Database Administration (DBA) Course

Lesson 1 • Relational Database Core Concepts

Covers tables, keys, relationships, and normalization principles. Establishes the data model vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • SQL Fundamentals for DBAs

Reviews essential SQL syntax with emphasis on DBA-relevant queries. Prepares students to read and write administrative scripts used in subsequent chapters.

Lesson 3 • DBA Roles and Responsibilities

Defines the scope of DBA work across development, production, and hybrid environments. Distinguishes DBA duties from developer and data engineer roles.

Lesson 1 • Installation Process and Validation

Walks through silent and interactive installation methods and post-install verification steps. Ensures a repeatable, auditable deployment process.

Lesson 2 • Pre-Installation Planning

Covers hardware sizing, OS requirements, and storage layout decisions before installation. Prevents common post-install configuration debt.

Lesson 3 • Instance Startup and Shutdown Procedures

Teaches controlled startup and shutdown sequences and their impact on data integrity. Builds habits that prevent corruption during maintenance windows.

Lesson 1 • Logical Storage Structures

Covers tablespaces, schemas, segments, and extents as logical containers for data. Links physical files to the objects DBAs manage daily.

Lesson 2 • Physical Storage Architecture

Explains data files, log files, and temp files and their roles in database operation. Provides the foundation for all space management tasks.

Lesson 3 • Space Reclamation and Expansion

Covers adding data files, resizing tablespaces, and reclaiming unused space. Ensures storage capacity keeps pace with application growth.

Lesson 1 • Authentication Mechanisms

Covers password policies, OS authentication, and external directory integration. Establishes the first line of defence against unauthorised access.

Lesson 2 • Data Encryption and Masking

Covers transparent data encryption, column-level encryption, and data masking for non-production environments. Protects sensitive data at rest and in transit.

Lesson 3 • Auditing and Compliance Logging

Configures database audit trails to capture login events, DDL changes, and data access. Supports regulatory compliance and forensic investigation.

Lesson 4 • Object-Level Privilege Control

Explains GRANT and REVOKE at the table, view, and procedure level. Granular control prevents data leakage between application schemas.

Lesson 1 • Backup Policy Design

Guides students through defining RTO, RPO, retention periods, and backup schedules. Aligns backup strategy with business continuity requirements.

Lesson 2 • Executing and Automating Backups

Covers native backup tools, scripting backup jobs, and integrating with schedulers. Automation eliminates human error in routine backup execution.

Lesson 3 • Backup Validation and Testing

Establishes procedures for verifying backup integrity and conducting scheduled restore drills. Untested backups provide false confidence.

Lesson 4 • Backup Types and Terminology

Defines full, incremental, differential, and log backups and their trade-offs. Correct terminology is essential for designing a coherent backup policy.

Lesson 1 • Performance Metrics and Baselines

Identifies key performance indicators and establishes baselines for normal operation. Baselines make anomaly detection reliable and actionable.

Lesson 2 • Index Design and Optimization

Covers B-tree, bitmap, and composite index strategies and their maintenance requirements. Proper indexing is the highest-impact tuning lever available to DBAs.

Lesson 3 • Server-Level Performance Tuning

Addresses memory allocation, I/O subsystem tuning, and connection pool configuration. Server-level changes amplify gains made at the query level.

Lesson 4 • Query Execution Plans

Teaches reading and interpreting execution plans to identify inefficient operations. Execution plan analysis is the primary diagnostic tool for slow queries.

Lesson 1 • Read Scaling with Replicas

Distributes read workloads across replica nodes to improve throughput and reduce primary load. Complements HA with horizontal read scalability.

Lesson 2 • High Availability Concepts

Defines availability tiers, single points of failure, and failover objectives. Provides the conceptual framework for all HA architecture decisions.

Lesson 3 • Synchronous and Asynchronous Replication

Compares synchronous and asynchronous replication modes and their durability trade-offs. Mode selection directly affects RPO and application performance.

Lesson 4 • Log Shipping and Standby Databases

Covers log shipping mechanics, standby database configuration, and lag monitoring. Log shipping is a foundational HA technique applicable across platforms.

Lesson 1 • Database Change Management

Implements schema versioning, migration scripts, and change approval workflows. Controlled change management prevents production incidents from unreviewed DDL.

Lesson 2 • Monitoring and Alerting Pipelines

Builds end-to-end monitoring pipelines that collect, store, and alert on database metrics. Proactive alerting reduces mean time to detection.

Lesson 3 • Infrastructure as Code for Databases

Applies configuration management and IaC tools to provision and configure database servers. Eliminates configuration drift across environments.

Lesson 4 • CI/CD Integration for Database Changes

Embeds database migration testing into continuous integration pipelines. Catches schema errors before they reach production environments.