(NOTE: Most chapters conclude with Summary, Review, Bonus Question
and Suggested Reading.)
Preface.
How to Use This Book.
Acknowledgments.
About the Author.
1. What Is a DBA?
The DBA: Revered or Reviled?Why Learn Database Administration?A
Unique Vantage Point.DBA Salaries.Database Technology.The
Management Discipline of Database Administration.A Day in the Life
of a DBA.Evaluating a DBA Job Offer.Database, Data, and System
Administration.Data Administration.Database Administration.System
Administration.DBA Tasks.Database Design.Performance Monitoring and
Tuning.Availability.Database Security and Authorization.Backup and
Recovery.Data Integrity.DBMS Release
Migration.Jack-of-All-Trades.Types of DBAs.System DBA.Database
Architect.Database Analyst.Data Modeler.Application
DBA.Task-Oriented DBA.Data Warehouse Administrator.Staffing
Considerations.How Many DBAs?DBA Reporting Structures.Multiplatform
DBA Issues.Test and Production.New Technology and the
DBA.Procedural DBAs: Managing Database Logic.The Internet: From DBA
to e-DBA.The PDA DBA.DBA Certification.The Rest of the Book.
2. Creating the Database Environment.
Defining the Organization's DBMS Strategy.Choosing a DBMS.DBMS
Architectures.DBMS Clustering.DBMS Proliferation.Hardware
Issues.Installing the DBMS.DBMS Installation Basics.Hardware
Requirements.Storage Requirements.Memory Requirements.Configuring
the DBMS.Connecting the DBMS to Supporting Infrastructure
Software.Installation Verification.DBMS Environments.Upgrading DBMS
Versions and Releases.Features and Complexity.Complexity of the
DBMS Environment.Reputation of the DBMS Vendor.Support Policies of
the DBMS.Organization Style.DBA Staff Skill Set.Platform
Support.Supporting Software.Fallback Planning.Migration
Verification.The DBMS Upgrade Strategy.Database Standards and
Procedures.Database Naming Conventions.Other Database Standards and
Procedures.DBMS Education.
3. Data Modeling and Normalization.
Data Modeling Concepts.Entity-Relationship Diagramming.The
Components of a Data
Model.Entities.Attributes.Keys.Relationships.Discovering Entities,
Attributes, and Relationships.Conceptual, Logical, and Physical
Data Models.What Is Normalization?The Normal Forms.First Normal
Form.Second Normal Form.Third Normal Form.A Normalized Data
Model.Further Normal Forms.Normalization in Practice.Additional
Data Modeling Issues.
4. Database Design.
From Logical Model to Physical Database.Transform Entities to
Tables.Transform Attributes to Columns.Build Referential
Constraints for All Relationships.Build Physical Data
Structures.Database Performance Design.Designing
Indexes.Hashing.Clustering.Interleaving Data.Denormalization.When
to Denormalize.Prejoined Tables.Report Tables.Mirror Tables.Split
Tables.Combined Tables.Redundant Data.Repeating Groups.Derivable
Data.Hierarchies.Special Physical Implementation
Needs.Denormalization Summary.Views.Data Definition Language.
5. Application Design.
Database Application Development and SQL.SQL.Set-at-a-Time
Processing and Relational Closure.Embedding SQL in a Program.SQL
Middleware and APIs.Object Orientation and SQL.Types of SQL.SQL
Coding for Performance.Defining Transactions.Transaction
Guidelines.Unit of Work.Transaction Processing Systems.Application
Servers.Locking.Types of Locks.Lock Timeouts.Deadlocks.Lock
Duration.Lock Escalation.Programming Techniques to Minimize Locking
Problems.Locking Summary.Batch Processing.
6. Design Reviews.
What Is a Design Review?Rules of Engagement.Design Review
Participants.Knowledge and Skills Required.Types of Design
Reviews.Conceptual Design Review.Logical Design Review.Physical
Design Review.Organizational Design Review.SQL and Application Code
Design Review.Pre-Implementation Design Review.Post-Implementation
Design Review.Design Review Output.
7. Database Change Management.
Change Management Requirements.The Change Management Perspective of
the DBA.Types of Changes.DBMS Software.Hardware
Configuration.Logical and Physical Design.Applications.Physical
Database Structures.Impact of Change on Database Structures.The
Limitations of ALTER.Database Change Scenarios.Comparing Database
Structures.Requesting Database Changes.Standardized Change
Requests.Communication.
