Types of Oracle Database Users

The types of users and their roles and responsibilities depend on the database site. A small site can have one database administrator who administers the database for application developers and users. A very large site can find it necessary to divide the duties of a database administrator among several people and among several areas of specialization.

Database Administrators

Each database requires at least one database administrator (DBA). An Oracle Database system can be large and can have many users. Therefore, database administration is sometimes not a one-person job, but a job for a group of DBAs who share responsibility.

A database administrator's responsibilities can include the following tasks:

Installing and upgrading the Oracle Database server and application tools
Allocating system storage and planning future storage requirements for the database system
Creating primary database storage structures (tablespaces) after application developers have designed an application
Creating primary objects (tables, views, indexes) once application developers have designed an application
Modifying the database structure, as necessary, from information given by application developers
Enrolling users and maintaining system security
Ensuring compliance with Oracle license agreements
Controlling and monitoring user access to the database
Monitoring and optimizing the performance of the database
Planning for backup and recovery of database information
Maintaining archived data on tape
Backing up and restoring the database
Contacting Oracle for technical support

Security Officers

In some cases, a site assigns one or more security officers to a database. A security officer enrolls users, controls and monitors user access to the database, and maintains system security. As a DBA, you might not be responsible for these duties if your site has a separate security officer. See Oracle Database Security Guide for information about the duties of security officers.

Network Administrators

Some sites have one or more network administrators. A network administrator, for example, administers Oracle networking products, such as Oracle Net Services. See Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for information about the duties of network administrators.

Application Developers

Application developers design and implement database applications. Their responsibilities include the following tasks:

Designing and developing the database application
Designing the database structure for an application
Estimating storage requirements for an application
Specifying modifications of the database structure for an application
Relaying this information to a database administrator
Tuning the application during development
Establishing security measures for an application during development

Application developers can perform some of these tasks in collaboration with DBAs. See Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide for information about application development tasks.

Application Administrators

An Oracle Database site can assign one or more application administrators to administer a particular application. Each application can have its own administrator.

Database Users

Database users interact with the database through applications or utilities. A typical user's responsibilities include the following tasks:

Entering, modifying, and deleting data, where permitted
Generating reports from the data