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Tag: database administrator

  • Quest Software Aims to Mend DevOps Fences for DBAs

    Quest Software Aims to Mend DevOps Fences for DBAs

    It’s no secret there’s been a lot of contention between application developers, who are under pressure to build applications faster, and database administrators (DBAs), who are charged with providing those developers with access to data. Historically, developers have been dependent on DBAs to create schemas that would allow them to access data. But it takes time to build schemas, which is why many developers as of late have opted to employ a NoSQL database that don’t require a schema to access data. While that provides developers with some much-needed flexibility, most of the data stored in an enterprise today is still inside a relational database.

    To make it possible for DBAs to respond faster to developer demands, Quest Software has unveiled the Toad for DevOps toolkit, which makes it easier to include relational databases such as Oracle within a larger continuous integration/continuous development (CI/CD) process managed by frameworks such as Jenkins, Bamboo and Maven.

    Greg Davoll, executive director for product management and marketing for Quest database management solutions, notes the DBA traditionally has been the last holdout in embracing DevOps—DBAs didn’t really have access to tools that would enable them to participate in an agile development environment. The Toad for DevOps Toolkit address that issue by enabling them to test PL and SQL code during the application build process and ensure schema, data and database integrity with the context of a DevOps pipeline process, Davoll says, adding DBAs participating in a DevOps process can now also perform static code reviews and promote artifacts into a target environment to see how they perform in a production environment.

    The arrival of Toad for DevOps Toolkit is scheduled to coincide with the release of Toad for Oracle 2017 R2, which will add pass/fail status notifications within the Code Analysis code review process, a redesigned multi-schema compare and sync function, and an enhanced REST API as part of the Benchmark Factory testing tool to help automate performance testing within a CI/CD workflow. Over time, Quest Software will add similar capabilities across the full range of databases it supports, Davoll says. Quest Software just announced a Toad for MySQL offering to complement its existing support for Oracle and Postgres databases.

    Many of the decisions over the years concerning what database to employ have come down to which platform incurs the least amount of friction for developers to deploy. That hasn’t always resulted in the right database decision being made. In fact, it’s usually not too long before a developer wants to offload the management of the database back to the IT organization. Invariably, that results in DBAs having to manage multiple database platforms. While there may be a perfectly rational reason to employ something other than a relational database, that decision should be based on the attributes of the database rather than internal IT politics and purchasing processes. The challenge facing DBAs now is how to re-engage developers who have developed a bias against specific classes of databases, no matter how much critical data they may hold.

    — Mike Vizard

  • Quest Software Extends DevOps Reach to MySQL Databases

    Quest Software Extends DevOps Reach to MySQL Databases

    Thanks mainly to the rise of DevOps, the number of open-source database deployments in the enterprise has risen sharply in the last two years. The driving force behind those deployments has been developers that have shown a marked preference for downloading an open-source database instead of requesting access to a commercial database from a database administrator (DBA) working in an IT department. As more of those applications get deployed, however, either the developer or a DBA still needs to find a way to manage those open-source databases.

    To address that issue, Quest Software is now making available its Toad Edge tools for managing databases available for IT organizations that have deployed MySQL databases. Greg Davoll, executive director of product management and marketing, says Quest Software already supports open-source Postgres databases and will be adding support for other open-source databases.

    In a lot of instances Davoll says the same DBA that is being tasked with managing IBM DB2 or Oracle databases is being tasked to manage MySQL databases. Most of them are already familiar with Toad database tools that are already widely used by internal IT organizations. Davoll says Quest Software is well aware there are a variety of open-source tools available for managing open-source databases. But Davoli says most of those offerings are not nearly as rich in terms of features as Toad database management tools that have been continually enhanced now for the better part of a decade.

    For example, Toad Edge can be used to identify and manage schema differences and initiate changes in real time. Toad Edge can also be used to explore and edit JSON data as well as keeping all the scripts being employed to manage databases up to date.

    Davoll notes that Toad Edge has also been integrated with Jenkins Continuous Integration server to allow databases to better facilitate continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes.

    Most DBAs have come to terms with the fact they are being required to support multiple databases. They don’t always appreciate the extra work that involves. But as the number of applications deployed across the enterprise dramatically increases, the cost of employing commercial databases to support them all would be prohibitively expensive. Developers often download an open-source database on their own because they don’t want to spend time participating in an extended procurement process involving salespeople and purchasing managers.

