2025 State of Database Report

Nearly half of executives believe their teams have a unified monitoring environment, but only 40% of DBAs agree. This report explores what this disconnect means for your business, revealing risks to performance, reliability, and talent retention.

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Stop Firefighting, Start Innovating

Overwhelmed by disruptions? Our report shows how to get started with proactive database performance management, empowering your team to shift from reactive tasks to strategic architecture.

Automate and optimize with AI/ML

DBAs in unified environments see greater returns on AI adoption. 62% of those using AI say it helped them diagnose performance issues faster, and 60% report more reliable routine task execution. Learn more about how AI assists with diagnostics and automation to free up time for your team.

Secure by Design

DBAs are 12% more likely than IT executives to cite security and compliance as a challenge to adopting new tools. Learn why DBAs, as the 'early warning system' for the organization, are the first to spot these risks. This principle is at the core of our Secure by Design framework, guiding how we approach security and cyber resiliency.

The State of Database: Key Questions Answered

How does database administrator burnout affect IT teams?
What are the key database trends of 2025?
Will AI replace database administrators?
How is AI transforming the DBA role?
What are the key skills a DBA needs for the future?
How can unified monitoring improve a DBA's productivity?
What is alert fatigue, and how does AI help?

DBAs are considering leaving their jobs due to burnout and pressure. This is often caused by 'firefighting'—spending an average of 27 hours per week on reactive work. This fatigue slows incident response and increases the chance of human error.

DBAs are considering leaving their jobs due to burnout and pressure. This is often caused by 'firefighting'—spending an average of 27 hours per week on reactive work. This fatigue slows incident response and increases the chance of human error.
The DBA role is shifting from reactive troubleshooting to strategic leadership of data assets. This requires new skills in AI, cloud-native databases, and security. The report shows that while relational databases are still dominant, DBAs are now managing a wider, more complex mix of technologies, including NoSQL and vector databases.
No, AI is a catalyst for career growth, not a threat. When implemented in a unified environment, AI tools can automate repetitive tasks, freeing up DBAs to focus on more strategic work. This shift to high-value work is a key part of advancing a DBA's career. For teams with mature systems, AI helps DBAs make their roles more strategic and valuable.
AI is transforming the DBA role by automating manual and repetitive tasks, which frees up DBAs to focus on more strategic work like architecture and performance optimization. The report found that DBAs in unified environments who use AI-powered tools are seeing tangible benefits, including faster diagnosis of performance issues.
The key skills for a modern DBA go beyond traditional database management. The top emerging skills include AI and machine learning integration, database security and compliance, cloud-native databases, and automation. The report shows that DBAs who receive regular training are more likely to be leading these initiatives.
A unified monitoring environment gives DBAs full visibility into performance across their entire tech stack. This reduces time spent stitching together alerts from siloed systems, speeds up incident response, and provides the foundational support for higher adoption of AI and automation tools.

Get the 2025 DB Report

The growing gap between what DBAs are responsible for and what they're equipped to manage creates significant risk. Download the report to get a clear, actionable plan.

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