Increase productivity and eliminate developer stopgaps by evolving the way you manage databases.
Software development has come a long way in the past few decades, but data management hasn’t. It’s time to change that. Despite automation becoming more ubiquitous, many engineering teams are still managing databases manually—a practice that can be time-consuming and complex, slowing down developers and impeding overall productivity. Additionally, current models force database administrators (DBAs) to work within silos, which creates logjams and communication lapses. It also leaves more room for error.
The solution is to merge elements of database management and platform engineering. After all, how companies manage data and related services has a massive impact on the platforms delivered to developers—and ultimately, the success of the software shipped to customers.
Inside the Outdated System of Database Management
Before software was regularly used to deliver services for consumers, many organizations had just a few databases to support back-office applications. However, technology has dramatically changed during the past 2 decades. As engineers continue to build new applications, there are more and more databases, and DBAs are understandably overwhelmed. They must learn how to manage Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server alongside MongoDB and PostgreSQL.
According to a recent survey, 46% of respondents cited managing databases across private, public, and edge deployments as one of the top challenges associated with database management. The cloud means multiple types of databases are running in multiple environments, each with their own operating processes and best practices. Complex, indeed.
Automation is the way forward. Not only does it allow developers to simply click a button or write a line of code to get what they need, but it can, when done properly, also provide DBAs with a consistent operating model for all their databases across all environments. No DBA can keep up with all the database requests that come through today. By relying more on automation, DBAs will have more time to focus on higher-value work, such as how to optimize the organization’s database architecture or security precautions. Automation also makes companies safer by cutting down on shadow IT and reducing the risk of human error.
That’s just not happening today. Currently, 72% of IT funds go toward basic maintenance instead of innovation, according to the 2020 study.
How Platform Engineering Can Contribute to Your Business’ Overall Success
As the role of DBAs shifts, their place within the organization should too. Platform engineering is an ideal place for them to sit.
Platform engineering is an evolving practice, which means DBAs can make an indelible mark. A recent study indicated that in 2023, only 20% of software companies surveyed had fully integrated platform engineering teams. However, an additional 63% of organizations reported that they were either in progress or in the planning stages of adopting it. It’s a popular role—but new.
This is in part because developers have never been more critical to the success of a business. Developers ship software much more frequently today than they used to, and most of these applications require a database to manage the data associated with them. Developers should not have to spend a significant portion of their time trying to figure out how to configure a database. Instead, they should be focused on writing business logic and code, running tests, and upskilling. McKinsey reported last year that top tech companies want developers to spend up to 70% of their time doing “inner-loop” activities—building, coding, and testing—and that right now, that’s not happening. However, platform engineering makes that goal more achievable.
Tips to Make Your DBAs and Engineers More Effective
In tech, we build processes, but we often forget to question why we do things. We don’t always build toward the end goal. I’m guilty of it too. The first step to making your engineers more effective is to assess overall productivity and change what isn’t working.
Leaders should also take these steps:
- Consider how to use databases first and foremost. Data allows developers to personalize the consumer experience, which means there are a lot of data-intensive applications now. How to manage that information is critical.
- Eliminate silos, especially within data and databases. People are starting to modernize things, but they modernize them into buckets—there’s a process for this, a process for that. Instead of solving one problem at a time, think about things holistically.
- Stop feeling obligated to use legacy databases. Developers are starting to dictate which engineering platforms they use to build applications, and some of their preferences are surprising.
- Many workers want to experiment with cool tools—and being open-minded about software is a great way to attract talent.
- Think simply. If nothing else, just consider how you can best give developers access to data. Everything else can be built over time. Start doing this trickle feed of providing the capabilities rather than thinking of it as a big bang.
Leaders at many organizations spend a lot of time thinking about how to analyze their data—but the operational side is just as important. Prioritizing platform engineering and integrating database management with development will make organizations more productive and flexible.
After all, software development will continue to evolve. Your team must be able to do the same.