Comments on: The Future of the DBA

By: Jay

Jay — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 17:15:31 +0000

I am reading this post after 3 years.. it’s so true. I made the transition into a devops role more focused on Linux and python , think am satisfied:)
I also noticed that the market for a dba was shrinking 4-5 years ago.

By: Some Guy

Some Guy — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 23:00:46 +0000

This is a great line: “When you start to see a reluctance in your current company investing in you…, consider that the time to bail.” Good. True. Stuff.

By: ThomasLaRock

ThomasLaRock — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 19:02:00 +0000

In reply to Jinet Jose.

Here’s one: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/improved-automated-tuning-sql-database-advisor/

Companies like Microsoft can churn workloads through ML and use it to gauge performance for queries, servers, and applications. They can use ML to automatically tune the environment without having to wait for bottlenecks to happen. ML will allow for a more predictive method of tuning, as opposed to our current reactive methods.

By: Jinet Jose

Jinet Jose — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 10:59:00 +0000

@T@ThomasLaRock:disqus What do you think are the areas where Machine Learning can be applied in Database Administration tasks ?

By: Michael Forrest

Michael Forrest — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 03:57:00 +0000

In reply to AZJim. LIke

By: ThomasLaRock

ThomasLaRock — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 21:54:00 +0000

In reply to AZJim. Thanks for the comment! You've added a lot of thoughts to the discussion. Much appreciated!

By: AZJim

AZJim — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 15:17:00 +0000

As a DBA for over 30 years (mainframe, then Unix, then SQL Server), I can tell you there never was a “pure” DBA role. My earliest experiences were to increase availability as mainframe servers could crash suddenly — and perform database restores afterwards. As server availability increased, performance tuning was the watchword. Performance tuning initially involved disk placement analysis, but that role was later assumed by storage management. When relational databases arrived, a new world of performance tuning came on the scene, along with an explosion of database design and architecture. Then came data warehouse and BI. Now we have Cloud, Big Data and AI/machine learning. What I am trying to say is the role/function of database administration will constantly evolve and grow. I don’t think any enterprise will ever have a single sourced Cloud provider. With the requirement to integrate data across applications, an on-prem DBA might simply evolve to an integrations specialist. With the growth in artificial intelligence predictive/prescriptive analytics, the hosted site DBA might evolve into a data scientist. My advice to anyone in the IT field is the same now as it was 30 years ago: know the technology in what you are working on, keep track of the “big picture” where it is heading, and decide when to make your periodic career adjustment. Your current company didn’t hire you out of the goodness of their heart. When you start to see a reluctance in your current company investing in you (assuming you are adding value to the company’s bottom line), consider that the time to bail. You will soon get pigeon-holed.