The Role of a Database Administrator (DBA) in IT

A Database Administrator (DBA) plays a crucial role in managing, configuring, and securing databases within an organization. They handle a range of responsibilities from installation to maintenance, ensuring that the database systems are efficient, secure, and reliable.

Phases of a DBA Career Path

1. Junior DBAs
2. Mid-level DBAs
3. Senior DBAs
4. DBA Consultants
5. Manager or Director of Database Administration/Information Technology
6. Data Architects
7. Release Managers
8. Change Managers

Main Responsibilities

• Installing and Upgrading Database Tools: Setting up and upgrading database server tools to ensure the latest features and security patches are applied.

• Planning Storage Requirements: Assessing and planning for future storage needs to accommodate database growth.

• Modifying Database Structure: Making necessary changes to the database structure based on requirements provided by application developers.

• User Management and Security: Enrolling users, managing system security, and ensuring compliance with database vendor license agreements.

• Access Control: Monitoring and controlling user access to the databases to maintain data security.

• Performance Monitoring and Optimization: Regularly monitoring database performance and making optimizations to enhance efficiency.

• Backup and Recovery Planning: Developing strategies for backup and recovery to ensure data integrity and availability.

• Data Archiving: Implementing data archiving strategies to manage historical data efficiently.

• Database Backup and Restoration: Performing regular backups and restoring databases as needed.

• Vendor Support: Contacting database vendors for technical support and troubleshooting issues.

• Report Generation: Generating reports by querying the database as required.

• Disaster Recovery Testing: Participating in disaster recovery tests to prepare for potential database failures.

• Collaboration: Working closely with other teams such as Network Operations and Monitoring Teams to ensure seamless database operations.

High-Level Skills Required

• Communication Skills: Excellent communication skills are essential for interacting with various teams and stakeholders.

• Database Theory: Strong understanding of database theory and principles.

• Database Design: Knowledge of both logical and physical database design.

• RDBMS Knowledge: Proficiency in Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS).

• SQL Expertise: Skills in SQL, including Transact-SQL, for querying and managing databases.

• Distributed Computing: Understanding of distributed computing architectures.

• Operating Systems: Familiarity with the underlying operating system that supports the database.

• Storage Technologies: Knowledge of storage technologies, including memory management, disk arrays, NAS/SAN, and networking.

• Maintenance and Recovery: Expertise in routine maintenance, recovery procedures, and handling database failovers.

Specialized DBA Roles

• Production Support DBAs: Focused on the physical aspects of database management, including installation, configuration, patching, backups, restores, and disaster recovery.

• Development DBAs: Specialize in the logical and development aspects, such as data model design, SQL writing, performance tuning, and pre-production activities.

• Application DBAs: Typically work with third-party application software like ERP and CRM systems to manage and optimize databases.

• Hybrid DBAs: Versatile professionals who perform a wide range of tasks and may evolve into architectural roles within the enterprise.

As the field of database administration continues to evolve, DBAs are expected to adapt and specialize in various aspects of database management, contributing to their growth and career advancement.

New security server roles in SQL SERVER 2022

Now the DBA can have peace of mind by giving access to these roles if any user requested for performance or monitoring tools access . 

Now no need of giving SA access to such requests.

Below is 2019 SQL SERVER roles. 

SQL SERVER 2022 SERVER ROLES: 

