The Most Important Role of a SQL Server DBA

The most important task a DBA can perform is Recovery.

The work of a SQL Server DBA is ever-changing; data is fluid, and accordingly, so is the manner in which data is treated.  Thankfully there are a vast number of ways to keep up with the changes a DBA faces in his/her career.  There are various blogs, hashtags, local PASS chapter meetings, SQL Saturdays, and a host of people online willing and able to help.

I love a challenge, so this month’s blog invitation, T-SQL Tuesday #85 – Backup and Recovery hosted by Kenneth Fisher (b|t), is right up my alley, as this is the first thing I am learning as a new DBA!

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In a recent twitter poll, John Sterrett asked which is a DBA’s favorite job.

Favorite job as a DBA

Favorite job as a DBA

It is clear by the answer that Backups and Restore is not in the top percentage of favorites.  Why is that?  Well, because it is the simplest job that can be performed, and probably the least “sexy” of all the things a DBA does.  It does not require any special tools or shiny new toys,  Backup and Restore is the most basic of the basics when learning to be a DBA.

Backups are essential to a successful Restore.  Imagine you were asked to recover data that was never backed up…ever… as in never, ever, NEVER.  That feeling you have crawling up your spine right now, that is fear, anxiety, and panic.  If you don’t care for that feeling, you need to learn more about BACKUPS and RESTORES.

If it is so fundamental, why is recovery the most important job of a DBA?  Very simply, backups are the foundation of a disaster recovery plan; however, they are useless if you cannot recover with minimal data loss.

The three key things I have learned while studying backups and restores are:

  1. If you have no restore model, your database and any and all backups are WORTHLESS.
  2. If you have no automation process in place, you should start planning a new career.
  3. If #1 and #2 are ignored, know where to find a good lawyer.

If you do not understand why backups are so important, think about dropping your phone in water… and then it being eaten by an alligator.  Do you have your contacts, photos, passwords, banking information, etc., backed up to the cloud?  No?  My friend, now you understand why backups are so very important!  Don’t be that person who stands crying in a swamp  because an alligator is digesting your data!

Help! A gator ate my data!

Help! A gator ate my data!

DBAs should know by heart the various kinds of backups, how they are used, exactly what they do, and when they should be performed.  The good DBA knows that installing an automated process to perform backups is the key to a long and successful career.  Also, testing, testing, testing is KEY.  Backups and Restores should be the first things taught to a junior DBA, accidental DBA, or a DBA in training.

Hindsight is 20/20, so the saying goes.  Perhaps that is the reason so many DBAs skip learning backups and restores.  We don’t always know there is a need for something until there is a dire need for something.  Perhaps this is one reason all my beginning DBA books cover all the “fun stuff” first and throw in the backups and restores somewhere near the end of the book.  Case in point, I provide you with two examples of critical recovery failures.

Well I have Found the Quickest Way to Get Sacked

Childcare App Wipes Users’ Data

Backups and Recovery are so very important, that is why I am learning this first as a new DBA.  I am studying a great book by John Sterrett (b/t)  and Tim Radney (b/t) titled SQL Server 2014 Backup and Recovery.  I strongly suggest everyone get a copy and read this book.

Please come back, this is the 1st in a series of blog posts regarding Backups and Restores.  See you next time when we begin to discuss types of Backups and Restores in-depth!

Thank you for reading!

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Growing New Speakers T-SQL Tuesday #84

What is the best way to start a new career?  Simple, jump in with both feet and start running as soon as you hit the pavement!  Well, that is how I have kicked off my new DBA career!  I was fortunate enough to attend Microsoft PASS Summit in Seattle, Washington in October, 2016.  I met a lot of fantastic #SQLFamily members who had a wealth of information to share.  The advice I received most was to network, blog, and GIVE PRESENTATIONS.

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Give a presentation?  ME?  What can I talk about?  What do I have to offer?  Well, I am not sure; however, perhaps through a series of blog posts and continued education, I can find my way.  My awesome boss, John Sterrett (b/t) (not contractually obligated to make that statement) has a blog post on his thoughts when he first started speaking that I have found helps me allay those fears.  I have to remember that I don’t have to be an expert to speak!

So here I am, taking the first step through the T- SQL Tuesday #84 Blog Challenge.  This month is all about growing new speakers.

t-sql-tuesday

Ten things I learned while watching PASS Summit speakers that I plan to implement during my first presentation are:

  1. FONTS FONTS FONTS! Make sure your presentation materials CAN BE SEEN! Small fonts are a killer.
  2. Engage with your audience. Welcome them into your world, they are here to know you!
  3. Be interested and excited about what you are saying. Nothing loses the audience faster than a presenter who seems FORCED to be there or bored with the subject.
  4. Speak up and don’t read directly from a script.
  5. Practice, practice, practice until it becomes more of a conversation and less of a “speech”.
  6. Take note of the colors in your presentation and be mindful of those who are blue/green colorblind (I had never considered that!).
  7. Know your audience. When speaking to a diverse group your jokes, quips, and puns may fall short. (Not everyone gets the Three Stooges kind of humor like I do)
  8. BE PREPARED (Y’all, make sure your mouse and other presentation tools are charged.)
  9. Some people are rude; they will take phone calls during your session and not leave the room. (I so wanted to see the speaker go to that person and take over the phone call!)
  10. Be careful not to let your session be hijacked, no matter how excited your audience is about the subject matter, this is still YOUR session.  There are ways to quickly and politely get your audience back on track and plugged into your session.

I graduated college with a degree in Fine Arts.  Admittedly I have a leg up on the performance skills.  Am I still terrified to do my first session?  INDEED, I will be speaking my words, not the brilliance of Shakespeare!  I am afraid, since I am new, that I won’t be interesting and that I will have nothing to offer.

However, I must not be afraid, I must be brave! As Malvolio prosed in Shakespeare’s Twelfth-Night; or, What You Will, Act II, Scene V.:

“…be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

Thanks for reading! -Angela

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Angela Tidwell is our Marketing Database Administrator

Procure SQL LLC is pleased to announce its recent hire of Angela Tidwell,

who will join the Procure SQL team as a Marketing Database Administrator working remotely from Austin, TX. Within these roles, Angela will focus on marketing, social media, client management, operations,  and help developing training content.

“It’s such an exciting time to be involved in the data community. I am elated to take this opportunity and learn and grow with John and the ProcureSQL team,” Angela said.

Angela Tidwell

Angela Tidwell is Procure SQL LLC’s Marketing Database Administrator

John, the founder of Procure SQL, says, “We are blessed to have Angela on board. Her skills are directly going to help us scale and meet our targeted goals for 2017.”

Angela comes to Procure SQL with four years of experience managing the Austin office of Guida Slavich & Flores, PC. There, she did research, billing, technical assistance with computers and programs, scheduling, client relations, administrative duties, office management, and marketing.  This background has helped Angela to make a smooth transition into her current position with Procure SQL.

Angela will be spending her first week of employment at the PASS Member Summit connecting, learning and sharing.  If you are attending the PASS Member Summit, you can congratulate her in person.

For more information, please contact John Sterrett at 512-872-5320, email info@www.procuresql.com or visit the Procure SQL website at www.www.procuresql.com.

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John Sterrett: A Microsoft Data Platform MVP

We are proud to announce, as of July 1st, 2016 our very own John Sterrett received the Data Platform MVP award from Microsoft.  The Microsoft Data Platform MVP Award is a great accomplishment for John’s involvement in the SQL Server Community  and helping everyone connect, share and learn.

You can read John’s thoughts about the award in his blog post.

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