It’s been many years now since I first got my hands dirty on databases “world”.
In 2000, as a young student and being on my first job, I had to choose for the first time.. between SQL Server (6.5 back then) and MySQL (version 3). I have picked MySQL because it was free. In 2003, I had the luck of being asked to substitute the DBA colleague leaving to another company.
And my journey with SQL Server has started.
What times.. being sole DBA for production (24/7) and development.
Hundreds and hundreds of scenarios tested, tens of thousands of SQL code lines, short nights (not only due to work… friends, cigarettes, whiskey, beers, work and always.. good music).
After my leave in 2005, I was asked to mentor the colleague that was replacing me. Some people may say I was tough.
Since ever, I was a self-thought person. I had and still have few words that define me: “keep digging and never stop learning”. To my mentees (yes, I had more than one during time ), I have tried to inoculate these words.
SQL Server journey got a companion in 2007, and for couple of years, Oracle and PL/SQL came on board.
Those times, access to the amount of documentation that Oracle provides made me desire to go as deep as possible (I always wanted access to code base.. that I know will never happen). I wanted to know how “it is made”, “how the engine works”, beside common sense or past experiences.
Even it may sound strange, back then, Oracle and PL/SQL gave me answers to questions I had from SQL Server and TSQL.
The main journey continued after couple of years and since 2009 I am mostly a SQL Server DBA (production & development).
Oracle remained a good companion, for few years and I have actively work with both. I have continued to go as deep as possible in finding answers to common or extraordinary problems.
A 14 years journey and everyday brings something new: a new scenario, a new issue, few tens/hundreds lines of code, a new article/blog or book.
Yes, a DBA should write code or scripts. Or even better, should write tools to do his usual stuff.. and focus on improving himself.
Besides the passion for what I do, the most important thing in a DBA’s life and journey is the family, seen also to my friends and colleagues.
These days, I was reading Paul Randal’s blog and came across the possibility of being mentored by him.
It would be awesome for me, for my journey, for my DBA colleagues.
“Keep digging and never stop learning”.