Patrick O’Keeffe, Quest Software VP of Engineering, recently discussed how DBAs’ jobs are changing and what is needed to ensure optimal database performance in an interview with Big Data Quarterly.
Today, data management environments are highly complex and often span multiple vendors with deployments across on-premise data centers, clouds, and hybrid installations. In addition to the heterogeneity of systems, the processes surrounding database development and management have also changed. DevOps, a methodology for data scientists, developers, database administrators (DBAs) and others to participate in an Agile workflow, puts a premium on speed and also means that DBAs do not wield the firm control they did in the past.
Amidst those shifts, there is also greater need for stellar database performance due to the greater emphasis on real-time responses. As database environments are evolving, so is the job of DBAs. The movement to the cloud—along with more automation of tasks typically associated with the DBA role—has led to some speculation that organizations may need fewer DBAs, but, so far that does not appear to be true, according to a recent Unisphere research study, According to more than 60% of the respondents, the number of people with the title “DBA” is holding steady, while around 20% say the number of people with in that role is actually increasing. What is happening, however, with the greater diversity of platforms and methodologies is that data professionals’ lives are becoming more difficult.