To: Rachel Carmichael 

On Mon, 16 Aug 1999, Rachel Carmichael wrote:

> 
> >talking about programming languages... is it necessary (considering
> >today's jobs) that a DBA should know a programming language (c, c++,
> >perl)? do employers usually require that you know a programming language?
> 
> depends on who you ask..... I don't know C, C++ or Perl....
> 
> >btw, i'm talking straight administration, not developing apps.
> 
> and that is all I do, straight administration. hasn't hurt me yet not to 
> speak C. On the other hand, I could probably (since I do have a programming 
> background), manage to at least READ the program, in general, even if I 
> couldn't write it.
> 
> >thanks for all your input ... the voiced opinion of the experienced is a
> >great gift to us newbies :)
> >
> 
> glad to help...it's why I stay here..
> 
> Rachel
> 
I would like to throw in my 2 cents...

While there is no real need for programming language experience for
"straight administration", I find it quite usefull to know how to automate
processes in the underlying operating system.

For example, on UNIX, I wrote cronjobs and use UNIX shell scripting for
such things as automating backups and daily cleanup of archived redo logs.
Also I can add monitoring scripts and do things like informing me via a
page if the database is down. On Microsoft NT, you can do the same with
Windows Scripting Host or task schedulers.

You can always automate things by purchasing 3rd-party tools by Platinum,
etc. but I suggest at least knowing how to write scripts for your OS as
well.

I agree with Rachel that traditional languages such a C++, Visual Basic,
Perl, etc. are not needed for DBAs.

Hope this helps!

-Ari Kaplan
Independent Oracle DBA Consultant

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