10G db console - who gets access to it can you tie it down?

Question

Hi Guys
I'm a newbie - with a certain amount of knowledge and lack of management support (I'm the only person in the sys admin team with Oracle knowledge - and have done certs). Forgive me for asking the obvious.
My interpretation of 10g's installation of the "console" is that it is designed to make the job of managing a database easier for DBA's.
Previously, with 9i console - I could enable other teams to have access to the whole of the database structure - but only as read only users and not give them sys/system or even dba access - but they could still have access to the structure under that user.
Although 10g has the console - the old Enterprise Management Console still works with 10g as it did with 9i - and they can still see exactly what they did before - but not change anything.
However, we are now in a situation where we have a new person in GIS team who insists they are an Oracle DBA (done one course on Oracle) and want all rights (as they had it in their previous job which was a much smaller organisation than we have) to the db console.
The license they have is for Oracle Standard only.
Have explained - they can have DB console but only for a standalone instance (not yet created - so they don't get it until the intance is created) and asked why they want the DB console and how will they use it?
I got no answers but was told to leave the meeting as I was preventing them from doing "their" job - so I left.
The DB console is designed for DBAs to manage the environment in a more newbie friendly way, yes?
The DB console actually does control how the database works - and has facilities for DBA functions RMAN management, tablespace management/creation, users etc, normal DBA stuff, yes?
And if you don't have the licence to monitor performance - well then you either disable or ignore? It can do some powerful stuff - but since we have TOAD and SPOTLIGHT - that's what we use to monitor overall.
My question is - do you allow - non DBA's access to db console - and how do you set them up as users to just see certain tablespaces?
What I've read so far - not extensive - the DB console user has to have the DBA role at least for it function?
Or have I missed something and I can give this person the rights - but only allow them read only?
Also, I wonder why would you need the db console - if you are a GIS officer?
This person has also asked for a server totally under his control - at no cost in terms of licenses.
In the meeting that person saidthat they didn't need any Oracle licenses for a test-bed environment.
I explained that since it was a corporate environment that licensing - even if just a named user as a test generic - as long as it wasn't concurrent - was required.
I was told by this person that Oracle test environments were free in a corporate environment and I was talking rubbish.
I have multiple test environments in our place - and by multiple I mean 20 test environments - and those guys have all paid for their licences based on what I've told the Oracle account person direct - and our test environment is named users only - and I monitor it closely.
These new GIS guys - have never talked to me about licenses or been involved with an Oracle account manager.
But they say Oracle is free?
The DB console is the main issue - license - I've already told them to cough up!
DB console = contol the database - you can create tablespaces etc.
So can I tie them down if I give them db console to read only - everything I've read so far says no because it's not designed for anything other than dba's?
Thanks guys - I'm a newbie with my job on the line - seriously I'm fighting - but I may lose and am prepared to resign although I'll probably not get another job for a long time.
Hey I can type fast - so I guess I'll get a job as a typist!!!!
Thanks!!

Answer 1

Thank you very much Stellios for your reply.
Armed with your reply, I showed my line manager what db console is and does.
I agree with you - and think often people ask for these things - DBA's put the brakes on but unless Managers undestand too what these things do - they assume anyone asking to have access should have it - in the same way as asking for other "applications".
Sometimes as DBA's we try and put the brakes on - as I was doing - but then unless line managers understand - we're seen as being deliberately obstructive.
Although having asked many times why the said person feels they need - they do have the old Enterprise Manager console access on their machine but set-up so they can just see a limited amount (although much, much more than they need).
Based on the previous team - all they wanted was a pretty GUI picture of how many tablespaces there were and what objects were in the tablespace (although they should have known the objects as they put them there in most cases via the GIS application which also enables them too see the same in GUI form) but at that stage, the team were also developing a new database structure - so teaching them and giving them access to Enterprise Manager helped them understand more about how Oracle was structured underneath the hood but they only had readonly access and only to what their schemas contained.
Although I know the new db console is there with 10g - it's not been installed with a service to run except on one test database (not set-up by me) which always seems to hang on shutdown because of the emagent process on the server.
We use TOAD and Spotlight, SQL Plus - and so I haven't yet felt the need to use the console.
However, I did quickly whizz through stuff to see if I could easily just enable them to see via the console via the web, access to schemas, tablespaces and objects only, but couldn't find and easy way of setting up a user account that just gave them that only. Admittedly, I haven't had time to experiment.
The console seems to be designed as a DBA tool - albeit one that is more GUI friendly - rather than something to be used by non-DBAs just to look at the database structure.
Is that the case in your experience? - and have you found a way just to enable a user read-only access to leap to the tab with tablespace management and schema management for that user (who created the tables) only?
Thanks for you support!