Okay, you caught me, I just came up with the term "DBA Syndrome", but in my experience it really does exist.  You have probably heard the saying, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  This describes nicely what can happen to some DBAs.  They are given all the power and it goes to their head.  I call it DBA syndrome.

It seems to start off the same way.  A perfectly normal, nice individual enters into a DBA position.  Their goal is to keep production systems up and running while reducing unscheduled downtime.  They have been given the keys to the kingdom; they are the gatekeepers.  Don’t get me wrong.  It is extremely important to keep production systems running and to not introduce new things that will cause issues or downtime.  Still, that doesn’t mean one should not be open to new ideas or better ways of doing things, properly tested and proven, of course.  It seems over time, DBAs can become resistant to any change no matter the reasons for the change.

I have heard of a situation when a DBA was resistant to change, and the developers took things into their own hands.  The DBA didn’t want to introduce new stored procedures into the database.  So, the developers just started using in-line SQL in their apps.  I can’t imagine how this was a better situation for anyone.

So, why does DBA syndrome happen?  I believe it starts as the DBA works hard to make the production system solid.  When things are working well, they tend to be resistant to change, since change might cause issues.  I understand the stress the DBA feels.  It is your team, or even just your responsibility, to keep systems running.  Why would you endanger that?  Why would you open yourself up to late night support calls when things have been running so smoothly?

This is where I think the DBA can lose sight of their full purpose.  I believe their role isn’t just to keep production up and running, but also to make sure the systems are serving the needs of the customers.  It is great if the servers have no downtime, but if the systems don’t really meet the needs of the customer, there is a problem. 

It is kind of like The Lord of the Rings.  You may have seen the movies or read the books.  Gollum has been corrupted by the power of the one ring to rule them all.  He pets the ring and calls it, “precious.”  Or when Gandalf asks Bilbo to put the ring on the mantel, Bilbo has difficultly letting go of all that power.  Or Frodo standing above the lava of Mount Doom, he can’t bring himself to destroy the ring.  Yet I believe for a DBA to do their job, sometimes they need to set their power aside, remove their ring of power, and think about the situation from a different perspective.  They need to think about what is best for the customer, even if it means disturbing a system that is running well.

Now all that being said, I am not condoning just throwing anything into production.  Code must always be properly tested and proven in test and staging systems before it goes live.  Still, it would be helpful for DBAs with DBA syndrome to not have their first answer always be, “No" or "that won’t work.”  It would be great for them to be generally helpful and amiable to changes that cause systems to better meet the needs of their customers.

Does DBA Syndrome really exist?  Share your experience, or resistance to taking off the ring of power.