The Minimalist Guide to Database Administration

Every great DBA I know is both driven AND lazy. They are driven to be as efficient as possible, so they can do less work. It’s a wonderful pair of personality traits to have as a DBA. The unfortunate part is that the more driven they are, the more efficient and lazier they get, which … Read more

Stop Guessing About CPU Pressure

Ever try to troubleshoot something that doesn’t really exist? I think this virtualization thing is here to stay, I really do, but the trouble I see people having with virtualization is that they don’t know where the bottleneck truly lies. There are so many layers involved that most standard troubleshooting techniques fall short. Just think … Read more

The Oddest Job Interview Questions for 2011

Since I wrote just last week about interview questions for a DBA, I came across this article and wanted to share it here also. I don’t believe that an interview should be a trivia contest. These questions aren’t about knowing a trivial piece of information. They are (probably) designed to illicit a response that helps … Read more

The 5 DBA Interview Questions You Have to Ask

Because the answers might surprise you. An interview should be a conversation, not a trivia contest. I’m not looking to stump someone during an interview. I don’t need for my DBA to know obscure facts such as database mirroring is only supported starting with SQL 2005 SP1. Memorizing such facts does not mean that you … Read more

Is Your DBA Lying To You?

“Signs point to yes.” – Magic 8-Ball prophecy You have probably heard this line at one point, the one that says “the best DBAs are the ones you never see or hear?” I used to think that was a result of some sketchy personal hygiene choices and later on understood it to mean that if … Read more