DBA Evoluation:
Data administration has its roots in the old, decentralized world of the file system. The cost of data and managerial duplication in such file systems gave rise to a centralized data administration function known as the electronic data processing (EDP) or data processing (DP) department. The DP department’s task was to pool all computer resources to support all departments at the operational level. The DP administration function was given the authority to manage all existing company file systems as well as resolve data and managerial conflicts created by the duplication and/or misuse of data.
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Role of Databases in An Organizations
The advent of the DBMS and its shared view of data produced a new level of data management sophistication and led the DP department to evolve into an information systems (IS) department. The responsibilities of the IS department were broadened to include:
• A service function to provide end users with active data management support.
• A production function to provide end users with specific solutions for their information needs through integrated application or management information systems.
The functional orientation of the IS department was reflected in its internal organizational structure.
As the demand for application development grew, the IS application development segment was subdivided by the type of supported system: accounting, inventory, marketing, and so on. As the number of database applications grew, data management became an increasingly complex job, thus leading to the development of the database administration function.
The person responsible for the control of the centralized and shared database became known as the database administrator (DBA).
• The size and role of the DBA function varies from company to company, as does its placement within a company’s organizational structure. On the organization chart, the DBA function might be defined as either a staff or line position.
• Placing the DBA function in a staff position often creates a consulting environment in which the DBA is able to devise the data administration strategy but does not have the authority to enforce it or to resolve possible conflicts.
• The DBA function in a line position has both the responsibility and the authority to plan, define, implement, and enforce the policies, standards, and procedures used in the data administration activity.
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