Fixed server-level role	Description
##MS_DatabaseConnector##	Members of the ##MS_DatabaseConnector## fixed server role can connect to any database without requiring a User-account in the database to connect to. To deny the CONNECT permission to a specific database, users can create a matching user account for this login in the database and then DENY the CONNECT permission to the database-user. This DENY permission will overrule the GRANT CONNECT permission coming from this role.
##MS_DatabaseManager##	Members of the ##MS_DatabaseManager## fixed server role can create and delete databases. A member of the ##MS_DatabaseManager## role that creates a database, becomes the owner of that database, which allows that user to connect to that database as the dbo user. The dbo user has all database permissions in the database. Members of the ##MS_DatabaseManager## role don't necessarily have permission to access databases that they don't own.
##MS_PerformanceDefinitionReader##	Members of the ##MS_PerformanceDefinitionReader## fixed server role can read all catalog views that are covered by VIEW ANY PERFORMANCE DEFINITION, and respectively has VIEW PERFORMANCE DEFINITION permission on any database on which the member of this role has a user account. This is a subset of what the ##MS_DefinitionReader## server role has access to.
##MS_SecurityDefinitionReader##	Members of the ##MS_SecurityDefinitionReader## fixed server role can read all catalog views that are covered by VIEW ANY SECURITY DEFINITION, and respectively has VIEW SECURITY DEFINITION permission on any database on which the member of this role has a user account. This is a small subset of what the ##MS_DefinitionReader## server role has access to.
##MS_DefinitionReader##	Members of the ##MS_DefinitionReader## fixed server role can read all catalog views that are covered by VIEW ANY DEFINITION, and respectively has VIEW DEFINITION permission on any database on which the member of this role has a user account.
##MS_LoginManager##	Members of the ##MS_LoginManager## fixed server role can create and delete logins.
##MS_ServerPerformanceStateReader##	Members of the ##MS_ServerPerformanceStateReader## fixed server role can read all dynamic management views (DMVs) and functions that are covered by VIEW SERVER PERFORMANCE STATE, and respectively has VIEW DATABASE PERFORMANCE STATE permission on any database on which the member of this role has a user account. This is a subset of what the ##MS_ServerStateReader## server role has access to.
##MS_ServerSecurityStateReader##	Members of the ##MS_ServerSecurityStateReader## fixed server role can read all dynamic management views (DMVs) and functions that are covered by VIEW SERVER SECURITY STATE, and respectively has VIEW DATABASE SECURITY STATE permission on any database on which the member of this role has a user account. This is a small subset of what the ##MS_ServerStateReader## server role has access to.
##MS_ServerStateReader##	Members of the ##MS_ServerStateReader## fixed server role can read all dynamic management views (DMVs) and functions that are covered by VIEW SERVER STATE, and respectively has VIEW DATABASE STATE permission on any database on which the member of this role has a user account.
##MS_ServerStateManager##	Members of the ##MS_ServerStateManager## fixed server role have the same permissions as the ##MS_ServerStateReader## role. Also, it holds the ALTER SERVER STATE permission, which allows access to several management operations, such as: DBCC FREEPROCCACHE, DBCC FREESYSTEMCACHE ('ALL'), DBCC SQLPERF() Reference Link

SQL DBA Checklist/Activities

 SQL DBA Checklist/Activities

Daily Checklist

1) Backups

2) SQL Server Error Logs

3) SQL Server Agent Jobs

4) HA or DR Logs

5) Shift Handover (New/Pending Tickets)

6) Implementing planned Change Tickets

Weekly Checklist

1) Integrity Checks (DBCC CHECKDB)

2) Index Maintenance

3) Updation of Statistics

4) Cycle SQL Server Error Logs

5) Reporting of Tickets Handled

6) Planning of Change Tickets

7) If any Weekly Meetings, then Prepare MOM (Minutes of Meeting).

8) Attending CAB Meetings and taking approvals for Changes.

Monthly Checklist

1) Backup Validation Test.

2) Capacity Planning: Disk, CPU, and Memory.

3) Plan if any Security Patches or Critical Hotfixes are released.

4) Report on overall Uptime/Downtime

Quarter Checklist

1) DR Test

2) Check who all have SYSADMIN permission and remove unwanted logins having this permission.

3) SOX Audit Standard

Yearly Checklist

1) Licensing Validation (if it is Volume Based Licensing)

2) Service Pack validation and applying newly released SPs.

Getting Database Backup History In SQL Server

--Getting Database Backup History In SQL Server 

SELECT

    bs.database_name,

    bs.backup_start_date,

    bs.backup_finish_date,

    bs.server_name,

    bs.user_name,

    bs.type,

    bm.physical_device_name

FROM msdb.dbo.backupset AS bs

INNER JOIN msdb.dbo.backupmediafamily AS bm on bs.media_set_id = bm.media_set_id

New in SQL Server 2022 – Generate_Series

One of the new language features added in SQL Server 2022 is the GENERATE_SERIES function. This allows you to generate a

SELECT * FROM GENERATE_SERIES(start=1, stop=7)

This gives me a simple sequence of numbers in a result set, with the column header, value.