What is Database as a Service (DBaaS)? (2023)

What is Database as a Service (DBaaS)?

Database as a Service (DBaaS) is a cloud computing managed service offering that provides access to a database without setting up physical hardware, installing software, or configuring the database. Most of the database administration and maintenance tasks are handled by the service provider, so users can quickly start benefiting from the database service.

DBaaS usage is increasing as more companies move away from on-premises systemscloud databases. DBaaS providers include cloud platform providers that sell database software and other database manufacturers that host their software on one or more of the cloud platforms. Most DBaaS environments ramp uppublic cloudinfrastructure, but some cloud providers will also install their DBaaS technologies in on-premises data centers and manage them for clients in private clouds or remotelyhybrid cloud infrastructures.

DBaaS and local database variants

In an on-premises computing environment, the database server is part of the IT infrastructure in an organization's data center and is installed, managed, and operated by the organization's own IT staff. A database administrator (DBA) is responsible for configuring and managing the databases running on the server.

In contrast, with the DBaaS model, the provider manages the system infrastructure and database and delivers it as a fully managed cloud service. The service includes general administration functions such as database installation, configuration, maintenance and upgrades. Additional tasks such as backups, patching and performance management are usually also handled by the provider.

Control over the data in a database remains the responsibility of the customer, but theRole of the DBAprimarily involves monitoring usage of the database, managing user access, and coordinating with the DBaaS provider on things like deployment, patching, and maintenance. In addition, the DBA can spend more time on other activities, e.g. B. the optimization of databases for applications.

Another difference is that DBaaS is a paid subscription service. Rather than purchasing software licenses, as with an on-premises deployment, customers pay to use the system resources. This can be on a pay-as-you-go basis, with resources provisioned as needed to handle processing loads, or an organization can reserve database instances to receive discounted pricing for workloads that run regularly.

DBaaS database categories

DBaaS offerings are available fordifferent types of database technologies. Relational DBaaS offerings are built on top of SQL databases and are offered for traditional database management systems (DBMS) platforms such as Oracle Database, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM Db2 and MySQL, as well as for cloud-only systems such as Amazon Aurora, Microsoft's Azure SQL Database, Google Cloud SQL and Oracle Autonomous Database.

As with on-premises deploymentsNoSQL DBaaS Technologiesinclude multiple database types, including chart databases, document databases, wide-column stores, and key-value stores. Multimodel databases that support more than one database type are also available for DBaaS deployments; Many relational and NoSQL database platforms can now be considered multi-model technologies due to the added support for different data models.

Regardless of the type of cloud database used, DBaaS provides elastic database services for application development, testing, and production deployment, typically with an easy-to-use web console and aRESTful-API.

DBaaS used

The DBaaS model is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that do not have well-resourced IT departments. Outsourcing the service and maintenance of the database to the DBaaS provider allows SMBs to implement applications and systems that they could not otherwise afford to build and support on-premises.

Workloads that include data with strict regulatory requirements may not be suitable for the DBaaS model due to data security and privacy concerns. Additionally, mission-critical applications that require optimal performance and uptime may be better suited to an on-premises deployment.

However, that doesn't mean mission-critical workloads can't run on cloud services. Initially, much of the adoption of DBaaS in larger organizations involved non-essential applications such as development and pilot projects. But that's changing as more application workloads move to the cloud. In a survey of 753 cloud users conducted by IT management tools provider Flexera in late 2021, 49% said their organizations use relational database services in the cloud, while 38% use NoSQL database services.

Benefits of DBaaS

The DBaaS model offers some specific advantages over traditional on-premises database systems, including the following:

• Reduced management requirements.The DBaaS provider handles many of the routine database management and administrative burdens.
• Loss of physical infrastructure.The underlying IT infrastructure required to run the database is provided by the DBaaS provider or the cloud platform provider hosting the DBaaS environment if they are different companies.
• Reduced IT equipment costs.Because the system infrastructure is no longer on-premises, users don't need to invest in database servers or plan for ongoing hardware upgrades.
• Additional Savings.In addition to reduced capital expenditures, savings can be achieved through reduced electrical and HVAC operating costs and data center footprint, as well as potential reductions in IT staff.
• More flexibility and easier scalability.The infrastructure supporting the database can elastically scale up or down as database usage changes, as opposed to the more complex and rigorous process required to scale on-premises systems.

Disadvantages of DBaaS

There are also potential disadvantages of DBaaS compared to on-premises databases. Lack of control over the IT infrastructure is typically the most important issue with DBaaS compared to an in-house system. With managed databases, an organization's IT team does not have direct access to the servers and storage devices on which they run. As a result, it must rely on the cloud provider to effectively manage the infrastructure.

