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Non-Technical Challenges
An iDBA has to face a number of challenges that are not technical in nature. These challenges arise due to the kind of work environment that exists in a number of e-business and web-based companies, due to the lack of funding and also the team dynamics that are quite common in an e-business. Some of the non-technical challenges include the following:
Time is a scarce resource in e-businesses. This is true not just for small Internet ventures but also for large corporations that are transitioning to an e-business. No matter what the company size or the current market share, companies want to enter the new web world quickly, grab market share as soon as possible, and have a dominant presence. This often places a lot of pressure on everyone in the team, not just the iDBAs. When working under time pressure, it's common for people to come up with "quick fixes" and short-term solutions without analyzing the long-term impact or the best solution for the problem.
A number of "cool" products and features in e-businesses are the result of some nerdy visionary who is not necessarily knowledgeable in Oracle and other technologies. An iDBA may have to deal with personality clashes while trying to convince people about the benefits of using Oracle and other technologies, as opposed to simply following the advice of the nerdy visionary. Essentially, an iDBA has to be a good communicator and negotiator.
Unlike traditional projects, an e-business project may not have well documented standards and guidelines that can be followed. This can make it challenging for the team and an iDBA has to come up with good practices for creating objects, naming objects, script management, schema change management, test case generations, and so on.