Plan 2009

Bubul plan 2009: CMDBA and OCP certification. Then dig totally Oracle SQL tuning and write a series of fluffy SQL tuning tutorial for Oracle News. 

This may be the book that help me do it: SQL Tuning by Dan Tow. 

How I study

I really study hard "MYSQL 5 Certification Study guide" by Paul Dubois, the material is difficult because new concept suddenly pops in without explanation until later in the chapters. But like a ant drilling tunnels here and there the hard cheese finally falls apart. And finally the pieces are put together and become enjoyable.

Sams teach yourself in 21 days and Mysql: Your visual blueprint are the supplementary books, not enough info. The main book is the certification study guide. 

I study like this with the analogy of battlefield strategy:

1. Survey: Read lightly each chapter to know what the book is trying to  achieve. If stuck just skip. This is the first reading.

2. Shoot aerrows: Start reading each chapter to fully understand concepts. BUT DONT MEMORIZE.

3. Meelee: This is the close bone to bone combat. Start taking short notes recording key words.

4. Memorize : From the notes. 

SSMM   :p 

Near finish cramming CMDBA1. New Plan

Real busy!!! 

Cramming for CMDBA1 in bus, kitchen, office lunch time, feel like a zombie. 

Taking the exam tentatively this 29 January after chinese new year. 

Then February CMDBA2.

Then March maybe attend a Oracle Advance PL/SQL in KL.

Then OCA then OCP. Linux+ change to later or no need.

Then write a fluffy guide for SQL tuning, try to get it publish at Oracle news. 

The GOD MySQL DBA Book

Yesterday I have trouble with Ubuntu Linux and MySQL because my Singtel broadband USB modem requires a lot of setting and potential troubleshooting for interfacing. So I use Windows MySQL.

Then I read "MySQL 5.0 Certification Study Guide" and "Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 21 days", very slow, after a lot of reading still hardly can play with MySQL, esp the Cert Guide; the writing is not clear, a lot of redundantness, and you have to read back earlier chapters, very frustrating. Because studying those books require a lot of time to cram up for CMDBA exam, I thought of taking the fast route taking CMA first, then take Linux+ quickly because there is the Mike Meyers' Linux+ good book.

But CMA doesn't worth much, so I was troubled about this. I went to Jurong East library to borrow the Mike Meyers' book but it was loaned, I have a karate class later, so I went to scout around MySQL books preferably a Mike Meyers' one :p . Then I discovered the GOD BOOK....

MySQL: Your visual blueprint for creating open source databases by Michael Moncur.

The book not only has a lot of diagram but most important its writing is clear and precise making the concepts crystal clear; much much better than the two books above. I completed reading the book's DBA aspect within 2 hours on trains. Now I can play MySQL quickly on my PC and go for CMDBA exam.

Linux : Your Visual Blueprint to the Linux Platform by Michael Bellomo and Ruth Maran, looks like a good book also...

Mike Meyers' Linux+ looks like a good book also...

My technical studies depends vitally on good books. :)

My short sharp fast plan for 2009

In this big economic crisis, like a close combat meelee, my DBA Wing Chun punches need to sharp short and fast, no no is the long, slow, and lazy, embedded linux movement.

So here is my attack plan:
1. CMDBA next 0-2 months.
2. Linux+ next 2-3 months.
3. OCA next 2-4 months.
4. Publish Oracle tuning article next 4 months.
5. OCP is expensive, see how the situation goes.

The Oracle tuning article I won't write any new technic, but instead will explain the existing technics in a simple and intuitive manner. I will call it "Fluffy Tuning" or "Bunny Tuning" or something :) . I publish a game dev article previously.

"Mike Meyers' Linux+ Certification Passport" looks like a book that will get me up to speed fast!

Another coincidence - Harrison Ford movie

About two days ago, my TV channel broadcast this movie about Harrison Ford confronting terorrist who wants to hack in his bank database, there is a scene where Ford is tweaking all this large database servers.

I mean how many times you see a movie revolving around a bank database, right after you just started studying to become a DBA?

Fast and speedy books I like!

This is the fast and great books I read in order.

Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL -- A Learner's Guide by Lynn Beighley

A intuitive guide that can get SQL anchored in head rock solid.

Took me about 6 hours to scan through.

Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 21 Days (2nd Edition) by Anthony Butcher

A old book but compare to the rest of Crash Course and Sams, it gives me a high level but comprehensive overview to quick scan DBA concepts and possibly practice MySQL on the laptop with.

Took me about 2 hours to scan through.

MySQL 5.0 Certification Study Guide (MySQL Press) (Paperback)by Paul DuBois

The exam guide for me to check what I missed after practicing with Sams 21 days and laptop.

Installing MySQL!

Hmm... I have XP and Ubuntu. Thinking about training on MySQL on XP but the books seems to refer Unix/Linux more, some tools seem to be written only for Unix. My Linux is a bit sketchy and I worry about installation issues.

But wait! Ubuntu seems to come with prepackaged MySQL according to net. I am getting really excited about playing MySQL and getting a CMDBA soon!

Web:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/ubuntu/install-mysql-server-5-on-ubuntu/
Install MySQL Server 5 on Ubuntu
Installing MySQL 5 Server on Ubuntu is a quick and easy process. It almost feels like it should be more difficult.
Open a terminal window, and use the following command:
sudo apt-get install mysql-server
If you are running PHP you will also need to install the php module for mysql 5:
sudo apt-get install php5-mysql
To create a new database, use the mysqladmin command:
mysqladmin create
See, really easy!

Got the main concepts of "Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 21 Days" down

Finish scanning the chapters related to DBA. I read the chapters heading paragraphs first to understand the main goal each technique is trying achieve, then i scan quickly the codes and details. "Once the main concepts are in, the details are easy. " Or something like that by a Amazon guy.

Next I will look at the details in "MySQL Certification Study Guide" and then download and play mysql on my laptop.

I may take the CMDBA exam by 1 or 2 months later.

New year resolution: CMDBA and Linux+

After reading "High Performance SQL" for 2 days, realized I need to know the basics first, and my highest priority is to pass CMDBA test.

Yeah will get MySQL CMDBA certification costing US$400 first. Then get Linux+ S$432 certification.

Scan through "SQL Crash Course", "MySQL Tutorial", "MySQL Certification Study Guide", and "Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 10 minutes", but I find "Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 21 Days" gives a more comprehensive but brief overview for me to scan through the main ingredients first.

Read a wiki article concerning the last great depression takes about 10 years to recover, this sux.

I did a small uncompleted MySQL project on Roshambo about 3-4 years ago, now studying MySQL deeper gives me the tools to create a full functional website.