Companies rely on various forms of data to successfully conduct their commercial operations in the market. This information relates to their sales, customer details, business transactions, purchases, costs, revenue, and product inventory. They store all of their vital business information in properly managed computer databases.
Databases are centralized hubs within a computer server network to collect, store, manipulate, and retrieve data. Qualified database administrators (DBAs) are responsible for managing and optimizing the companies’ databases’ performance. They generally perform the following tasks:
- Evaluate the hardware components of the computer server storing the databases,
- Install, update and properly maintain the software application running the databases,
- Properly tune, optimize and monitor database performance,
- Implement security measures to prevent unauthorized access to information on the databases,
- Formulate and implement backup and data recovery plans to retrieve lost information, and
- Troubleshot and quickly resolve problems hampering the optimum performance of the database
Changing responsibilities of database administrators for modern businesses
Companies can now maintain databases in their network servers, which can operate autonomously without human intervention. This is due to the emergence of advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud technology. As a consequence, the role and responsibilities of the database administrators they employ are evolving. However, their core task is still to ensure the optimum of the databases functioning at all times. Only then can the end-users get easy access to the information on the databases they need. The emergence of new technology makes it easier for them to adopt better database architecture models. These logical structures enable them to upgrade, safeguard, scale and maximize the databases’ performance. This results in the proper utilization of companies’ resources and a reduction in costs.
Key Factors to consider
Database administrators need to implement the best practices, even when adopting new technologies to boost database automation. Only then can they optimize the overall efficiency of database systems their companies maintain. When formulating these practices, they have to take into consideration the following key factors:
- The budget allocations the companies chalk out to maintain the databases on their server networks,
- The kind of databases the companies have for their businesses such as Oracle, SQL Server or MYSQL,
- The level of expertise the staff and managers have in operating the companies’ databases,
- The number of employees and managers the companies assign to manage the databases,
- The resources currently or likely to be available to the employees looking after the databases,
- The managed service providers with expertise in AI, machine learning, and cloud-technology implementation the companies hire, and
- The deployment approach the companies adopt in operating their databases like on-premises, private or public cloud,
Determining business objectives
Identifying the factors likely to influence the implementation of the best database practices is just the first step to business success. The database administrators should be aware of their companies’ overall objectives. Then they can clearly outline these goals to the team of database management specialists they lead by knowing the following-
- The exact sum of money their companies are willing to incur on database management,
- The various types of databases the companies rely on for their business operations such as Oracle,
- The number of employees the companies are going to allow them and their level of expertise, and
- The deployment strategies the companies are going to adopt to operate their business databases,
Database administrators even need to know the types of data the companies intend to use. These are generally big, smart, dark, machine, transactional, master, reference, reporting, or metadata. They should be relevant in enabling the companies to achieve their overall business goals. The administrators can then focus their attention on only collecting, storing, manipulating, and retrieving this information. This ensures the databases function optimally and does not contain obsolete data.
Adopting policies and implementing procedures
The next phase to adopting the best database practices in determining which policies to follow. Then they can put in place the procedures the companies’ employees have to observe to use these databases. These include:
- Establishing appropriate indexes within the databases to organize the information within them,
- Setting up metrics to measure the accuracy of data to ensure it does not become outdated,
- Checking databases for corrupt information that is likely to be irrelevant to the companies, and
- Periodically deleting obsolete data files which reduce the optimum operating speed of the databases
Database administrators should have in place the proper monitoring tools with all of the companies’ databases. These features can alert them to potential problems likely to affect the functioning of the databases adversely. Then they can take suitable measures to address and resolve the issues instantly.
Maintaining data integrity
The primary concern for database administrators in maintaining the quality of the information within the companies’ databases. Only then can it be useful to these enterprises in achieving their overall business objectives. In this regard, they need to:
- Adopt suitable strategies to collect, store and organize the information within the databases,
- Train employees on how to correctly access, enter, store and retrieve information from databases, and
- Have proper safeguards in place to prevent the occurrence of data duplication.
Data security, backup, and recovery
Data security is a key priority for database administrators when it comes to organizing their companies’ databases. A single data breach can compromise companies’ vital business information and bring their activities to a standstill. As a result, they can end up incurring huge losses and scar their market reputation. Database administrators need to execute strategies which:
- Assigns specific access rights and limitations to all employees using the companies’ databases,
- Ensure the on-premises or cloud-based platform have logical structures to prevent data breaches,
- Backup measures in place to minimize the fallout of any unfortunate data breach or natural calamity,
- Have adequate disaster recovery procedures in place to minimize data loss in cases of accidents, and
- Procedures to ensure multiple backups of log files in different locations at the end of each day
The information available on business databases is critical in enabling companies to conduct their commercial operations seamlessly. They need to hire qualified database administrators who have experience implementing the best practices for database performance tuning. They should be aware of how to implement the latest database automation technologies, trends, and policies conducive to the business’s consistent growth with success!
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