THE RISE OF THE SQL SERVER
BY ROB GARDOS, CEO
While Microsoft may be taking its lumps on dominating the Web, its time-tested client software model continues to succeed. The most glowing example of this success is MSFT SQL Server. Once considered too buggy and lightweight, SQL Server is now establishing itself as a leader in the open systems database market. SQL Server’s growth rate is nearly double that of its nearest competitor (Oracle) and like any good virus software, it has relied on the ease of proliferation to drive its success. Once again, scale and stability concerns are trumped by ease of deployment. And now Microsoft will do what it does best – spend years improving mediocre software which eventually will result in a high-quality product that dominates the market. The only challenge is that the easy-to-use software we know and love has now been replaced with something highly complex. Let’s hope the SQL DBAs can keep up.
MSFT SQL Server’s market share grew by 28% in 2006. When you compare this with Oracle’s growth rate (14.9%)* it becomes clear why Oracle is doing everything it can to diversify. Another interesting statistic is that nearly three quarters of all companies use SQL Server (as opposed to about half with Oracle). So what are the ramifications for SQL Server dominating the database landscape?
Clearly companies must improve internal controls as SQL Server standardization (my favorite oxymoron) is extremely challenging. The ease of deployment (Can you say, “Next, next, next, and pray?”) makes ensuring consistent configuration parameters, audit policies, backup procedures, etc. nearly impossible. The impending introduction of SQL 2008 will also cause additional inconsistencies and almost certainly result in more chaos. Be scared if you are one of the many facing mass upgrades of SQL 2000 to SQL 2008: it’s not going to be pretty.
When you do make the upgrade to SQL 2008, you’ll notice more functionality. Windows administrators are quickly overmatched by the application ensuring a constant search for competent DBAs. Complex architectures (Windows clusters) exponentially increase deployment and administration complexity well beyond the capabilities of most DBAs. And don’t forget that legacy systems never die, so it’s not like you can repurpose your quality people.
SQL Server deployments are in desperate need for consistency and simplicity. Unfortunately the suite of Microsoft management tools does not effectively provide this. Specialized database automation products, like GridApp Clarity™ have been built from the bottom up to ensure that standards are easily defined and enforced across your SQL Server enterprise. Clarity also eliminates the unwieldiness of complex architectures like SQL Windows Clusters. Before you so quickly state this has been handled within your organization, I urge you to think about the countless hours and revenue lost because of issues managing your SQL Server database environments. Sure, after a while of beating your head against the wall, you can get it to work, but is that the best use of your time?
One thing is certain, SQL Server is going to continue to grow and be your problem. Why not be prepared for it?
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