Jim;
I would love to see a book that has all you are talking about .... the
things that DBAs love to talk about ... plus a few things that we need to
talk about.
I think a section on how to deal reasonably with the user community would be
very helpful for DBAs just starting out. I know that we often joke and
complain about the unreasonable requests and the unreasonable deadlines and
the downright stupidity of some users ... but, as a DBA, you have to know
how to deal with this kind of thing and STILL support them to the level that
is required. Failure to act in the correct manner can lead a very
technically competent DBA into the world of outcast obscurity if they do not
watch it.
Along with this you might add a section on Procedures (Not the Oracle Kind),
Specs, and Standards. That is another item that is missing from most books.
Show them a good starting point for their Standards and Procedures. Inform
them that , although no one wants to be bogged down in a procedure,
sometimes its all thats between you and a flood of useless code and
requests. Standards are also a DBAs weapon against getting lost in a world
of duplicate and hard to understand code. I , for one, have come to a new
job and found that each and every one of them did their job differently .
Although this promotes individuality, it makes it real difficult for a new
team member to come up to speed in a reasonable time.
It should also show them that Specs can be their friend. Its their armor
between themselves and the users. Specs are the conduit thru which work
should flow. They are also very good documentation that can be used to
shield you when the user comes back and complains ...."But I did not ask for
that !!" (of course ... when has a user ever done that !)
I hope you include some real life "Scenarios from the Masses". Real life
situations and their resolutions. Your basic DBA Tall Tale.
And finally, A section on how/where/and when to get help. We have all delt
with Oracle and their "Helpless Desk" from time to time. For me, their
support has gone from Exceedingly Hot and Helpful to a dip in the Arctic
Ocean and useless. What are some sources the DBA can use and When should
they actually run to them instead of investigating on their own. We know
how long diagnosis takes. There are certain situations now where I don't
even bother to try. I simply go to the experts who let me know how to fix
it. Our time is precious after all.
Anyway ... just a few more suggestions for you.
Kevin
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 2:26 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
self-publishing houses charge you to publish the book (yes, they do, that's
how my father-in-law published his book)
I also doubt that they give you much in the way of help in editing your
book, so that if your English is not good (as the case of the author that
Jonathan is working with) you end up with an unreadable book.
>From: "Hillman, Alex" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: RE: Serious Question (believe it or not)...
>Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 07:45:49 -0800
>
>I would one of self-publishing houses like Technion where you can get 33%
>of
>sales.
>If your book is any good it will sell in the same volume as with any other
>publisher (not that they spend a lot of money for promotion any way).
>
>Alex Hillman
>
>-----Original Message-----
>Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 4:31 AM
>To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
>
>
>First would be to prepare and send a synopsis to the
>'big name' oracle publishers - O'Reilly, Wrox and the
>like..
>
>hth
>connor
>
>--- Jim Hawkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > All,
> >
> > I am very interested in collaborating with others in
> > the writing of an
> > Oracle technical book (DBA subject matter). I am
> > interested in how those of
> > you who have done this (ala Rachel), got started or
> > made the right
> > connections. I do have a somewhat literary
> > background, so I know I can do
> > this.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > Jim Hawkins
> > Lead SAPR/3 Oracle Database Administrator
> > MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.
> > 600 Pearl Drive
> > St. Louis, MO 633376
> > 9636) 474-7832
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (work)
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (home)
> >
> > --
> > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ:
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> > Author: Jim Hawkins
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>=====
>Connor McDonald
>http://www.oracledba.co.uk (mirrored at
>http://www.oradba.freeserve.co.uk)
>
>"Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue"
>
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