Pros and cons of having multiple DBMS in the organization

I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have to
manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what do
great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do they
go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as is
..
Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have SQL
Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
under one umbrella.
Please advice.
ThanksWe have a similar situation , with a client at the moment . They are
acquiring companies which all have different db and web apps. Currently, we
are managing SQL7,2000,2005 - Oracle 10 and mysql . After in depth analysis,
they've decided to keep every system separate and build an Integration
service based around SQL Server. This will have a bunch of filters to import
relevant data.
The main reason for a central integration server, is that they are in the
process of acquiring more companies with all sorts of other dbms, and
therefore have to build a structure to integrate future disparate systems
Jack Vamvas
___________________________________
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___________________________________
"Hassan" <Hassan@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:#6X#Tv1jGHA.3780@.TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
> multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have
to
> manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what
do
> great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do
they
> go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as
is
> ..
> Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
> should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have
SQL
> Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
> acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
> under one umbrella.
> Please advice.
> Thanks
>|||Hassan
If you woork for a large company, it is inevitable that you will end up with
multiple RDBMS and indeed multiple most things. I work for a large
international bank and we have multiple RDBMS on multiple platforms.
When I joined the company they were actively trying to get rid of SQL
Server. Their databases of choice were DB2 on the mainframe and Oracle on
distributed systems. The policy was to convert all SQL Server systems to
either DB2 or Oracle. They soon found this to be an unrealistic policy due t
o
the popularity of SQL Server. For every SQL Server system they managed to
convert two or three more took it's place.
More recently we accquired some companies that use Sybase, and we now have a
small Sybase team.
How you manage all these RDBMS teams is up to you. I have worked for a
company that had a central database management team and they were responsibl
e
for all RDBMS within the company. Where I work now they split them between
mainframe and distributed.
I don't know that I have really offered any help here, more just to let you
know it is a very common situation.
Regards
John
"Hassan" wrote:

> I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
> multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have t
o
> manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what
do
> great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do th
ey
> go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as i
s
> ...
> Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
> should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have S
QL
> Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
> acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
> under one umbrella.
> Please advice.
> Thanks
>
>|||We have a similar situation , with a client at the moment . They are
acquiring companies which all have different db and web apps. Currently, we
are managing SQL7,2000,2005 - Oracle 10 and mysql . After in depth analysis,
they've decided to keep every system separate and build an Integration
service based around SQL Server. This will have a bunch of filters to import
relevant data.
The main reason for a central integration server, is that they are in the
process of acquiring more companies with all sorts of other dbms, and
therefore have to build a structure to integrate future disparate systems
Jack Vamvas
___________________________________
Receive free SQL tips - www.ciquery.com/sqlserver.htm
___________________________________
"Hassan" <Hassan@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:#6X#Tv1jGHA.3780@.TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
> multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have
to
> manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what
do
> great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do
they
> go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as
is
> ..
> Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
> should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have
SQL
> Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
> acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
> under one umbrella.
> Please advice.
> Thanks
>|||Hassan
If you woork for a large company, it is inevitable that you will end up with
multiple RDBMS and indeed multiple most things. I work for a large
international bank and we have multiple RDBMS on multiple platforms.
When I joined the company they were actively trying to get rid of SQL
Server. Their databases of choice were DB2 on the mainframe and Oracle on
distributed systems. The policy was to convert all SQL Server systems to
either DB2 or Oracle. They soon found this to be an unrealistic policy due t
o
the popularity of SQL Server. For every SQL Server system they managed to
convert two or three more took it's place.
More recently we accquired some companies that use Sybase, and we now have a
small Sybase team.
How you manage all these RDBMS teams is up to you. I have worked for a
company that had a central database management team and they were responsibl
e
for all RDBMS within the company. Where I work now they split them between
mainframe and distributed.
I don't know that I have really offered any help here, more just to let you
know it is a very common situation.
Regards
John
"Hassan" wrote:

> I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
> multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have t
o
> manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what
do
> great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do th
ey
> go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as i
s
> ...
> Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
> should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have S
QL
> Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
> acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
> under one umbrella.
> Please advice.
> Thanks
>
>|||One common approach in large companies is to standardize on a strategic DBMS
platform in each of the mainframe, Unix/Linux, and Windows environments. It'
s
not uncommon for a company to choose DB2 on mainframe, Oracle on Unix/Linux,
and SQL Server on Windows as its startegic DBMS platforms and consider any
other DBMS platforms as legacy platforms. The company may strongly discourag
e
or even ban any new development on any other DBMS platform, and either inves
t
to migrate existing databases from other DBMS platforms to one of these thre
e
or simply sunset the them.
In decisions like this, DBMS-specific factors count for very little.
Linchi
"Hassan" wrote:

> I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
> multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have t
o
> manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what
do
> great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do th
ey
> go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as i
s
> ...
> Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
> should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have S
QL
> Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
> acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
> under one umbrella.
> Please advice.
> Thanks
>
>|||One common approach in large companies is to standardize on a strategic DBMS
platform in each of the mainframe, Unix/Linux, and Windows environments. It'
s
not uncommon for a company to choose DB2 on mainframe, Oracle on Unix/Linux,
and SQL Server on Windows as its startegic DBMS platforms and consider any
other DBMS platforms as legacy platforms. The company may strongly discourag
e
or even ban any new development on any other DBMS platform, and either inves
t
to migrate existing databases from other DBMS platforms to one of these thre
e
or simply sunset the them.
In decisions like this, DBMS-specific factors count for very little.
Linchi
"Hassan" wrote:

> I just want to know how does a database manager go about with having
> multiple RDBMS in the organization. As we acquire new companies and have t
o
> manage them all ( Im not a manager, but would like to be some day) , what
do
> great database managers do? Do they just begin to choose one and how do th
ey
> go about finding the right one ? Or do they prefer to just leave them as i
s
> ...
> Can you give me some pros and cons of having multiple RDBMS and what one
> should do ? Any articles out there that I could read. Right now, we have S
QL
> Server,Oracle,DB2,Postgres and some mysql as well. Each business that we
> acquire is a stand alone entity but managers tend to be operate them all
> under one umbrella.
> Please advice.
> Thanks
>
>