Re: Supporting Multiple DBMS

On Tue, 18 Aug 1998 09:45:35 -0400, michael brule <michael_brule_at_phl.com> wrote:
>I'm working as a SQL Server DBA at a large insurance company which
>currently supports SQL Server and DB2. UDB will be coming in the near
>future and we still support some legacy DBMS (RDB and IDMS) until they
>are phased out over the next few years. We do this with a staff of 5
>DBAs.
>
>Two applications areas are considering Oracle for the backend of their
>development efforts. My management is resisting the idea, citing the
>complexity of supporting and cross-training multiple DBMSs.
>
>I guess I always assumed that most shops supported multiple DBMSs and
>would like to hear from other DBAs about how many and which platforms
>they support at their companies.

At some previous jobs, I supported several DBMS's as part of a small support team. The key is to have at least one senior and and a backup for each DBMS. Beyond that, cross-polination as people are curious or have to do particular tasks can be sufficient, as long as they feel they can get any information or training needed in a reasonable time. It is possible to have too much brainpower for a given DBMS, if that one isn't used a whole lot and there is no clear indication it will be in the near future - those people could feel like outcastes. It is important to communicate to the legacy people in particular that they aren't going to be obsoleted, and can be bought into the modern world at a speed comfortable to them.

Yes, it is expensive, especially Oracle. However, you have almost enough people to pull it off. You need a champion in management. The technical issues take a back seat to the management issues. And don't forget to deal with the 'religious' issues among the technical staff, if any (ie, they think 'their' database is the 'best' for whatever reason). Suggest that cross-training might help them better understand the db they know.

In the past I would have suggested a front-end to make back-ends sort-of interchangeable, but with the more up-to-date tools available directly from Oracle, I don't say that anymore. Be sure the tools are appropriate for the project, and watch out for enterprise computing sales-speak.

>
>Mike

jg

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