Database Development in Multi-Platform Environments

by Aug 19, 2020

Multi-platform database environments are the norm in today’s business world. A database developer or administrator may still exhibit expertise in a specific solution like SQL Server or MySQL, but they will undoubtedly be tasked with becoming involved in supporting multiple other databases. This can simultaneously make their job more interesting and complicated.

The Rise of Multi-Platform Environments

At one time, many organizations standardized on a particular database platform and implemented a fairly monolithic environment designed around that solution. A newly hired DBA would need to be familiar with or learn the ins and outs of a single platform.

It might have been a mainframe IMS implementation or an early Oracle environment. Time could be spent becoming proficient in whatever solution was prevalent in your shop.

Data resources had to be put into a format that could be handled by the platform regardless of the source of the information or how it was obtained. Whatever type of data was collected, it ended up being stored in some kind of relational structure comprised of rows and columns.

It can be challenging to accurately portray certain types of information with the restrictions imposed by some relational databases.

As the types and formats of the data resources of our digital society have evolved, so have the database solutions designed to use them productively. The diversity of data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT), social media, and the Internet are just some of the challenges addressed by new database solutions.

Decision-makers rely on the ability of database applications and dashboards to provide accurate and timely information.

Obtaining the optimal value from the variety of information streams available requires organizations to treat their data resources granularly. When designing applications, it is very likely that a particular database platform is preferable to alternative solutions. Forcing the app into a different platform can negate its value to the business.

Selecting the Right Solution in Multi-Platform Environments

Many factors go into the choice of database platform for a particular application. They need to be carefully considered to avoid the inefficiency that accompanies the wrong selection. Here are some best practices that should be followed when choosing a database platform for your next application.

  • Understand the data and workflow characteristics of your application. The expected number of transactions, performance requirements, and how the app will interact with other software components all need to be evaluated when selecting the platform.
  • Evaluate the available options that meet the requirements of your workflow and data resources. Alternative platforms may vary widely in their ability to optimize performance with techniques like caching and effective memory provisioning.
  • Consider data access patterns to determine the specific features, services, and technology that will best fulfill requirements. There may be multiple solutions that fit the data and the intended functionality of the application. Knowing how the data will be used is an essential component of selecting the right platform.
  • Optimize based on metrics and patterns. Don’t assume that the database is ever fully optimized. Focused observation and monitoring can uncover new directions for performance tuning. In extreme cases, it may be determined that the selected platform was not the appropriate choice and may demand you to rethink and migrate to a new solution.

A Universal Tool That Supports All Your Database Platforms

Aqua Data Studio is a universal database IDE and GUI for database development and management application. It supports over 40 different data platforms and sources from an intuitive and unified interface. It provides your database team with a valuable tool with which to minimize the complexity of developing and managing multi-platform environments.

Using a standardized solution across your database environment boosts team productivity by reducing the learning curve associated with using multiple management tools. DBAs can quickly go from analyzing queries on an Oracle system to creating data visualizations from the resource in a Snowflake instance.

Aqua Data Studio runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux machines and the interface is available several languages including English, German, and Chinese.

Some of the tasks that can be carried out on multiple platforms from Aqua Data Studio include:

  • Managing and analyzing queries;
  • Visually building queries with the tool’s GUI;
  • Analyzing data and creating informative charts and visualizations;
  • Accessing and managing data sources and database objects.

With Aqua Data Studio, your database developers and administrators can tame the complexity of multi-platform environments and help your organization use its data resources effectively and efficiently. It can make your enterprise more competitive by maximizing the potential of your database applications.