Savvy, talented and knowledgeable database professionals are always in demand. This article covers some of the best, most in-demand certifications for database administrators, database developers and anyone else who works with databases. 

During the past three decades, we’ve seen a lot of database platforms come and go, but there’s never been any question that database technology is a crucial component for all kinds of applications and computing tasks. 

Database certifications may not be as sexy or bleeding-edge as cloud computing, storage, or computer forensics. That said, there has been and always will be a need for knowledgeable database professionals at all levels and in a plethora of database-related job roles. 

To get a better grasp of the available database certifications, it’s useful to group these certs around job responsibilities. In part, this reflects the maturity of database technology and its integration into most aspects of commercial, scientific and academic computing. As you read about the various database certification programs, keep these job roles in mind: 

• Database administrator (DBA): Responsible for installing, configuring and maintaining a database management system (DBMS). Often tied to a specific platform such as Oracle, MySQL, DB2 or SQL Server. 

• Database developer: Works with generic and proprietary APIs to build applications that interact with a DBMS (also platform-specific, like DBA roles).
• Database designer/database architect: Researches data requirements for specific applications or users, and designs database structures and application capabilities to match.
• Data analyst/data scientist: Responsible for analyzing data from multiple disparate sources to discover previously hidden insight, determine meaning behind the data and make business-specific recommendations.
• Data mining/business intelligence (BI) specialist: Specializes in dissecting, analyzing and reporting on important data streams, such as customer data, supply chain data, and transaction data and histories.
• Data warehousing specialist: Specializes in assembling and analyzing data from multiple operational systems (orders, transactions, supply chain information, customer data, etc.) to establish data history, analyze trends, generate reports and forecasts, and support general ad hoc queries. 

Careful attention to these database job roles highlights two important technical issues for would-be database professionals to consider. 

First, a good general background in relational database management systems, including an understanding of Structured Query Language (SQL), is a basic prerequisite for database professionals of all stripes. 

Second, although various efforts to standardize database technology exist, much of the whiz-bang capability that databases and database applications deliver come from proprietary, vendor-specific technologies. Serious, heavy-duty database skills and knowledge are tied to specific platforms, including various Oracle products (such as the open-source MySQL environment and Oracle itself,) Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2. That’s why most of these certifications relate directly to those enormously popular platforms. 

It’s important to note that NoSQL databases – referred to as “not only SQL” and sometimes “non-relational” databases – handle many different types of data, such as structured, semi-structured, unstructured and polymorphic. NoSQL databases are increasingly used in big data applications, which tend to be associated with certifications for data scientists, data mining and warehousing, and business intelligence. Although there is some natural overlap, for the most part, we cover those certs in our annually updated “Best Big Data Certifications.” 

Before you look at our featured certifications in detail, consider their popularity with employers. The results of an informal search on several high-traffic job boards show which database certifications employers look for most when hiring. Though these results vary from day to day (and by job board), such numbers provide a useful perspective on database certification demand in current job listings.

Job board search results (in alphabetical order by certification)*

*See our complete methodology for selecting top five certifications in the “Best Certifications” series.

**Combined totals for MCSA: SQL Database Administration (540), MCSA: SQL Database Development (569), MCSE: Data Management and Analytics (640) and MTA: Database (503).

If the sheer number of available database-related positions isn’t enough motivation to pursue a certification, consider average salaries for database administrators. SimplyHired reports $86,415 as the national average in the U.S., in a range from $60,960 to over $128,000. Glassdoor’s reported average is somewhat higher at $93,164, with a top rung for experienced, senior DBAs right around $135,000.

Top 5 database certifications

Now let’s look at the details of our top five database certification picks for 2020.

1. IBM Certified Database Administrator – DB2

IBM is one of the leaders in the worldwide database market by any objective measure. The company’s database portfolio includes industry standard DB2, as well as IBM Compose, Information Management System (IMS), lnformix, Cloudant and IBM Open Platform with Apache Hadoop. IBM also has a long-standing and well-populated IT certification program, which has been around for more than 30 years and encompasses hundreds of individual credentials. 

After redesigning its certification programs and categories, IBM’s major data-centric certification category is called IBM Data and AI, which includes a range of database credentials: Database Associate, Database Administrator, System Administrator, Application Developer and more. It’s a big and complex certification space, but one where particular platform allegiances are likely to guide readers straight to the handful of items that are relevant to their interests and needs. 

Database professionals who support DB2 (or aspire to) on Linux, Unix or Windows should check out the IBM Certified Database Administrator – DB2 certification. It’s an intermediate credential that addresses routine administration, basic SQL, and creation of databases and database objects, as well as server management, monitoring, availability and security. 

