Introduction to Databases

Chapter 9: Database Administration

Administration and Life Cycle

• Administrative tasks vary in focus according to database life cycle– Early phases:

• Database design, data requirements

– Maintenance: • Day-to-day activities, server maintenance

– End of life cycle: • Data migration or archiving

Administration and Life Cycle

Administration Roles• Two main administration roles:

– Data administrator (data analyst)– Database administrator

• Data administrator responsibilities:– Planning and analysis– Setting data policy and standards– Promoting company’s data as competitive

resource and accounting for use of data– Providing liaison support to systems

analysts during application development

Administration Roles

• Database administrator responsibilities:– Day-to-day monitoring and management of

active databases– Providing liaison support to program

designers during application development– Carrying out policies and applying standards

set by data administrator

• In practice, responsibilities of both roles often overlap

The Need for Administration

• Data is corporate resource:– Effective use of data can bring competitive

advantage– Ineffective use and poor management of data can

bring disadvantage

• Data is shared resource:– Since data typically shared among corporate

functions and users, data should be managed by independent group whose loyalty is to overall company

– Decentralized information systems:• Typically have central shared database requiring

management• Need data to be coordinated between environments

The Need for Administration

• Managing data requires expertise:– Many functions involved in data

management are highly specialized and require specific expertise

– Working with databases at operational level requires in-depth knowledge of:

• DBMS in use• Databases themselves• Specific skills and tasks

– Physical database design, database security, and backup and recovery

Administration Responsibilities

Data Administration Responsibilities

• Managing Data Coordination: – Keeping track of company’s data– Download schedules, update schedules and

responsibilities, data interchange with other companies

• Managing Data Planning:– Identifying data requirements, analyzing available

data, designing ways to meet data needs, strategic (long-term) data planning

• Managing Data Standards: – Setting standards regarding data and its use, such as

naming standards, access standards, standards for data interchange between companies (EDI, XML, etc.)

Data Administration Responsibilities

• Handling Liaison Requirements: – Liaison with application designers, database

designers, database administrators, in determining data and data access needs, standards, exchange, storage

• Managing Training: – Training and informing managers and employees

on relevant data administration and usage issues

• Arbitrating Disputes and Access:– Data administrators (and database administrators)

act as custodians of data resources: providing security, backup, performance monitoring, etc.

– Managing concerns of shared data, access, and hardware

Data Administration Responsibilities

• Managing Publicity:– Informing potential users of what data exists in

database as potential for competitive advantage

• Ensuring Competitive Advantage:– Understanding and developing ways for business

procedures to be adjusted or modified to improve company’s efficiency

Database Administration Responsibilities

• Monitoring Performance:– Using utility tools to gauge performance of

DBMS environment• Performance information may be used to

redistribute database application loads, pinpoint and redesign inefficient applications, etc.

– Monitoring use

• Monitoring Security:– Managing access security (users and

authentication)– Database auditing

Database Administration Responsibilities

• Managing Metadata:– Documenting and protecting database

metadata• Backing up metadata• Documenting database and database object

structure

• Managing Software:– Software installations– Backup and recovery– Repairing or upgrading DBMS or

database– Modifying database structure

Database Administration Responsibilities

• Managing Physical Database:– Physical database design– Assisting in logical design (in

coordination with data administrators)

• Managing Troubleshooting:– Coordinate database-related

troubleshooting

Management Tasks and the Life Cycle

1. Design– Data administrator:

• Data analysis, database design

2. Implementation– Database administrator:

• Create physical database and database objects, deploy database, perform baseline monitoring

– Data administrators: • Manage requirements for data entry, data

migration, redesign

Management Tasks and the Life Cycle

3. Production– Database administrator:

• Manage day-to-day use and ongoing maintenance

– Data administrator: • Manage issues of data access, acquisition and

integration of new data, evolving requirements

4. Retirement– Data administrator:

• Manage requirements for archiving and protecting historical data

– Database administrator:• Implement data migration

Task Options• Manual vs. automatic

– Factors in choosing to automate tasks• Frequency of task• Regularity of task (e.g., backups)• Time and effort needed to program procedure• Effect of procedure on access, performance or

consistency between multiple locations

• Factors in choosing utilities– Available utilities– Functionality– Reporting options– Interaction and conflict; effect on database

performance– Ease of use

Ongoing Management Tasks

• Ongoing management tasks vary depending on how database is used, activity, etc.

• To meet maintenance requirements:– Identify requirements– Determine appropriate schedule

• Tasks that require database to be unavailable:– May need to be run on as-needed basis

• Common periodic tasks include – Backups– Defragmentation of tables and indexes– Checking for data and file inconsistencies

SQL Server Maintenance Plans

• Maintenance plans: – Sets of scheduled management tasks

• SQL Server includes:– Predefined task templates for common

tasks– Task for specifying SQL statements to be

executed• Precedence constraints: Connections

between tasks– Allow automatic, logical decisions about

next tasks to execute, depending on success or completion of previous task

SQL Server Maintenance Plans

• Maintenance Plan Wizard:– Steps through designing maintenance

plan• Defining tasks• Setting task options

– E.g. identifying specific databases

• Defining execution schedule

SQL Server Maintenance Plans

Troubleshooting Guidelines

• Primary goal:– Correct business problem (anything that

prevents business operating as it should)

• Initial actions:– Correct immediate symptoms– Avoid downtime

• Subsequent actions:– Identify and permanently fix underlying

cause of problem – Verify correction of problem

Summary• Because data is shared, valuable corporate

resource whose management requires significant specialization and expertise, there is tremendous value in corporations having department dedicated to administration of data and database.

• Two main administration roles: Data administrator (data analyst) and database administrator

• Data administrators: Responsible for data coordination, data planning, data standards, liaison requirements, training, arbitration, publicity, and competitive advantage

Summary• Database administrators: Responsible for

database performance, security, metadata, managing software and physical database, and troubleshooting

• Administrative tasks and roles of database and data administrators vary in focus according to four main phases of database life cycle

• Factors in deciding how to perform maintenance task include deciding whether task should be performed manually or automatically and selecting appropriate utility to perform task

Summary• Common regularly scheduled maintenance

tasks include backups, defragmentation of tables and indexes, and checking for data and file inconsistencies

• SQL Server Management Studio maintenance plans allow creation of defined sets of scheduled management tasks

• In troubleshooting database problems, primary goal is to correct business problem first, with subsequent actions to identify and permanently fix underlying cause of problem.

Key Terms• Arbitration• Audit trail• Automated tasks• Business problem• Data administrator• Data analyst• Database administrator• Data consumer• Data flow• Data planning• Electronic data

interchange (EDI)

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

• software• Fragmentation• Maintenance plan• Manual task• Precedence constraint• Publicity• Strategic data planning• Systems analyst

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