DBA Trends Survey – Part 2 of 3 – DBA’s

Everybody loves to fill out surveys. Right?  Ugh I just never found the time to fill em out. But then again I had to send em back using snail mail. You remember snail mail? Right?

But some interesting stats from this research project By Dr. Elliot King

Reference: DBAs FACE NEW CHALLENGES: TREND IN DATABASE ADMINISTRATION

Number of DBAs in the organization
1 to 10 DBA’s – 46%
11 to 14 DBA’s – 29%
25+ DBAs – 25%

Approximately how many database instances does each DBA manage?
1 – 25 -54%
26 – 100 -31%
101 + -11%

Where do DBAs who are administering on-premises database typically devote the most time? (Multiple responses allowed.)
Maintenance -70%
Performance -63%

Over the next three years, what do you think will be the top challenges facing DBAs?
Incorporating cloud technologies -51%
Automating more tasks associated with database management -41%
Incorporating non-relational data management technologies -31%

Which technology trends do you think will have the most impact on database administration over the next three years?
Cloud 74%
Big Data 49%
Automation 36%

Over the next three years, what do you think will be the top administrative challenges facing DBAs? (Multiple responses allowed.)
The need to manage more databases per DBA 51%
The need to manage new, nonrelational technologies 40%
Shrinking IT budgets 32%

I was a bit surprised that 54% of users responding to the survey have 11+ DBAs on staff. I NEVER worked with more than 7 DBAs at any company. In fact 3 or less DBAs was the normal for me.