Tips to manage database

Rahul Sah

A database is the backbone of any enterprise application. And most of these applications use database management systems (DBMS) to create, store and manage data. These DBMS software, like Oracle, IBM DB2, Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server or MySql are responsible for creation, updation, retrieval and storage of information in a structured format. Plus, it must also maintain data integrity, access control and security. Since there's so much to do in a database, the organization must dedicate a database administrator for the job, who has to ensure efficient and proper design of data in the database.

If anything goes wrong with an application, the DBA has to use his skills to check whether the problem arose because of a fault in the database design or due to the application's logic. This is not an easy task, which is why (fortunately) there are database management tools that help a DBA keep a real-time check on the performance of DBMS. Not only do these tools provide for performance optimality but also help in the design and development of database on various DBMS platforms. The database management tools can broadly be classified into two categories: Production, and Development tools.

Production DBA tools

A database administrator is required to maintain the production and test environments of an application development project. The tools used to manage the production environment are used to sort issues related with database performance, administration and database recovery.

The DBA can tune and improve the performance of a database by using such tools. The performance-monitoring tool helps a DBA gauge the efficiency and responsiveness of SQL queries, system parameters and database structures. Such performance monitoring tools run in the background and maintain a log of the database performance statistics and alert the DBA on occurrence of any problem. Some advanced tools can also take proactive steps to counter the problem so that database performance is not hindered at all.

The performance enhancement tools should monitor three aspects of a database application, which are database structure, the system itself and the application. These tools help manage the system resources perform optimally, while allowing you to analyze and optimize queries and run applications at top speed.

On a day-to-day basis a DBA requires some administration tools that help him in simplifying the tasks ranging from database object creation to database synchronization. In the absence of such administrative tools, the DBA would be required to write complex scripts for such intricate tasks that would consume time and would sometimes be error-prone too. Such administrative tools help DBA by automating some of the complex tasks and also help him in saving time.

Most of the DBMS applications provide basic backup and recovery features. However, these can't satiate the requirements of a DBA. He needs tools that can automate processes of backup and recovery and can also implement procedures for disaster recovery. The recovery tools help the DBA in such tasks. Some advanced recovery tools are also available that examine the database logs and then perform online SQL-based recoveries of the crashed or corrupted databases.

Adoption of such tools by DBAs that have automation capabilities, results in great improvement of the data availability and integrity, and hence improved performance of the database.

Development DBA tools

During the development of application database, the DBA focuses on building an effective database environment to support applications running in an organization. As the programs for an application are built, the DBA also has to look toward providing proper database structures that would be required by the application.

DBA tools step in here to support the development of database by providing features for designing E-R diagrams of the database and translating the logical diagram into physical implementation. Such tools also provide auto generated test data that would be used on the developed database to check primarily for data integrity and also for other purposes. The database developers can also use such tools for creating the procedures, functions or triggers for the database, by using their SQL editors.

In this article, we have covered some of the DBA tools that might help a DBA to develop databases and also for the maintenance of the production database. These tools are available as a package having a host of in-built functionalities. We also talk about a few which are available as individual function tool and help in database management or creation.

DBManager Pro

A company named DBTools Softwares offers a complete database management tool called DBManager that is compatible with various databases like Oracle, MS SQL Server, Sybase, MS Access and MySql. This tool is a comprehensive package of features that a DBA can use to properly manage the database and can also help in efficient database development.

DBManager is designed to support multiple database engines. As applications are being built on different DBMS platforms, tools like DBManager have to help a DBA to have a single interface for various databases that he monitors or is in charge of. DBManager does that with perfection. The tool provides easy management of databases and their tables, procedures, triggers and functions. The interface has default database server connections made for SQLite and MS Access. A new database server connection can be easily made with the Server Manager.

Many a times it is required to import database from one DBMS to another. This requires the DBA to configure various import/export settings and then import the database in a particular format, which can be CSV or XML. DBManager makes the task of the DBA easy by providing DAO import of database from MS Access; also the database can be imported from an XML-based file. For this DBManager has easy to use wizards that allow users the freedom to create the database or to copy imported database tables into an existing database schema.

For development support, the tool has wizard-based table creation features that can provide constraints and relationship management for a table. You can easily create forms and reports for a database table using the Form or Report designers. The Query Builder can be used to create and test queries. Through the Objects panel when you select SQL/DDL templates, you can have a list of templates for various queries, which can be modified to create your own query.

Through the management options a DBA can view the status of the server, database and table activities. The Tools menu also has an option for Task Builder through which the DBA can automate some of the processes like import and export, data manipulation, etc.

EMS SQL Manager

EMS has introduced SQL Manager that provides administration and development support to specific databases. The package is available for DBMS like Oracle, PostgreSql, MySql, SQL Server and DBISAM. Here we would be trying SQL Manager for MySql.

The SQL Manager for MySql has full support for MySql server. It is a tool when used for development can help in rapid database creation and efficient designing of the database objects. This tool when in a DBA's arsenal will empower him and his development team to easily create, manipulate and manage the database and its objects.

When installed, the tool gets easily configured with the MySql server instance. The databases on the server get displayed on the database panel. By expanding a database node the structure of the database can be browsed for viewing tables, views, functions, procedures, etc. The interface is easy to get familiar with for a developer, as the panels for data object creation and browsing are well laid out. The tables can be edited and their properties changed by directly double clicking on them.

You can create a new database through Database menu option. The Report designer can be used to create reports in a diagrammatical manner. The interface has tabs to switch between Code and Design view. For a DBA, it's always a concern to keep the check on data integrity, data consistency and data structure, while designing a database. With a tool like SQL manager the work of managing a database for such intricate tasks has become easier.

DTM database tools

DTM database tools unlike other tools are not a package, but a series of small tools that have specific database functionality. These tools can be downloaded from www. sqledit.com. A DBA can choose the functionality he needs a tool for, and can download that in isolation rather than having the whole package.

One such tool that a DBA would need is Data Modeler that can be used by database developers for forward and reverse engineering. This tool can convert a data model into the corresponding database by creating necessary SQL scripts.

Sometimes, it is required to compare two databases, one from production and the other from development environment; or in case of active production data, and its backup. For such cases DTM Data Comparer is used that will compare the two data objects of same or different databases and indicate the differences between them. It can also be used for synchronization of the database.

Once the development of a database has been completed, it has to be populated with some test data so that it can be checked with the application for consistency. DTM Data Generator is a tool specifically catering to such need. Like other packages it also contains an SQL editor. A DBA can use this tool with his developer team.

Thus, depending on his requirements a DBA can choose for package based database management tools or can use tools that are available for specific functionalities of database management.