THIS WEEK: Help for database newbies

[searchDatabase]

Title: TechTarget

April 22, 2002 >> Receive this email as text  >> About this e-mail   In this Issue >> From the editor: Your opinions about DBMS hosting >> Featured Topic: Help for database newbies >> Expert Technical Advice: New expert advice, forum posts, and tech tips >> Site Highlights: * Audio Archive: The Avery Dennison Story - Creating a Bulletproof Disaster Recovery Plan * Upcoming Live Expert Q&A - Programming SQL Server 2000 with Visual Basic .NET * Vendor Connection - DataDirect XML and JDBC: There HAS to be a better way to make them interoperable  From the Editor: by Tim DiChiara, Site Editor Last week, I asked for your opinions about the emerging model of hosted databases and applications, in light of Oracle's recent decision to offer both its DBMS and apps suite as an online service. Discussion quickly heated up in our "DBA Water Cooler" forum. The consensus was that this strategy might work for small companies using off-the-shelf apps, but for larger enterprises, forget it! Here's a selection of your two cents: * Chuck Kelley: "I think the problem with ASPs is simple: Would you put your corporate data into the hands of others? If I were a major company, the answer would be NO WAY. Would you want your financial data (or any other kind of sensitive data) out in the public? I would think not. Other issues: How many times has your network been down due to upgrades or power failures? Will this eventually happen? I would be surprised; however, dumber things have occurred in this world!" * Phil: "I could see where outsourcing might be an option for companies who currently have no in-house DBAs. For most shops, I do not see this as an option. The big reason: you lose control. Maybe you will save money...but I have found you get what you pay for." * Mannon: "Oracle has been pushing this model with little response and doesn't seem to be listening to customer demand. We demand responsive, flexible databases and tools and will change to Microsoft or IBM if we have to to get them." * AnotherDBA: "Larry is just trying another means of making money! A DBA is more than just a 'maintenance' person. If the app is plain vanilla or off-the-shelf, any ASP-DBA can support it, but the value of the in-house DBA is that they know the app and business better than the vendor..." * Brian Pealand: "In the installations I've worked at, we just can't get any outsourcing vendor to understand our unique needs and requirements. So we have custom staff on hand to design, implement, and deploy our custom apps." * Joe: "We've been implementing an ERP package that was chosen because it "fit our needs" and would save money in staffing and software costs. This did not happen! All organizations do not fit the same mold. If they did, there would be no market advantage of one company over another--we'd all offer the same functionality. The same is true of outsourcing a DBA. Our company changes dynamically, responding to customer needs and trends. Outsourcing would bleed us dry in additional costs." * JM: "Picture this: a warehouse full of DBAs, each assigned the reponsibility of managing several companies' data. Talk about a hard day at the office!" * Mark Batemen was the lone voice in support: "Outsourcing your DBA support can be an excellent idea. For one it can prove significantly cheaper than hiring your own DBAs. Secondly, the level of service can far exceed that which is possible in-house." I also spoke with Rich Niemiec, President of the International Oracle Users Group, at their annual show in San Diego, California last week. He basically agreed with what the majority of SearchDatabase members. The hosted DBMS model might be an excellent choice for small businesses, but it'll never fly with large enterprises who demand high levels of customization, security, and privacy. That begs the question, of course: Do small businesses then really need an industrial-strength DBMS like Oracle? Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Cheers, Tim  Featured Topic: Help for database newbies by Tim DiChiara, Site Editor To the newbie, the modern DBMS is impossibly complex. They're right, of course! SearchDatabase offers a wealth of resources for those just starting out: tutorials, tech tips, webcasts, news analyses, and much more. Details inside... Read more about this topic  Expert Technical Advice: Featured Expert Douglas Barry, Author and Founder, Barry & Associates, Inc. Category:Object-oriented databases In his consulting practice, Doug works with a broad array of clients who are applying OO technologies to their projects. He is also currently serving as the Executive Director of the Object Data Management Group (ODMG) and is the author of numerous books, including "The Object Database Handbook." Ask Doug your tough OODBMS questions! "View Answers" This Week: In the forums >> What type of connection to SQL Server? Member "GC" is developing a web forum with a SQL Server back-end. He's wondering what type of connection to use: OLEDB String or DNS-LESS? Go to our "Database-web connectivity" forum if you can lend GC a hand. >> Oracle capacity planning Member "Dionne" is looking for a good capacity planning document for an Oracle database running on Unix. Go to our "Database-to-Web connectivity" forum if you can lend Dionne a hand. Tip of the Week: This extensive script by Baya Pavliashvili compares tables, indexes and constraints on two servers and generates a comprehensive report of differences. >> Migrating SQL Server databases from development to production  Site Highlights Audio Archive: Disaster Recovery The Avery Dennison Story - Creating a Bulletproof Disaster Recovery Plan Get five disaster recovery tips from this F500 company's lead DBA in our recent Vendor Connection with Quest Software. Upcoming Live Expert Q&A Programming SQL Server 2000 with Visual Basic .NET Join Rick Dobson, Ph.D. and CTO at CAB Inc., in this discussion of combining VB.NET & SQL Server to create slick database solutions & XML web services. Vendor Connection: DataDirect XML and JDBC: There HAS to be a better way to make them interoperable Pre-register today for Wednesday's live event. Data connectivity expert John Goodson will introduce Connect JDBC and jXTransformer, a software connectivity component that dynamically transforms relational data to XML in JDBC applications - across multiple databases. Find out how it works and get your questions answered in this real-time event. DB2 Tips If you run DB2, subscribe today for our new DB2 Tips newsletter. Update your member profile and click on Edit Email Subscriptions to start your free subscription. Tips and Tricks Training Special During the month of April, you can order the training CDROM "SQL Queries" at 25% off the regular price. Check it out! All Things SQL FREE Networking Conf SearchNetworking will be hosting a Networking Decisions conference Oct. 16-18, 2002. Apply now to qualify for free to this unique, exclusive event! Apply Now! A B O U T   T H I S   E M A I L This e-mail is brought to you by TechTarget where you can get relevant search results from over 19 industry-specific Web sites. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter simply reply to this message with "REMOVE" in the subject line. Please allow 24 hours for your "REMOVE" request to be processed. Copyright 2002 TechTarget, Inc. All rights reserved.