Also, if an organization's Internet connection goes down or the DBaaS provider experiences a system outage, the organization will not have access to its database until the problem is resolved.

Security can also be an issue in some cases as it is controlled by the DBaaS provider and an organization has no direct control over the security of the servers running their databases. Under theShared responsibility modelWith cloud security, organizations are responsible for some aspects of data security and things like identity and access management in DBaaS environments. However, the provider is responsible for securing the database platform and underlying infrastructure.

Latency is another issue. The additional time required to access corporate data over the Internet can cause performance issues. These performance issues increase when loading large amounts of data, which is typically slow and time-consuming.

DBaaS vs. IaaS vs. PaaS

Cloud computing includes various Anything as a Service (XaaS) models that differ based on how much of the IT infrastructure stack they make available to customers. The stack consists of the following elements:

• Networking
• storage
• Server
• virtualization
• operating systems
• Middleware
• Duration
• data and database management systems
• applications

Different levels of this stack can be deployed either on-premises or as a cloud service. In a fully on-premises environment, the entire stack is deployed on-premises; vice versa in Software as a Service (SaaS) model, the entire stack is remote and managed by the service provider for customers. The other three predominant XaaS models are DBaaS, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS).

IaaS provides virtualized computing resources in the cloud to provide the core infrastructure: network, storage, servers and virtualization. The rest, including database software, is provided and managed by the customer.

PaaS delivers additional components of the IT infrastructure in addition to the core components. This usually also includes the operating system, middleware and runtime components. DBaaS adds data tier services to the deployed stack.

DBaaS tools and providers

DBaaS relies on a cloud database to store, manage, and access data. The cloud infrastructure and the database software do not have to be from the same provider. For example, an organization can use the AWS cloud with an Oracle or SQL Server database through Amazon Relational Database Service. All major DBMS vendors now offer their software in the cloud, and most support DBaaS environments.

When adopting DBaaS, you must choose both a cloud platform and a DBMS. The leading providers of cloud platforms - AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft and Oracle - are also theTop cloud database providers, according to the consulting and market research company Gartner. They all offer a combination of relational, NoSQL, and specialty database engines for DBaaS deployments.

But there are many other cloud database software options from IBM, SAP, and various NoSQL, multimodel, and NewSQL/distributed SQL database vendors. Keep in mind that not every cloud DBMS is supported on every cloud platform, so your choice of the former could affect which of the latter you can use - or vice versa.

A company should ensure they have the right tools to manage databases and build applications using their chosen DBaaS implementation. Many existing database management and development tools can be used to manage databases in the cloud and build applications that access them.

The organization's IT staff should also be sure to understand the tools offered by the selected service provider, as most DBaaS providers provide tools to assist customers in using their services.

How to choose a DBaaS offering

Understanding your organization's key drivers for cloud database adoption is key to selecting an appropriate DBaaS offering. Typical drivers are cost reduction, improved flexibility,Digital transformation initiativesand increased IT automation. Depending on the use cases of your data, not all of these goals may be achievable. For example, large mission-critical databases that require 24/7 efficient access and those without acceptable downtime may not be ideal candidates for DBaaS.

The following are some other important steps to take when choosing a DBaaS system:

Assess your organization's tolerance for vendor lock-in.For example, AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Oracle all offer database services that work differently and cannot be easily replicated if you try to switch between them. There can also be proprietary APIs and moving data from one provider to another is difficult - the more data there is in the database, the longer the transfer takes. Also, most business applications cannot be shut down during this time. To minimize the impact of lock-in, read contracts carefully and review all APIs—and choose a DBaaS provider that's in business for the long term.

Understand the pricing model of DBaaS providers and how to customize your organization's usage to avoid surprises.With DBaaS, your business pays based on the resources you consume. One advantage is that you don't have to pay upfront for IT infrastructure that you don't currently need. However, your bill increases as the use of the database system increases. Make sure you're prepared, especially if usage exceeds expectations. Also, when tying cost management to vendor lock-in, remember that while most DBaaS providers do not charge customers for loading data into their service, they can incur significant fees for migrating the data to a different data store .

Look for a database service that works well in a hybrid cloud scenario.In a hybrid cloud, some data is stored locally and other is migrated to the cloud. A comprehensive DBMS platform that works well with both DBaaS and on-premises databases can alleviate the difficulties of managing aImplementation of a hybrid cloud database.

Additionally, you should choose a database service that operates from a data center in your geographic area and offers multiple availability zones, with at least one close to where your users are located, to minimize data latency. Also, make sure you understand the DBaaS provider's service level agreement for availability and performance, and how to request support if needed.