ALICE is one of the four experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CERN (Geneva, Switzerland). The commissioning of the LHC in 2008 allowed the experiment to record the first particle induced events and is now preparing for the first collisions foreseen autumn 2009. The experiment is composed of 18 sub-detectors each with numerous subsystems that need to be controlled and operated in a safe and efficient way. The Detector Control System (DCS) is the key for this. The DCS system has been used with success during the commissioning of the individual detectors as well as during the cosmic runs and the LHC injection tests that were carried out in 2008. It was proven that through the DSC a complex experiment can be controlled by single operator. This paper describes the architecture of the Detector Control System and the key components that allowed to come to a homogeneous control system. Examples of technical implementations are given. Improvements that have beem implemented, based on a critical review of the first operational experiences are highlighted. It will report on the current status and operational experiences leading up to first physics collisions.