For those who have stayed in the information technology sphere long enough, the mention of the word Oracle remote database administrator brings up particular images in your mind. One would probably imagine of someone running out of breath because of backup issues, incapacitated database, or a distressed person behind a large computer worried about sluggish queries and slow database performance. Well, you might be right at some point because the conventional role of remote Database Administrators still exists; at least for larger companies with big data centres.
Otherwise, so many things have changed over the years. For a database administrator who did it a long time ago, there might be so much to learn. With virtualisation, cloud storage, and micro-services, there have been drastic changes in the way companies handle their data storage and management. At a glance, someone might even be tempted to believe that the traditional roles of Oracle remote DBAs are non-existent. That might be far from the truth.
Easier said than done
Take Oracle NoSQL for instance. It has no need for pre-defined schema. With this, provisioning of new servers is just a click of the button away. For relational database, where Oracle belongs, many customers find themselves being pushed to embrace Data as a Service, (DaaS) models, which further simplify handling of data hardware. Taking a look at all the transformations, someone might confidently say that the work of Oracle Data Administrators working in remote connections is getting easier and might even be phased out in the future. If you have ever held that view, even for a minute, you are wrong.
In his statement, Chris Lalonde who is the Vice President of Data at Rackspace, outlines that the role of these professionals is getting more complicated with each growing day. The fact that latest innovations have brought automation and tooling of various processes is undeniable. However, most of these recent technologies are less mature. As such, they are in need of consistent monitoring; what Chris terms as ‘regular care and feeding’. Stopping for a moment to think of the possibilities of wiping out traditional data experts would be disastrous.
It’s an evolving world
Today, you will find many people with different education backgrounds doing the same work handled by database administrators. These include data architecture, data scientist, and data engineers. Well, that spells out the greater fact that data is more important in this era than ever before and there must be someone in charge of it. In the past, it was all about businesses running smoothly while relying on database for good reporting. Database was simply for record keeping and occasional referral. Things have changed and in the present moment, data not only provides you with security but also gives you competitive advantage over your fierce rivals. That explains why there are so many people with varied educational backgrounds working with data. At the centre of this all is the remote administrator handling Oracle Database in an unknown place.
For Non-relational platforms such CouchBase, it might as well be said that the roles of DBAs have been eased by technology. Nowadays, so many things are able to support themselves without professional intervention. Such platforms are able to support SQL queries among other critical aspects that make them more preferable to administrators handling them.
One Step Ahead
Huge Relational database systems like Oracle require comprehensive knowledge of hardware and software stack; at least for now. In the near future however, it is predicted that the next phase of oracle DBAs will be less concerned with such aspects. Time is coming when the profession will be full of people who are more database intensive, but to perform roles like capacity planning. In years to come, it will be a matter of learning when to provision new servers and when not to.
The dynamic scalability in this field might as well explain continued development of cloud services. In such cases, provisioning services include setting up of hardware, storage facilities, and even the network. In reality, the role of the DBA is reduced to finding out the various applications that might require more database. Obviously, lesser data administration skills will still be required in this case, but they remain essential. For the database administrator who has plans of gaining more knowledge on capacity planning and cloud database development, the future is even brighter.
Old is gold
Even in the wake of new technology, many companies prefer keeping their relational systems with traditional Oracle DBAs still managing them remotely. In such cases, the newly advocated cloud computing platforms are being used for facilitating newer projects. This hybrid approach will still see the traditional administrators handle their work even as fresh blood is brought on board to tackle the new challenges. Truth be told, many companies have embraced the Data as a Service (DaaS) technology, which has eased deployment of data in smaller areas in need of such services.
With so many companies preserving their traditional relational databases even as they embrace the latest innovations, the need to narrow the technological gap is getting things more complicated than ever before. Ordinarily, people are tempted to think that emergence of recent technology should ease things, at least for oracle DBAs. It might as well be far from that. Even when organisations outsource applications, there is still need for professional Oracle remote DBA to handle other tasks away from the data centre.
Here to Stay
Technology might have evolved so rapidly over the years and so many things might have changed. Even more drastically, changes in data handling are expected in the future. However, there are certain aspects that will remain to be; the role of Database administrators handling remote servers for instance. Even in the wake of cloud storage, they are still needed for consistent monitoring of the rapidly evolving technology. To cope up, they might need to learn a thing or two but the bare fact still stands; these professionals will remain as critical as they have always been in the information technology realm.
Bio
A blogger and experienced remote DBA, Sujain Thomas is the typical technocrat who consumes tones of data every day. If not writing or educating the minds of young people, you will find her researching or trotting the globe. For any queries on Oracle remote DBA services, feel free to contact her.