In today’s world many companies want and need their employees to do more with less resources. You might find yourself in a position where you start to manage databases while doing many other tasks. Thomas LaRock’s book may save you countless hours. If you are starting and your goal is to be a Rock Star DBA this book might be one of the best investment you can make to have a successful career as a Database Administrator.
During the first week of January I moved from .NET Developer and part-time accidental DBA to full time DBA and PeopleSoft Engineer. While this book just came off the shelves I still found it very interesting six months after I landed the job as a Database Administrator. I agree with Brent Ozar, this book is tailor made for someone moving into a DBA role. I also still think that it has useful information for someone like myself, someone who wants to understand what a Database Administrator does, or someone who has thoughts of becoming a DBA.
Favorite Quote
Tom does a great job giving you great information but he also throws in entertaining stories and great quotes. While many readers will like the “shards of broken glass comment” quote my favorite is what you (the DBA) have in common with the President. I would paste the quote below but that would ruined the fun. I will tell you this, it’s hilarious but also at the same time very true.
Checklist
Checklists are very important to help automate processes and to make your life easier. Heck sometimes they are as important as life and death. For example, when a pilot is about to fly a single engine jet plane they have a checklist to complete before they go in the air. Tom’s checklist for your first 100 days on the job is essential to make sure you have safe travels and are out of harms way once you get in the air with your DBA career.
No One Knows Everything
If you have not learned this lesson yet I highly recommend you do it now before its too late. Tom explains why it’s just not possible to know everything. He also provides some examples on how you can find the answers to what you don’t know.
Connect, Share, Learn
Within my five year career in IT I have had the pleasure to work at a major consulting firm, a dot com, and a global law firm. What is the constant with these three environments? There are a lot of the people in IT who prefer to stay in their cubical and communicate the least amount as possible. Tom explains not only why you want to break this trend but also includes some benefits.
Where is the Buffet?
Surprisingly this was the most important chapter for me. The goal of this book is to make sure you have a long successful career as a DBA. This is not possible if your life is cut short due to health issues. When your profession demands that you sit in front of a computer screen it’s easy to make some bad decisions that can put your health in jeopardy. This was a wake up call for me. I am pushing 300 lbs and am glad to get back on the right track so I can have a long successful career as a DBA.
So there you have it. If you are new into the DBA game or know of someone who is seriously considering becoming a DBA get this book. You can find it at amazon.