SolarWinds makes DBA xPress free to support DataOps

SolarWinds announced Tuesday that its DBA xPress product is now available as a free tool. DBA xPress automates data and schema comparisons and data dependencies, as part of the database re-architecture process required for cloud migrations. 

Rohini Kasturi, chief product officer at SolarWinds, said in a press release that the tool should help companies and especially database managers reduce the time and expense of cloud migration projects. 

“To succeed in migrating from one environment to another, teams need to optimize their data to maximize the performance of cloud-hosted databases and adopt solutions that enable DataOps practices to drive efficiency and productivity,” he said. “We’re hoping to kickstart and simplify this optimization process for DBAs, DevOps teams, tech pros, and business leaders alike by offering DBA xPress for free.”

SEE: Seagate, IDC: DataOps is the key to success with analytics but requires business owner buy-in (TechRepublic)

The company said the decision to make the tool free was influenced by its recent Query Report 2021: Database Priorities and Pitfalls that identified implementation challenges as the biggest hurdle to implementing a DataOps approach. According to the company, survey respondents listed a lack of proper training/education/tooling (44%) and a lack of budget (44%) as the top challenges to implementing DataOps, followed closely by difficulty securing buy-in from business leadership (33%).

The tool has multiple components, including a data inspector, a data source analyzer, data surf, an object browser, a schema inspector, a schema inspector snapshot tool and a schema surf. These capabilities can:

• Compare databases and synchronize the schema and data within them.
• Automate schema and data synchronization via command line interface (CLI).
• Analyze dependencies and connections among tables, users, functions, and security policies.
• Browse the content of SQL Server databases, access the scripts for each object, and export them.

A recent survey found that regulated industries are leading the way with the transition to a DataOps approach. The new report, “DataOps Dilemma: Survey Reveals Gap in the Data Supply Chain” looks at gaps, points of friction and mismatches in resources. S&P Global Market Intelligence and Immuta asked 525 data experts about how well DataOps is going. The survey found that companies in regulated industries are leading the way with fewer challenges with data access and use. These companies that are subject to data privacy and protection regulations such as GDPR are also more likely to have a dedicated data engineering team and to provide self-service analytics.

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