8. Data Availability.
Defining Availability.Increased Availability Requirements.Cost of
Downtime.How Much Availability Is Enough?Availability Problems.Loss
of the Data Center.Network Problems.Loss of the Server
Hardware.Disk-Related Outages.Operating System Failure.DBMS
Software Failure.Application Problems.Security and Authorization
Problems. @@BHEADS = Corruption of Data.Loss of Database
Objects.Loss of Data.Data Replication and Propagation
Failures.Severe Performance Problems.Recovery Issues.DBA
Mistakes.Outages: Planned and Unplanned.Ensuring
Availability.Perform Routine Maintenance While Systems Remain
Operational.Automate DBA Functions.Exploit High-Availability
Features.Exploit Clustering Technology.Suggested Reading.
9. Performance Management.
Defining Performance.A Basic Database Performance Road
Map.Monitoring vs. Management.Reactive vs. Proactive.Preproduction
Performance Estimation.Historical Trending.Service-Level
Management.Types of Performance Tuning.System Tuning.Database
Tuning.Application Tuning.Performance Tuning Tools.DBMS Performance
Basics.
10. System Performance.
The Larger Environment.Interaction with the Operating System.Allied
Agents.Hardware Configuration.Components of the DBMS.DBMS
Installation and Configuration Issues.Types of Configuration.Memory
Usage.Data Cache Details.“Open” Database Objects.Database
Logs.Locking and Contention.The System Catalog.Other Configuration
Options.General Advice.System Monitoring.
11. Database Performance.
Techniques for Optimizing Databases.Partitioning.Raw Partition vs.
File System.Indexing.Denormalization.Clustering.Interleaving
Data.Free Space.Compression.File Placement and Allocation.Page Size
(Block Size).Database Reorganization.Determining When to
Reorganize.Automation.
12. Application Performance.
Designing Applications for Relational Access.Relational
Optimization.CPU and I/O Costs.Database Statistics.Query
Analysis.Joins.Access Path Choices.Additional Optimization
Considerations.View Access.Query Rewrite.Rule-Based
Optimization.Reviewing Access Paths.Forcing Access Paths.SQL Coding
and Tuning for Efficiency.SQL Rules of Thumb.Additional SQL Tuning
Tips.Identifying Poorly Performing SQL.
13. Data Integrity.
Types of Integrity.Database Structure Integrity.Types of Structural
Problems.Managing Structural Problems.Semantic Data
Integrity.Entity Integrity.Unique Constraints.Data Types.Default
Values.Check Constraints.Triggers.Referential Integrity.
14. Database Security.
Database Security Basics.Database Users.Granting and Revoking
Authority.Types of Privileges.Granting to PUBLIC.Revoking
Privileges.Security Reporting.Authorization Roles and
Groups.Roles.Groups.Other Database Security Mechanisms.Using Views
for Security.Using Stored Procedures for Security.Auditing.External
Security.Job Scheduling and Security.Non-DBMS DBA Security.
15. Database Backup and Recovery.
Preparing for Problems.Image Copy Backups.Full vs. Incremental
Backups.Database Objects and Backups.DBMS Control.Concurrent Access
Issues.Backup Consistency.Log Archiving and Backup.Determining Your
Backup Schedule.DBMS Instance Backup.Designing the DBMS Environment
for Recovery.Alternate Approaches to Database Backup.Document Your
Backup Strategy.Database Object Definition
Backups.Recovery.Determining Recovery Options.General Steps for
Database Object Recovery.Types of Recovery.Index Recovery.Testing
Your Recovery Plan.Recovering a Dropped Database Object.Recovering
Broken Blocks and Pages.Populating Test Databases.Alternatives to
Backup and Recovery.Standby Databases.Replication.Disk
Mirroring.
16. Disaster Planning.
The Need for Planning.Risk and Recovery.General Disaster Recovery
Guidelines.The Remote Site.The Written Plan.Personnel.Backing Up
the Database for Disaster Recovery.Tape Backups.Storage Management
Backups.Other Approaches.Some Guidelines.Disaster
Prevention.Disaster and Contingency Planning Web Sites.
17. Data and Storage Management.
Storage Management Basics.Files and Data Sets.File Placement on
Disk.Raw Partitions vs. File Systems.Temporary Database Files.Space
Management.Data Page Layouts.Index Page Layouts.Transaction
Logs.Storage Options.RAID.JBOD.Storage Area
Networks.Network-Attached Storage.Direct Access File
System.Planning for the Future.Capacity Planning.
