Packt Publishing, 2010. – 347 p. – ISBN: 1849680000, 9781849680004
Oracle Corporation has become one of the largest software companies in the world with its premier Relational Database Management System known as Oracle. Larry Ellison, the current CEO, founded the company back in the 1970s. The growth of technology over the last twenty years also fueled the implementation of large databases to maintain control of the explosive growth of data. Through many technical advances and superior design, Oracle rose to the top when companies were choosing the database technology for their enterprise systems.
The role of the Database Administrator (DBA) includes certain key responsibilities — disaster recovery, database architecture and design, as well as performance tuning. Specific tasks also include new installations, security administration, and proactively monitoring all systems at several levels. Because of the great responsibility associated with being a DBA, a concerted effort is required to integrate a constant stream of new knowledge within a locally customized environment. While the documentation and training classes provide some benefit for the basics, it is the advice that comes from experience that lays the real foundation for a career.
DBAs must work closely with other IT members to maintain a high level of dependability for enterprise applications that run on Oracle, often outlined in an official Service Level Agreement. That is what this book is all about — integrating old knowledge with new ideas, while interacting with all levels of expertise within the Oracle Enterprise.
April Sims is currently the Database Administrator at Southern Utah University and an Oracle Certified Professional: 8i, 9i, and 10g with a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. Involved as a volunteer with the Independent Oracle Users Group for over 7 years, April is currently a Contributing Editor for the IOUG "SELECT" Journal. April is an annual presenter at Oracle OpenWorld, IOUG COLLABORATE, and numerous regional Oracle-related conferences.