SQL is simply the backbone of modern business. As data becomes more and more valuable, so does storing that data — and so, SQL know-how becomes more of a necessity with each approaching year. Without it, businesses would struggle with decision-making, assessing risk, keeping records, and many more everyday processes.

But, SQL is also quite challenging at times. After all, databases are far more complex than a simple spreadsheet, and they require lots of knowledge and understanding to use and manage to their full potential.

That’s why in this article, we’re going to go over the four main challenges that you might come across managing SQL databases in-house. With these, you’ll be able to prepare for these issues and make sure that you don’t struggle with SQL in the long term.

Challenge 1: Complexity of Database Maintenance

Maintaining SQL data integrity, optimisation, security, scalability, and ensuring backup and recovery plans are in place in the case of a disaster are vital, but several factors make this incredibly complex.

Some of these factors include —

  • Increasing Data Volume: The exponential growth of data means that you need different storage and management strategies to accommodate your volume of data.
  • Diverse Data Types: The difference between handling structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data is vast, and each type of data needs to be handled differently with different approaches.
  • Complex Queries: Advanced analytics and reporting means that you’re ultimately having to ask for more complex queries, meaning that more optimisation is required to ensure that you can get the information that you need quickly.
  • Availability: It’s hard to ensure uninterrupted database availability and accessibility, but this is vital for a lot of businesses.
  • Evolving Technologies: SQL technologies and best practices are constantly evolving, so keeping up with them can be strenuous.

With this, it’s vital to be prepared for all of these complexities to make sure that all of them are solved — after all, failing to maintain your data can be hugely detrimental to your business, and leave you with more difficulties than you started with.

Challenge 2: Need for Specialised Skills

SQL requires a much higher level of specialisation, due to the complex nature of the system and working with it. After all, with how highly technical and vital SQL is to any business, hiring someone to manage your databases who might be a risk or liability in their maintenance could be a massive detriment.

However, this is incredibly tricky. In the wider IT industry, there is already a massive skills shortage, meaning that there’s already a shortage of personnel who are able to fluently and correctly administer IT within most organisations — let alone IT personnel who are clued up on SQL and databases.

Because of this, finding skilled workers who can handle your SQL databases is a huge challenge, which is why lots of businesses are now opting to outsource to service providers instead. Service providers can provide the same kind of service, but without having to hunt for a worker — the employees at the provider will be able to handle all of your needs.

Challenge 3: High Costs of In-House Management

SQL is incredibly powerful, but that power also comes with a massive amount of cost. There is no hiding that SQL is one of the most advanced parts of IT and that developers, administrators, and other personnel can be costly. With the aforementioned skills shortage, hiring in-house SQL experts can be vastly expensive.

On top of this, licensing and resource costs can also be massively high — meaning that SQL is generally quite an expensive endeavour even before looking at an in-house SQL team. But, unlike other less mandatory aspects of a company, SQL databases are pretty much required for any business.

This means that, for companies that can’t manage the costs, in-house SQL management simply should just be out of the picture. Especially when service providers can bring the same skills, knowledge, and expertise as an in-house team — but for a fraction of the cost — it’s a no-brainer. A service provider will also generally be cheaper, due to the lack of salaries and internal resources being taken up by in-house experts.

Challenge 4: Data Security and Compliance Risks

Data security is becoming more and more important than ever. With attackers always around the corner and a constant fear of threats lurking, being aware of the risk of attackers and how to protect your SQL database is vital. Making sure that you’re up to date with the latest data security information is crucial for this.

On top of this, data loss and leakage occurring without malicious intent is also a problem for any SQL server, so ensuring that there’s a disaster plan is vital to being able to keep your database available for as long as possible.

Compliance is also vital in the modern world. Compliance regulations are only becoming stricter and more thorough, and making sure that your databases are on the right side of them can be the difference between success and failure — even with the risk of litigation.

Performing audits and checking that you’re compliant in every aspect of your database is vital, as it will ensure that you’re not only protected from threats but also that you’re legally sound. After all, these regulations exist for a reason, and flaunting them could lead to disaster for your company, employees, and customers.

How We Can Help

SQL databases are the backbone of modern business. But, they can bring their own challenges. These challenges are four relevant and important considerations that need to be made before deciding to manage SQL in-house — and the other options that may be better for your business.

If you’re looking to take the next step in working with a service provider to manage SQL, reach out to us now. Our experts are here to help and will make sure your databases are set up and maintained to the highest standard.

Get in touch with us now and see how we can help.