There are many types of database administrators (DBAs). There are the system DBAs that oversee the technical aspects, such as ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting. There are the database architects that design and construct new databases. There are the database analysts, whose responsibilities have yet to be clearly defined, but can oversee everything from database creation to routine administration. Then, there are data modelers, application DBAs, data warehouse architects, etc. 

But, while the DBA landscape may be diverse, they all share one thing in common – the environments and conditions in which they work have changed drastically over the past two decades. For example, the DBAs of the past used to manage just one common database, a mainframe. Today, while the mainframe may still exist, they must also oversee a much broader spectrum of different databases that includes those on Windows, UNIX, and other platforms. 

Today’s DBAs must also deal with countless “unmanaged” databases, such as those used in development and test environments. They need effective, accurate ways to track these resources, as well as all related activities and modifications. And, as companies deploy more and more business applications, the portfolio of production databases DBAs are responsible for has also expanded rapidly. 

But, perhaps the greatest challenge that has emerged over the past 20 years is that DBAs are now faced with the harrowing task of keeping both data and schemas synchronized across many different databases and database types. And, given the amount of changes made to various database components on a daily basis, this can be a nearly impossible feat.

The key to overcoming these new obstacles? An advanced database change management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™ that applies proven software change management (SCM) principles to the database world.  With TeamWork, DBAs can gain greater control over their entire database environment, enforcing formal change policies, and ensuring consistency, accuracy, and coordination across all systems, using database version control solutions.

In an ideal world, database administrators (DBAs) and database developers would work side-by-side in complete harmony.  The developers would strive to continuously enhance databases to meet evolving or emerging business needs, while the DBAs would monitor their activities, to ensure that everything was going “according to plan”, and that nothing would hinder database performance. 

However, more often than not, these two roles clash.  DBAs want to control everything – from access permissions, to the kind of database changes that can be made.  They feel the need to keep a tight leash on all database activities because, they claim, developers don’t know how to design correctly, and that they fail to take database performance into consideration when writing statements.

On the other hand, developers want free, unhindered access to databases, with the ability to freely change any component or element, including code, table structures, etc.  They complain that DBAs are way too strict, being a bottleneck in development and always become a bottleneck in making the changes, and therefore cause delays in development activities. 

This is not much different than what happens in the software world, where software developers want to rapidly introduce new changes to meet end user needs, while application administrators want to maintain full control over the application environment to ensure code quality and compliance. 

Fortunately, software teams have always had some help coordinating the goals and objectives of these two roles, in the form of software change management (SCM) solutions.  By enabling the implementation of formal, well-enforced change policies, while streamlining and accelerating the execution of modifications, SCM keeps both developers and administrators happy. 

Yet, even though database development is just as important to the successful deployment of business systems, those in the database world lacked similar solutions – until now.   A wave of next-generation database change management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™, is applying key SCM principles and techniques to the database world.  So, database developers can make modifications in a faster, more productive manner, while administrators can maintain better control over the entire database environment. 

With advanced, innovative database change management solutions, database administrators and developers can now be friends – instead of foes.

We find that, in many organizations, there is a massive disconnect between software or application change management software, and database development and management activities. And this lack of coordination, unfortunately, can create many problems.

Those who oversee software change management, for example, often ignore one very important element in their activities – the impact that the modifications they make will have on related back-end systems. Therefore, the database adjustments needed to ensure seamless rollout of their software changes are not made, creating performance issues or conflicts when the solution is tested and/or put into production. 

On the other hand, database administrators are seldom aware of the requirements that those in charge of SCM face. So, alterations made to database schemas, tables, and other elements can unknowingly have a negative impact on compliance, software performance, etc. 

This lack of coordination can also lead to errors and unnecessary re-work, draining the productivity of IT resources. For example, companies who haven’t unified their software change management and database change management activities typically utilize a two-step process when checking in or checking out database objects. This significantly increases the risk of mistakes, and prevents the capture of a thorough audit trail of the change, for compliance purposes. 

With dbMaestro TeamWork^TM, next-generation database change management solution, companies can synchronize their software change management and database change management activities, by making database development an integral part of the SCM process.  Because both database development and source code development are treated equally from a change management perspective, manual or semi-automated processes will be eliminated, while efficiency and accountability will be significantly increased.  

Read more about the benefits of blending database development and software change management in our blog.  Or, visit our Web site to learn how dbMaestro TeamWork can effectively synchronize SCM projects with related database activities.