So no one responded with, "We use raid xx. We don't have to worry about backup/recovery." ;^)
-- Alan Davey [EMAIL PROTECTED] 212-604-0200 x106 On 7/22/02, mkb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Ok, I need to vent a little. > >Last week, I was asked to do some tech interviews over >the phones for a mid level DBA position. Someone with >about 2-3 years experience. > >I don't consider myself a real smart DBA, nor do I >think that I ask particularly tough questions. The >questions that I ask potential candidates are soley >based on what is on the resume. So I figure if >someone has, say, hot backups or SQL tuning on their >resumes, I'd expect them to be able to hold a fairly >intelligent conversation about these topics. No such >luck! > >What really frustrated me, and what I really want to >get out of my system, is that nobody that I talked to, >had a real good concept of hot backups. Forget about >recovery. I asked each and every candidate who >claimed to have done hot backups, just give me a high >level overview of how you do a hot backup. Don't care >about syntax, just give me the mechanics. The answers >I got were completely off base, baffling and >frustrating. Some of these folks claimed to have 5 >years experience!!! > >'Well, we use scripts to do these, so I'm not sure how >these are done...' (But it says on your resume you've >done this???) > >'Oh, I take the tablespace offline, and copy the >datafile to tape...' (Unless I'm mistaken, that's not >how a hot backup is done, right?) > >'Well, I use the export utility, and as the backup >starts, it is written to the dump file.' (Huh? What?) > >'During this time, everything is written to the redo >logs and not to the tablespace...' (You've been >reading one of those books, haven't you?) > >I also asked them how they'd put a tablespace in >backup mode. Simple enough, right? Not one of them >got it right. Not even close. Didn't have clue as to >what I was talking about. Fair enough, you don't >know. Well how about a simple recovery scenario. I >asked every candidate how they would do an online >recover of a datafile while the database was still in >use. No ideas. Not even close. > >I dunno, perhaps I'm spoilt by being a member of this >list? Perhaps I expect every candidate to be as >knowledgeable as you guys? Perhaps I'm asking too >much? > >Rant over. Thanks for listening. > >mkb > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better >http://health.yahoo.com >-- >Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com >-- >Author: mkb > INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 >San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing >Lists >-------------------------------------------------------------------- >To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and >in >the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L >(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may >also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing). > > -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: Alan Davey INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
