Hopefully you have had some semblance of a relaxing holiday, however fleeting, this Christmas/New Year period. Aside from overeating, having awkward conversations with distant relatives and feigning glee over presents that missed the mark, this time of the year can also present a great opportunity to step back and reevaluate a multitude of areas in your work life. Here are some suggestions of areas which may benefit from your attention:
1. Look at whether there are any procedures or tasks that could be scripted or automated, especially those manual and repetitive tasks. This only requires a small investment of your time when compared to the savings you’ll make over the course of the year. Perl is an ideal language in this instance.
2. Evaluate how your databases are performing, as this is often one of the things that may be overlooked or cast aside in the course of normal operations. In particular examine whether there is a need to tune them, and explore which tools will be most useful in helping you achieve this.
3. Look around for tools that will help you do your job better. Do you need to speak to your manager to see if they would approve a purchase? Be prepared to harness that post holiday optimism and generosity that he/she is inevitably basking in on their return to the office.
4. Set goals for personal development. Are there certifications that you could aim for in the next year – or books/courses to help you up-skill? We recommend The Oracle Concept 11.2 Guide as a great way to learn about the new features of Oracle.
5. Evaluate your backup/DR strategy. Is it robust? When was the last time you tested it? DR testing should be carried out at least annually, and involve an actual fail over from your production database to the standby.
You may also find the following resources useful:
12 Ways To Think “Big Picture” and Why You Should Bother
Disaster Recovery Testing Best Practises: Test Thoroughly and Often
Dbvisit Versus Automated Oracle Log Shipping