    Developers don’t always appreciate what’s required to keep the databases their applications up and running. Many of them initially believed they would be able to eliminate the need for a DBA altogether. But developers soon discover how much time is required to do routine database maintenance. DBAs may not always get the respect they deserve. But as most developers have come to appreciate, it’s difficult to have a truly integrated DevOps process that doesn’t include at the very least someone willing to manage those tasks.

    — Mike Vizard

  • 5 Ways to Keep DBAs Happy, Alive and Efficient

    5 Ways to Keep DBAs Happy, Alive and Efficient

    As DevOps adoption continues to grow, organizations are competing to find the best and brightest application developers available. Meanwhile, database administrators (DBAs) are hard at work in the background to keep up with the burgeoning number of databases platforms developers deploy.

    DBAs have it rough. If developers are the James Bonds of the IT world, then DBAs are the Qs who quietly toil away to create the next big toy that Bond will destroy.

    The average DBA in a large enterprise can be tasked to manage 40 or more databases spread across various development stages. These disparate and sometimes rogue databases compete for the same compute and storage resources. Nearly all come with their own reporting and management tools. And when they break or fail, any number or combination of factors can be blamed.

    Database growth is especially difficult to control when companies such Amazon Web Services make it easy for any developer to create one. The AWS site, for example, provides just five easy steps to create a MongoDB database. Compare that to the time and work that goes into hiring, training and retaining more DBAs.

    Overloaded DBAs can overlook issues that lead to data loss or missed insights that affect revenue and productivity. If you can’t establish policies that control database growth, then think about ways to help your DBAs keep up and stay ahead of the game. Here are five possible tips:

    Focus and eliminate distractions

    DBAs can sometimes be lumped into general, overarching IT roles including help desk, backup and recovery or system upgrades. You probably wouldn’t want your developer to multitask, so why ask the DBA on the back end to do that? Give DBAs the opportunity to move beyond the firefighting role to focus more on proactively improving application performance. In the long run, this approach will eliminate fires before they occur.

    Give DBAs time to train on new databases

    By eliminating outside distractions, DBAs have more time to spread their knowledge across traditional databases including MySQL, Oracle or Microsoft SQL, and develop their expertise on more modern open-source databases such as Couchbase, Cassandra or PostgreSQL.

    Centralize monitoring tools

    The management tools that come with most databases provide a limited view of their broader environment. Centralized tools can provide visibility across the entire application stack. They show how databases interact with shared resources and unveil interdependent factors that lead to failures and performance issues. A centralized tool allows DBAs that “Monday morning coffee” view of all databases on one screen to determine which one needs the greatest or more immediate attention.

    Deputize your DBAs to enforce database policies

    Give your DBAs the power to evaluate and regulate new databases. This role is difficult to maintain if you confine DBAs to a traditional operations team. If databases can cross boundaries, so should your DBA. They should be empowered to seek out and evaluate databases that might be redundant, resource-intensive or unused. This means giving them the ability to say no to new databases unless they have a clear and compelling argument to be created. DBAs also deserve the authority to create a common set of goals, metrics and SLAs that must be met by all databases.

    Hire and treat your DBAs like rock stars

    It is becoming increasing more challenging to find and hire talented DBAs—especially the ones who can multitask across multiple database platforms. According to a survey in 2015, “The Vanishing Database Administrator,” more than 41 percent of database professionals surveyed said they intended to leave the data management field within the next 10 years. Possibly because of the impending shortage, the DBA profession is now seen as one of the hottest IT careers over the next several years. CNN Money ranks it as No. 9 in its 2017 Best Jobs in America. Employers should give particular consideration to these candidates and do everything they can to retain them.

    If you want your data to continue playing a central role in your business, give your DBAs as much recognition and credit as your developers. Behind every  developer, there’s a DBA keeping applications and data running at top speed. Remember Bond could never be successful with his Q.

    About the Author / Cameron Jones

    Cameron Jones is the Principal Product Manager at Blue Medora. Based in Grand Rapids, MI, he has been with Blue Medora for over 5 years working with partners and customers to ensure the highest value of Blue Medora products. This has involved initial investigation, feature planning and ensuring customer satisfaction. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.