18. Data Movement and Distribution.
Loading and Unloading Data.The LOAD Utility.The UNLOAD
Utility.Maintaining Application Test Beds.EXPORT and IMPORT.Bulk
Data Movement.ETL Software.Replication and Propagation.Messaging
Software.Other Methods.Distributed Databases.Setting Up a
Distributed Environment.Data Distribution Standards.Accessing
Distributed Data.Two-Phase COMMIT.Distributed Performance
Problems.
19. Data Warehouse Administration.
What Is a Data Warehouse?Analytical vs.Transaction
Processing.Administering the Data Warehouse.Too Much Focus on
Technology?Data Warehouse Design.Data Movement.Data Cleansing.Data
Warehouse Scalability.Data Warehouse Performance.Data
Freshness.Data Content.Data Usage.Financial Chargeback.Backup and
Recovery.Don't Operate in a Vacuum!
20. Database Connectivity.
Client/Server Computing.A Historical Look.Business Issues.What Is
Client/Server Computing?Types of Client/Server
Applications.Database Gateways.Network Traffic.Databases, the
Internet, and the Web.Internet-Connected Databases.New
Technologies.Database Design.
21. Metadata Management.
What Is Metadata?From Data to Knowledge and Beyond.Metadata
Strategy.Data Warehousing and Metadata.Types of
Metadata.Repositories and Data Dictionaries.Repository
Benefits.Repository Challenges.Data Dictionaries.
22. DBA Tools.
Types and Benefits of DBA Tools.Data Modeling and Design.Database
Change Management.Table Editors.Performance Management.Backup and
Recovery.Database Utilities.Data Warehousing and Business
Intelligence.Programming and Development Tools.Miscellaneous
Tools.Evaluating DBA Tool Vendors.Homegrown DBA Tools.
23. DBA Rules of Thumb.
The Rules.Write Down Everything.Keep Everything.Automate!Share Your
Knowledge.Analyze, Simplify, and Focus.Don't Panic!Measure Twice,
Cut Once.Understand the Business, Not Just the Technology.Don't
Become a Hermit.Use All of the Resources at Your Disposal.Keep
Up-to-Date.Final Exam.
Appendix 1. Database Fundamentals.
What Is a Database?Why Use a DBMS?Advantages of Using a
DBMS.Summary.
Appendix 2. The DBMS Vendors.
The Big Three.Contact Information.The Second Tier.Contact
Information.Other Significant Players.Contact
Information.Open-Source DBMS Offerings.Nonrelational DBMS
Vendors.Object-Oriented DBMS Vendors.PC-Based DBMS Vendors.
Appendix 3. DBA Tool Vendors.
The Major Vendors.Other DBA Tool Vendors.Data Modeling Tool
Vendors.Repository Vendors.Data Movement and Business Intelligence
Vendors.
Appendix 4. DBA Web Resources.
Usenet Newsgroups.Mailing Lists.Web Sites and Portals.Vendor Web
Sites.Magazine Web Sites.Consultant Web Sites.Database
Portals.Other Web Sites.
Bibliography.
Database Management and Database Systems.Data Administration, Data
Modeling, and Database Design.Data Warehousing.Object Orientation
and Database Management.Related Topics.DB2.IMS.Informix.Oracle.SQL
Server.Sybase.
Index. 0201741296T05292002
The first platform-independent guide to the discipline of database administration, this book presents best practices and procedures that apply to any database platform: Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Sybase, even MySQL and Postgres. It will be an ideal resource for organizations that have deployed multiple databases -- and for professionals who want to move comfortably amongst database platforms. Craig Mullins begins with an up-to-date introduction to the field of database administration, outlining a broad range of DBA roles and responsibilities, and showing how evolving technology has changed the profession. He walks through creating the database environment; data modeling and normalization; database/application design; and change management. Next, he introduces best practices for maximizing availability, security, data integrity, and all aspects of system, database, and application performance. From data warehouse administration to Web-based data access, Database Administration: Practices and Procedures is a single source for authoritative guidance on every facet of database administration. For every database administrator, and for managers responsible for supervising database administrators.
Craig S. Mullins is a data management strategist for BMC Software. Craig has more than fifteen years of experience in all facets of database systems development, including developing and teaching DB2 and SQL Server classes, systems analysis and design, database and system administration, and data analysis. He has used DB2 for OS/390 since Version 1 and has experience with Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server. Craig has worked as a DBA, developer, instructor, and analyst in multiple industries.
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