Is the Oracle-DBA Relationship Breaking Down?
The world of the Database Administrator (DBA) has changed since the technology went mainstream in the 1970s, writes Bruce Momjian, co-founder of the PostgreSQL Global Development Group. Over the last 40 years three or four vendors have sought to dominate the market and have invested heavily in building the “Rolls Royce” of databases for mission-critical on premises applications. When the Oracle database marked its 30th birthday in 2007, it felt almost like a cult gathering as everyone in the Moscone Center gave Larry Ellison a standing ovation as he arrived for his keynote.
It was an understandable reaction, because the DBAs in the audience had also invested heavily in becoming Oracle specialists. That 30th Birthday celebration was symbolic of the unspoken contract between DBAs and Oracle at that time. Both were heavily dependent on one another. Fast forward to today, though, and the relationship is changing. More and more DBAs are questioning their on-going reliance on Oracle. When I meet Oracle customers, I ask them one deliberately provocative question: assuming that you are happy with Oracle today, will you still be happy in five years time?