle database. Personally, I'm not real familiar with Oracle, but it is my understanding that its nearly all free licensing.