Is there a life for an SAP HANA database administrator in the cloud?

[HayBouten]

The short answer:
Yes, we are still needed.

The long answer:
The work of an SAP HANA database administrator is going to change as soon as the SAP HANA database is moved to SAP HANA Cloud, but the database administrator is still needed.

Comparing SAP HANA Cloud with SAP HANA on-prem show that many administrative tasks are handled as a managed service by the cloud provider. In SAP HANA Cloud the following administrative tasks are handled by the cloud provider:

• Selection, purchase and provisioning of servers and storage.
• Installing, configuring and upgrading the operating system.
• Installing, configuring and patching the database software.
• Backing up and restoring and recovering the database software.
• Tuning the database to run optimal on the underlying operating system and hardware.

As a database administrator you are still in control of these things. For example, you can deploy new SAP HANA database instances with the required RAM, CPU and disk resources whenever you need them. The big advantage is you don't need to go through the whole hardware buying, configuring and software installation process.

The automated processes within SAP HANA Cloud make sure the SAP HANA database with the requested hardware resources is available within minutes instead of weeks or sometimes months.

Database patching is fully automated and is basically reduced to a stop and a start of the SAP HANA database. The moment in time when the database patch is applied is fully controlled by the database administrator.

So, yes, we are still needed, but our work will change and we will see our duties and tasks change and we need to learn new things.

I personally would say that's the nice thing of change, but I’m sure not everyone will agree with me.

-- Hay

[prabinsingh]

Yes,  I also think there is a role for an SAP HANA database administrator in the cloud. As more and more companies move their SAP HANA databases to the cloud, the need for skilled and experienced SAP HANA database administrators who can manage and maintain these databases in a cloud environment is increasing.

These administrators are responsible for configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting SAP HANA databases in the cloud and ensuring that the databases are properly backed up and protected.

Additionally, they may also be responsible for optimizing the performance of the databases and working with other IT teams to integrate the databases with other cloud-based systems and applications.

[HayBouten]

@prabinsingh Correct, the admin role will change a little bit in the cloud, but it will still be there.

Some tasks like installing SAP HANA, or configuring at the OS level are gone. These tasks are handled by the cloud provider.

But you will able to learn interesting new tasks like configuring the SAP HANA Cloud entitlements, or setting up the cloud connector and much more.

So as long as you are willing to learn and are open for changes, there is lots of work in SAP HANA cloud administration.

If you want to learn SAP HANA Cloud administration, then visit my Explore Provisioning and Administration with SAP HANA Cloud Learning Journey

-- Hay