Driver’s Education for the Self-Driving Database

Just as autonomous cars are changing the role of drivers, the Oracle Autonomous Database is changing the role of database administrators (DBAs) for our Oracle Partners and their customers–empowering them to spend more time improving business processes and application development, for which new skill sets must be developed.

When driving a car, you know that your focus must be on the road always. After all, you never know what is just around the next corner–it could be a large pothole, a jack-knifed truck, perhaps a stray dog or a pedestrian stepping out to cross the road. However, to ensure a safe and trouble-free journey, you must also pay attention to numerous other aspects of your car–for example, monitoring your speed to ensure you are always within the safety limits, checking your engine’s temperature to prevent overheating, and, occasionally, dealing with the screaming kids in the back seat.

Like the traditional car driver, traditional database administrators must juggle a variety of responsibilities. Broadly speaking, these can be split into two categories:

1.     Generic database and infrastructure tasks such as provisioning new database systems, upgrading or patching existing databases, and performing backups.

2.     Strategic tasks which are more application-focused and business-oriented, such as optimizing data access, helping development teams to execute projects faster, improving the end user experience, and finding ways to get more value from the organization’s data.

Frequently, DBAs are so tied up with the first generic set of technical tasks that they cannot find the necessary dedicated time to address their more business-driven duties. This is where Oracle Autonomous Database provides unprecedented value–by combining the flexibility of the cloud and the power of machine learning to deliver a comprehensive data management platform.

Just as driverless cars free you up to focus on the more personal, less robotic tasks of the journey, Oracle Autonomous Database releases you from the mundane, generic database chores–opening up a new world of database possibilities. In essence, you simply define the service level that you need, and Oracle Autonomous Database makes it happen. It’s just like typing an address into your car’s nav system and sitting back, knowing that you will arrive safely and on time at your chosen destination.

With the emergence of autonomous databases, the traditional DBA role at Oracle Partners and their customers will transform to focus on more strategic aspects of the IT landscape, such as data modeling, security, application tuning and data lifecycle management. DBAs will also cooperate more closely with both development teams and business lines, helping them to maximize use of database technologies to accelerate business-critical applications.

Future DBAs will therefore need to become experts in fields where they may currently be only scratching the surface. Business leaders and development teams will be looking to DBAs to advise on which database service the organization needs–both now and in the future–and to architect a full solution. DBAs will need to be intimately familiar with the full scope of modern database features and functionality.

Becoming a database guru means Oracle Partners must keep the skills of their DBAs sharp because the rise of automation means more time to strategize on how to evolve the business. To support them throughout their journey to excellence, Oracle University has developed specific training to enable their rise to meet the challenges of tomorrow. These include Oracle Database New Features courses and the Oracle Database Upgrade Learning Subscription.

Oracle Database New Features Courses

For each significant release of the Oracle Database, Oracle University creates a New Features course. These are generally available in three formats designed to suit your particular learning preference and circumstances: classroom training, live virtual class training and Training On Demand.

Check out our New Features courses for Oracle Database 12c R2:

Oracle Database Upgrade Learning Subscription

As the Oracle Database moves to a continuous release paradigm, right now is an ideal time for Oracle partners to subscribe to the Oracle Database Upgrade Learning Subscription. The learning subscription format helps partners stay current on new features as soon as they are released and maintains their certification credential. This is a must-have solution for both new and experienced Oracle DBAs.

Whichever learning method you choose, you can be sure that your future database skills will be highly sought after–and rewarded–as we continue our journey to autonomous systems.

Never stop learning. Constantly retool for new technologies, and stay current with the newest database releases to differentiate yourself from other candidates seeking DBA jobs. Learn more about the future of DBA role: View the infographic.

For information and assistance regarding Oracle University training and certification, simply contact your local Oracle University Service Desk. And remember: Your Oracle PartnerNetwork discount is applied to standard list prices shown on Oracle University web pages.

We’ll discuss further the benefits of Oracle’s Autonomous Database next month during the Oracle FY19 Global Partner Kickoff June 26 & 27; stay tuned for a formal email. We look forward taking our partnership to new levels as we head into a fresh fiscal year!

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.