Today I have a question for you:

What are the three biggest challenges you face today as a database professional?

I was asked this recently, and I had some ideas, but I wonder if my challenges are the same ones you face. I don't want to influence you, but I'm wondering what things cause you stress, headaches, difficulties, or somehow lower the enjoyment of your job.

Or maybe these are the things that challenge and motivate you to do more. It's up to you to decide what is a challenge to you as a database professional.

I think about the challenges I have faced (and would face today) as someone working with data in a few ways. First, there are the actual challenges of working in an organization and dealing with other people/groups/management. Next, I think about technology challenges as well, with how we architect systems, pick tools, and make choices. Lastly, I also think about this in terms of my career and what difficulties I face there. How do I keep my career moving forward?

There are several ways to look at this. In a general sense with a high-level view or with specific challenges in dealing with technology/people/etc., such as HA latency. Maybe you think about long-term issues or acute firefighting that you are dealing with every week. There are many ways to view the impediments to an endless progression of smooth, quiet, easy workdays.

Spend a few minutes thinking about what challenges you have and let us know today what those are.