December 08, 2006 | Comments: (0)
I Guess It's True Then
The other day I wrote how MS doesn't care about DBAs. I really thought I was just being my usual negative self, but as it turns out, I'm not the only one. I've received so much email from DBAs saying the same thing, and that they're disgusted by MS's lack of thought they put into DBA tools. Some have even gone so far as to say MS is trying to do away with DBAs completely and make everyone a developer. That would certainly seem to be the case with all the advancements they're making to developer tools, and hardly anything for DBAs. I keep thinking that surely MS can't be so blind as to think that a developer could do a DBA's job. Then it hits me... they've been big on ease of use, and they're certainly easier than a lot of the other DBs, so maybe their ultimate goal is to engineer us out of a job. Is the goal to make SQL so easy to use that you just don't need DBAs? It's possible I suppose, but if that is their true goal, it's a naive proposition. Developers simply don't know the things DBAs do, and who will fix all of their bad code if they're the ones watching the system, or if the system is watching itself. True, SQL Server may be so easy even a caveman can use it, but that doesn't mean problems don't arise. And when they do, who are you going to turn to... the Windows guy??? The developer who thinks SQL can only be written in cursors??? HAH!
From everything I'm seeing though, it certainly seems like they're trying to do away with DBAs. Our tools are becoming less and less rich, while plenty of effort is being put into developers. But I'm telling you right here and now... the day you get rid of DBAs is the day you get rid of your database. There just has to be somebody who knows how systems work, and how to make all of the DB code play together all nice-like.
Like I said... I thought it was just me, but the feedback I've gotten is overwhelming in favor of MS just not doing much for DBAs. And I realize that we're like the illegal aliens of IT, but you'd better start taking care of us, or you'll find out the hard way exactly what it is we do.
Posted by Sean McCown on December 8, 2006 12:34 PM
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It seems to me there is a huge opportunity for a third-party to supply a SQL server 2005 client toolset with the DBA in mind.
I reckon somebody will already be working on this.
Of course it's this way! Do DBAs have a hand in the tools being developed by MS? Nope. So the emphasis is on tools to help make MS programmers more "productive". Most developers hate to write SQL. Most developers want as little to do with the database as possible, except they want really bitchin' and flexible access to the data in a way that they don't have to deal with DBAs.
But MS is no different than any other RDBMS developer-vs-DBA. TOAD is decent as a tool because it was originally developed by an Oracle DBA, and the Oracle tools sucked even worse than SQL Enterprise Mgr does for MSSS.
Of course, SQL Server doesn't supply nearly the information that Oracle does about itself (MS SQL Server is the Swiss Army camper knife compared to the Champ that is Oracle. MySQL is the pocket version, without the tweezers or toothpick. I'm only referring to the number of "tools" available, not the utility or usefulness of any particular tool for any particular task...).
Posted by: corey lawson at December 11, 2006 02:26 AMAll is not lost ...
There is always Sybase, Oracle and UDB ...
In the end all of the 'displaced' SQL Server DBAs will help to nail the coffin lid on MS using the other vendor's DBMS systems.
Mind you - I like SQL Server but love economic survival even more !!!
Posted by: rudyx at December 11, 2006 01:33 PMI remember back in the 7.0 days that the Microsoft party line was that MS wanted to make life easier for the DBA's so that they could work with developers and help them do a better job. Apparently MS thinks that we have it easy enough.
You're right though. MS has steered the SQL client tools toward the developer and away from the DBA. They need to take a look at providing a light-weight query editor that responds faster than that dog of a tool "Management Studio".
Posted by: Bryant at December 12, 2006 10:54 AMUmmmm, thanks for the help, but I like it fine just the way it is - SQL is a simple, clean, effective language/set of tools. The power is in the rich concepts and structures that can be built. I dread the thought of SQL becoming some fat, inefficent set of tools that can do everything to some degree but do nothing really well.
There are much better DBA tools out there for you SQL guys at a very affordable price for what you get. TOAD for SQL Server is probably the best that I've seen. Our company partners with Quest Software and we get to use the tools and I can honestly say that TOAD will make you look like a 'god' and can certainly make your manager's realize that your job is important. Or maybe not, considering TOAD makes your databases run so smooth that they will probably forget that you even do anything becuase there will rarely be an issue that gets uncovered before your fix it.
Posted by: DJ at December 13, 2006 11:53 AMSean:
Please remember... "SQL" is a language... "SQL Server" is a database.
I own a database consultancy, and I can't tell you how many people contact me about SQL Server projects because I have the term SQL in my literature.
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