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Chris Saxon

Thanks for the question, majety.

Asked: March 13, 2019 - 12:03 pm UTC

Last updated: March 14, 2019 - 4:39 pm UTC

Version: 12c

Viewed 1000+ times

You Asked

I am working in my DBA role for the past 5 years,vexed with on call support,shift 24*7.

I want to switch to developer role and much more I am interested in it.

I also want to know the roles and responsibilities what do developer do, which tools they use and how to improve the skills (please don't give a suggestion to have knowledge transfer with developer which does not work)

and Chris said...

It's the job of developers to ship working software that customers want.

So you need to learn how to do that ;)

Tools tend to be language specific. And change frequently. Instead of focusing on that, look for ways you can build something that helps people.

Here's one idea:

I'm willing to bet that at least some of the databases you support have tables storing reference data. That don't have admin screens.

And, as a production support DBA, from time-to-time you have to run DML scripts on your databases to update these tables.

If so here's what I'd do:

Find the database subject that gets the most of these requests. Get APEX up and running on it. Build some simple maintenance screens for these tables. And grant access to whoever wants these changes done to these screens.

APEX is a low-code environment. So it enables you to get going without having to spend lots of time learning How To Code. As you become more proficient, you can expand to PL/SQL and/or JavaScript coding to further your development journey.

If you want to know more about getting started with APEX head to:

https://apex.oracle.com/en/learn/getting-started/

Aside from giving you a chance to learn how to Be A Developer, this tactic has several other benefits:

- Reduces the workload for you & your colleagues (even if only a little)
- Makes the database more self-service, which is usually A Good Thing for people making the change requests
- Makes you more valuable to the company & may get you noticed outside your current role
- If any development roles come up (in your company or externally) gives you something to put on your CV as evidence of Being A Developer

If for whatever reason this isn't an option for you, then APEX is still a good place to start. Build a simple app, start learning how to code, and look for opportunities to do more development.

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Comments

vexus to crackus

Racer I., March 15, 2019 - 6:29 am UTC

Hi,

> ,vexed with on call support,shift 24*7.

Don't hope being a developer will help much there. DevOp is all the rage (among management) these days...

regards,

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