An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Recruit and Keep Your Database Administrators Happy

As of late, we can see that DevOps' implementation is on a continuous hype, and the organizations are battling to secure a highly efficient and competent application on the technology market. One category of specialists we tend to forget is the database administrators (DBAs) who work so hard behind the scenes to battle the technical issues related to escalating numbers of DBMS platforms that the developers deploy.

DBAs have it the toughest way. If you consider developers as James Bonds in the technology worlds, DBAs are the Qs who work quietly in the background to create Bond's big toys, which he inevitably destroys in the future. An ideal DBA in an enterprise technology framework may surely be saddled with the management of about fifty or more than that database, situated along with many development stages. 

All these distinct and often rogue databases tend to battle for the same storage and computing resources. The majority of the database admins come equipped with their management and reporting tools, and if these fail or crash, then there may be a larger array of responsible factors. In the current situation, databases' growth is difficult to tackle even for companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS). It will make it possible for the developers who try to create one. 

In light of this scenario, the over-burdened DBAs may often fail to notice the actual problems, which may ultimately lead to data loss or missed insights, affecting the efficiency and business output. So, if you fail to implement policies that will further help regulate the database growth, it is high time to look for ways to help the DBAs stay informed, up-to-date, and happy. Here are some ways.

1. Increase the focus and ward off any unwanted disturbances

DBAs may sometimes be taxed with broader and overarching IT roles like backup, recovery, system upgrades, and even help desk. You may not probably keep them over-stretched as you will not do to your developers. So, always given a chance for the DBAs to move beyond the basic fire-fighting role to focus more intricately on improving the application's performance. While looking at the bigger picture, this approach will help prevent any emergency firefighting on the go. 

Modern-day databases serve both storage and analytical purposes. The database administrators need to go beyond just being the safe keepers to be more innovative and functional. So, the technology decisions makers should always bring in the policies by giving more room to the DBAs and the others down the line. Providers like RemoteDBA.com understand these facts and always try to keep the industry best database administrators in their panel of remote DBAs.

2. Ensure your DBAs get continuous database training

The database is a continuously evolving workspace, and the DBA's need to keep themselves be updated about all these evolving technologies and strategies. While taking care of the wants and needs of the database admins, you may also try to eradicate any external distractions to the DBAs and give them more time and opportunities to extend their knowledge across various traditional databases like MySQL, Oracle, or MS SQL to the most advanced databases like NewSQL DBs. Encourage them to explore the open-source databases too like Cassandra, Couchbase, and PostgreSQL, etc.

3. Centralize database monitoring tools

Management tools that come out of the box with most modern-day databases may offer a very restricted view in the wider environment. On the other hand, centralized tools can offer better visibility across the complete stack of application tools, making it easier for the DBAs to be aware of the same and make use of it when needed.

A centralized toolbox will show how the given databases co-operate with the other community resources and may also help reveal interdependent features which may lead to performance compromises and that disaster. A centralized tool will also let an expert DBA run an instant assessment of all available databases from a single panel and decide which will require the most immediate attention.

4. Empower DBAs and work with them to implement strong database procedures

You may give the authority to your DBAs for assessing and controlling the databases they handle. This will be challenging if you restrict the DBAs to the customary database operations. If the databases of our times cross all these customary boundaries, then the DBAs should also be. They must be entrusted to assess the databases, which may be unproductive, unnecessary, or impractical.

What we discuss here is about offering the DBAs more capacity and room to say no to the unwanted databases unless they have an undeniable argument as to why one such DB has to be created. The DBAs should also be provided with the opportunity and capability to build a set of metrics, objectives, and Service Level Agreements that must be met by the databases.

5. Consider your DBAs as superstars

As of late, it is now becoming more challenging to recruit and deploy talented DBAs, particularly those who can handle and upkeep a multitude of DBMS platforms. There is a potential shortage of skilled DBA professionals in the job market, so overtime is considered one of the hottest and most demanding IT careers. In a survey conducted last year, CNN Money ranked DBA as the No. 9 Best Jobs in the United States. Employers also need to give keen attention to database administrator candidates and do everything to maintain and keep them satisfied.

So, if you want your data and databases to sustain an important and decisive role in your business success, give your DBAs also as much acknowledgment and credit as the developers and other front-line IT professionals. Remember that behind each successful developer, there is the effort of an unrelenting and skillful DBA, which helps to keep the applications and data always up and running at top speed.

Selecting a good database is vital; it is one of the best ways to ensure that the administrators do their job well. Invest time and money for the best.