December 6, 2011 at 6:53 pm
I checked the Forums and I couldn't exactly find the right forum to post this in the Sqlservercentral site. So I decided to post it here. Anyway, my name is John and I am a Service Desk Analyst. I am very interested in learning SQL Server and the database field. Currently I am learning on my own but I would be grateful if you could provide me with advice and guidance. Particularly, the direction that you all took to to become so knowledgeable in SQL Server. What kind of education did you receive? How many years it take for you to gain valuable experience. I'm practicing exercises and reading from many books. However, I feel that my learning is at best minimal. What books and what classes would you recommend?
And also how did you all get into the Database field? Any stories, opinions, ideas, advice or anything worth mentioning to this topic would be great. Please share your vast knowledge of all that is database unto me!!! 😀
December 7, 2011 at 9:38 am
:ermm:.....
December 7, 2011 at 9:41 am
From 40 hours course to top 1-5% of the field took me 10 - 25K hours.
Best source is to read books, read questions here and try to answer in your head. Then once you can prove that answer with code start posting.
At some point you need to get hired. So volonteering for non profits is nice to have on your resume.
Aside from that the easiest path is from your current job. If you have someone who can take you under his wings and give you a junior job that's a good way to go to.
December 7, 2011 at 9:51 am
Yeah right now I'm trying to learn as much on the subject. The DBA at my company is willing to let me in on some stuff but right now I just don't feel confident since I haven't touched the maintenance side of database. I do appreciate your reply Ninja!!! 😀
December 7, 2011 at 9:53 am
ramjohn8 (12/7/2011)
Yeah right now I'm trying to learn as much on the subject. The DBA at my company is willing to let me in on some stuff but right now I just don't feel confident since I haven't touched the maintenance side of database. I do appreciate your reply Ninja!!! 😀
Nothing you can do about that except prove it to yourself. Get a test server and try stuff in there. Once you've proven it to yourself ask for a review to cover for what you don't know that you don't know.
Rinse, repeat 100 000 times to get to where I am.
December 7, 2011 at 10:00 am
ramjohn8 (12/7/2011)
Yeah right now I'm trying to learn as much on the subject. The DBA at my company is willing to let me in on some stuff but right now I just don't feel confident since I haven't touched the maintenance side of database. I do appreciate your reply Ninja!!! 😀
confident = experience & practice.
you need to create a couple of test databases on your local or dev instances, and actually perform the steps yourself... backup and recovery, point in time restores, reindexing, running things like update statistics and stuff like that.
honestly, i get a lot of practice and experience solving forum posts here on SSC, like Ninja said; copy and pasting someones answers not nearly as helpful as sovling it yourself; try and solve ten forum posts here a day, just for your own education;
post your proposed solution afterwards, and see if anyone sugests improvements, which you immediately learn from because you totally understand the issue, since you threw some time at it already.
Lowell
December 7, 2011 at 10:06 am
That sounds like a great idea. Speaking of which I have been given a Test Server but I'm not exactly sure where to start? Should I just create my own faux database and play around with things aftewards or what? I guess the main thing thats holding me back is fear and messing up for the Senior DBA.
December 7, 2011 at 10:08 am
ramjohn8 (12/7/2011)
That sounds like a great idea. Speaking of which I have been given a Test Server but I'm not exactly sure where to start? Should I just create my own faux database and play around with things aftewards or what? I guess the main thing thats holding me back is fear and messing up for the Senior DBA.
Can't mess up a useless DB.
I'd start with backup / restore of that DB. You might need to rescue it after a little screw up ;-).
yes this is coming from a place of a lots of experiences.
December 7, 2011 at 10:15 am
absolutely agree; something as simple as create a database and adding a table, then backing it up is the first step;
screwing around with the tables so you see the data, then restoring it and seeing the results...ahh i remember my first restore...
just actually doing some of the steps we are describing, just so you know it's not magic or a secret ritual of some black society..
once you know how to do it goes a long way.
Lowell
December 7, 2011 at 10:16 am
So I should go ahead and create that faux database then. I was thinking about creating a database based on my brother's Transformer collection. 😀
Any sites that would point me to the right direction that provides a walkthrough giving the general layout and setups that a DBA needs to begin maintaining that database? Or should I say strategy? 😀
December 7, 2011 at 10:23 am
ramjohn8 (12/7/2011)
So I should go ahead and create that faux database then. I was thinking about creating a database based on my brother's Transformer collection. 😀Any sites that would point me to the right direction that provides a walkthrough giving the general layout and setups that a DBA needs to begin maintaining that database? Or should I say strategy? 😀
search on this site... no topics left uncovered afaik.
December 7, 2011 at 10:45 am
Haha alright let me start creating that database then.
December 28, 2011 at 12:27 pm
I may have to in the future. As of now though I will just have to learn on my own and practice by example.
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