In many organizations, data not only defines what the business is, it is the lifeblood of how business operates. Yet data is a largely intangible and invisible thing, residing in locations that most of its users never see, appearing on the network when summoned over unwired connections, delivering the information necessary for applications to run, and returning to be managed and protected while remaining available for future use. How natural it all has become. And how critical it is that everything goes off without a hitch.

Who makes it happen, this tangible use of intangible data? What, exactly, do they do? And how do they get to the point where an organization will entrust them with the care and feeding of its valuable data assets?

This whitepaper is written by IDERA, a global leader in database management software, to provide insight into the position of database administrator (DBA) for readers who are new to the DBA position or who want to expand their capabilities as one of the essential professionals working behind the scenes to keep nearly everyone’s business and all our personal worlds spinning.

The whitepaper discusses:

• Be the professional who gets the job done
• Get a firm grasp on the role
• Find your place in the field
• Find your entry point: degree or experience
• Prepare with help from experts—and yourself
• Start work with baseline knowledge… then add more skills
• Now manage the data environment someone else built
• Prepare to move ahead with a solid action plan
• Get help from a trusted partner
• Learn more about database administration