SQL DBA Guru

Case Scenario

I have joined a multinational company as a SQL Server DBA after working for many years with some other organization. Though I am an experienced professional, however the first few days are always uncomfortable and feel that some advice on this would be good for the starting days for each DBA.

Resolution

Every organization is different and has different infrastructure with different SQL Server setup. Getting into it is the most challenging task but it’s equally exciting too. And the first few days / weeks (depending on the size of the organization) is very crucial for this as it’s a period where both the organization and the DBA try to understand the expectation and capabilities of each other.

Understanding the new setup:

One of the first things I would recommend is to document and understand the new SLQ Server setup. That should give you the insights of the entire setup as:

• The number / editions / Service packs / Application hosted on the SQL Servers.
• Technical and business owners / Maintenance schedule for the SQL Servers.
• Monitoring and response procedure with the SLA’s / Escalation matrix / On Call procedure.
• Scope of the deployment procedure from Development to test environment and / or from test to production environment.
• Current ongoing issues and related knowledge base, if any.
• Audit results related to Security, performance improvement, High Availability etc.
• Immediate issues to be addressed, if any.

Team Structure and your role:

Once you understand the entire setup, now its time to know about your DBA team members, what they do and how they distribute their work. Also you should have a one to one or team discussion with the DBA team lead or the person to whom you will be reporting to for their expectations from you and how to start your day to day activities. It’s very important that both the parties should be very clear about your daily tasks and scope of work.

Get, Set And Go…

Now you are fully equipped with the current organization’s infrastructure setup, the relevant issues and other required knowledge. Make a To-Do list with priority, dependencies and deadline. Now, its time to show your expertise with your experience and learning.