Database Reference
In-Depth Information
8
DATABASE ADMINISTRATION
CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Discuss the need for database administration
Explain the DBA's responsibilities in formulating and enforcing database policies for access
privileges, security, disaster planning, and archiving
Discuss the DBA's administrative responsibilities for DBMS evaluation and selection, DBMS
maintenance, data dictionary management, and training
Discuss the DBA's technical responsibilities for database design, testing, and performance
tuning
INTRODUCTION
As you've learned in previous chapters, the database approach has many benefits. At the same time, the use of a DBMS
involves potential hazards, especially when a database serves more than one user. For example, concurrent update and
security present potential problems. Whom do you allow to access various parts of the database, and in what way? How
do you prevent unauthorized accesses?
Note that just managing a database involves fundamental difficulties. So that they can use the database effectively,
users must be made aware of the database structure or at least the portion of the database they are allowed to access.
Any changes made in the database structure must be communicated to all users, along with information about how the
changes will affect them. Backup and recovery must be carefully coordinated, much more so than in a single-user environ-
ment, and this coordination presents another complication.
To manage these problems, companies appoint a DBA to manage both the database and the use of the DBMS, that
is, to perform database administration tasks. In this chapter, you will learn about the responsibilities of the DBA, which are
summarized in Figure 8-1. You'll be focusing on the role of the DBA in a personal comupter (PC) environment that is simi-
lar to the environment of Premiere Products. You will learn about the DBA's role in formulating and enforcing important pol-
icies with respect to the database and its use. Then, you will examine the DBA's other administrative responsibilities for
DBMS evaluation and selection, DBMS maintenance, data dictionary management, and training. Finally, you will
learn
about the DBA's technical responsibilities for database design, testing, and performance tuning.
Database Policy Formulation and Enforcement
Access privileges
Security
Disaster planning
Archiving
Other Database Administrative Functions
DBMS evaluation and selection
DBMS maintenance
Data dictionary management
Training
Database Technical Functions
Database design
Testing
Performance tuning
FIGURE 8-1
DBA responsibilities
