In this captivating series of articles, "Inside VNA," we delve into the intricate structure of Viscosity, much like unraveling the complexities of DNA to reveal its inner workings. Here, we shine a spotlight on the exceptional individuals who make up the heart and soul of Viscosity. Through their stories, we aim to inspire and empower professionals across industries, showcasing the incredible talent, resilience, and innovation that define our team. Today’s hero in this series is Charles Hutsell, Senior Database Administrator at Viscosity North America.
So, Charles, I'm curious about the story behind your journey to Viscosity.
What led you to join this company?
Well, it's actually a bit of a funny story. I knew about Viscosity from sessions I had attended at Oracle OpenWorld hosted by some of their Oracle ACEs. Several years before joining, I was in line at one of Oracle’s booths, where they were handing out Oracle mugs with draft beer. Anyway, that's when I struck up a conversation with Monica, who I'd never met before. We talked about projects and what I was working on at my previous company, like Golden Gate, Data Guard, RAC, and Pluggable Databases. She shared some info about Viscosity and gave me some of their pocket guidebooks. Fast forward a few years, and I stumbled upon a job opening at Viscosity. The timing was perfect because my previous company was outsourcing their DBA team. I interviewed with some great people, including Charles, Justin, and Sonya, and I was thrilled to join. It's been about three years now, and I still love it here.
Wow, I bet your journey in this industry has been quite the adventure! How did you first dive into the world of data technology and get involved with tech professionally?
I've been in the industry, including doing some development before I became a database administrator, for 25 years.
It’s quite a tenure.
Yeah, I started as a DBA in 2000, and I’ve definitely seen a lot of changes along the way.
Do you remember how you got into the industry?
Oh yeah. While working in finance at Invesco, a mutual fund company, I had my first experience working with databases as a business user and was really drawn to and fascinated by them. I eventually took an entry-level database development job at a small company as I worked on my Master’s in Management Information Systems at the University of Houston, where I encountered a legendary professor who taught graduate-level database courses and, despite the warnings of how tough his classes would be, I fell in love with the subject even more. He inspired me to pursue a career in databases, and after interviewing through the Career Center, I landed my first DBA job at Equiva Services, a Shell Oil alliance company catering to the downstream sector. And that's how my journey into the industry began.
You know, it's crucial for everyone in their career journey to encounter mentors—people like professors who inspire and foster development. Speaking of beginnings, do you remember your first computer? At what age was it?
Oh, what a trip down memory lane! It was a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A that my best friend had. His dad, who was a mainframe programmer, introduced us to it. I was amazed by what it could do, so when I got back home, I begged and pleaded and saved money until I finally got my own. We lived out in the country, and without nearby bookstores and no internet back then, all I had were the manuals that came with it, but I taught myself BASIC and Pascal programming and started writing various programs and simple video games. Even in school, I'd write code on paper when I was bored and enter it into the computer later.
Exciting. Can you describe your primary responsibilities or tasks you handle on a daily basis?
I have extensive experience with Oracle and SQL Server. My days are a mix of performance tuning, troubleshooting, and building, migrating, and upgrading database systems. Migrations are an adventure, ensuring smooth data transfers and post-move operations. And I've delved into exciting cloud environments like Azure for SQL Server, implementing cutting-edge solutions. It's a diverse mix of challenges and triumphs, but that's what keeps it interesting!
How do you handle conflicts within your team?
When it comes to handling conflicts, I have a pretty calm approach. I prioritize collaboration over being right. I'm open to different ideas and perspectives, and I'm always willing to hear others out. If someone else's idea is better than mine, I have no problem going with that solution, the best answer always wins. I've learned over time that it's not about individual success but about the success of the team as a whole. If there's ever a disagreement or misunderstanding within the team, I aim to address it directly and work together to find a resolution.
It's good to hear your positive feedback. So, if speaking about projects, can you name me the project that you regard as the most impactful at Viscosity during this period?
Yeah, let me think. Well, there have been many interesting projects that I've enjoyed, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the migration/upgrade project for a specific customer. This project involved migrating to multiple new Oracle RAC clusters and building out a new Oracle Data Guard RAC cluster, which was a significant upgrade and migration effort from version 18c to 19c. I spent a lot of time documenting and scripting to implement best practices and ensure a smooth migration. It was my first project here at Viscosity, and it was both challenging and rewarding.
I've also enjoyed working on projects involving SQL Server Always Oon Availability Groups and Oracle Golden Gate. These projects had a big impact and allowed me to sharpen my skills in high availability and disaster recovery solutions. Additionally, performance tuning and troubleshooting projects have been very rewarding. Solving complex database issues and optimizing performance for our clients is always fulfilling.
To wrap up on a lighter note, if you could choose any superpower to enhance your work, what would it be?
Oh, boy. Superpower…I’ll tell you what it is: the ability to rewind time, just like Oracle Flashback database but in real life, would certainly come in handy in many situations😅
That's a fascinating choice! Thanks for sharing your insights!
Short info:
Charles Hutsell is a highly skilled database expert with a proven track record of creating stable, high-performing, and secure environments to support organizations' business and IT goals. With extensive experience in Oracle and SQL Server administration, database architecture, and cloud solutions, Charles excels in building and managing complex database infrastructures both on-premise and in the cloud. His core competencies include high availability, disaster recovery, performance tuning, and database security, among others.
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