This certification requires candidates to pass two exams. Pre-exam training is recommended but not required.

IBM Certified Database Administrator – DB2 facts and figures

2. Microsoft SQL Server database certifications 

SQL Server offers a broad range of tools and add-ons for business intelligence, data warehousing and data-driven applications of all kinds. That probably explains why Microsoft offers database-related credentials at every level of its certification program. 

Microsoft has taken significant steps over the last year to change its certification program from technology-focused to role-centric, centered on the skills one needs to be successful in specific technology jobs. With these changes in mind, Microsoft now identifies four job tracks in its certification program: Developers, Administrators, Solution Architects and Functional Consultants. You will find a wide variety of skills and technologies within each of those categories, but we’ll concentrate below on the company’s SQL Server certifications.

MTA: Database Fundamentals

The MTA program includes a single database-related exam: Database Fundamentals (98-364). This credential is ideal for students or as an entry-level cert for professionals looking to segue into database support.

MCSA

Microsoft offers several SQL-related credentials at the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) level:

• MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014 (three exams)
• MCSA: BI Reporting (two exams)
• MCSA: SQL 2016 BI Development (two exams)
• MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration (two exams)
• MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development (two exams)

MCSE

There is one SQL database credential at the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert level: Data Management and Analytics. This certification has the MCSA as a prerequisite (a list of valid items follows in the table) and then requires passing one elective exam.

Microsoft SQL Server database certification facts and figures

3. Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5.7 Database Administrator 

Oracle runs its certifications under the auspices of Oracle University. The Oracle Database Certifications page lists separate tracks for Database Application Development (SQL and PL/SQL), MySQL (Database Administration and Developer) and Oracle Database (versions 12c, 12c R2, and 11g, and Oracle Spatial 11g). 

MySQL is perhaps the leading open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). Since acquiring Sun Microsystems in 2010 (which had previously acquired MySQL AB), Oracle has rolled out a paid version of MySQL and developed certifications to support the product. 

A candidate interested in pursuing an Oracle MySQL certification can choose between MySQL Database Administration and MySQL Developer. The Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5.7 Database Administrator (OCP) credential recognizes professionals who can install, optimize and monitor MySQL Server; configure replication; apply security; and schedule and validate database backups. 

The certification requires candidates to pass a single test (the same test can be taken to upgrade a prior certification). Oracle recommends training and on-the-job experience before taking the exam.

Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5.7 Database Administrator facts and figures

4. Oracle Database 12c Administrator

Most Oracle DBMS credentials require candidates to attend authorized training classes to qualify for the related exam, but MySQL (and Sun-derived) credentials often do not. Oracle certifications also represent a true ladder, in that it is generally necessary to earn the associate-level credentials first, professional-level credentials second and master-level credentials third, culminating with the expert level. 

Oracle Database 12c R2 is the latest version, which includes enhancements to Oracle Database 12c. Oracle 12c certifications are currently offered at the associate, professional and master levels. 

A Foundations Junior Associate certification (novice level) is also available for Oracle Database 12c, as are three specialist designations: the Implementation Specialist, the Oracle Database Performance and Tuning 2015 Certified Implementation Specialist, and the Oracle Real Application Clusters 12c Certified Implementation Specialist. 

Available expert-level credentials include the Oracle Certified Expert; Oracle Database 12c: RAC and Grid Infrastructure Administrator; Oracle Database 12c Maximum Availability Certified Expert; Oracle Certified Expert; Oracle Database 12c: Data Guard Administrator; Oracle Certified Expert; and Oracle Database 12c: Performance Management and Tuning. Oracle still offers 11g certifications as well. 

Note: Although premium support for Oracle 11g Database ended on Dec. 31, 2014, extended support lasts until December 2020, so it’s probable that Oracle Database 11g will remain in use for the short term. 

We focused on requirements for Oracle Database 12c certifications. One important consideration is that Oracle 11g is forward-compatible with Oracle 12c, but Oracle 12c is not backward- compatible with the prior version. Because Oracle 12c is a newer version, IT professionals with Oracle 11g certifications should consider upgrading their 11g credentials.

Oracle Database 12c Administrator facts and figures

5. SAP HANA: SAP Certified Technology Associate – SAP HANA (Edition 2016)

SAP SE has a large portfolio of business application and analytics software, including cloud infrastructure, applications, and storage. The foundation of the SAP HANA platform is an enterprise-grade relational database management system, which can be run as an appliance on premises or in the cloud. The cloud platform enables customers to build and run applications and services based on SAP HANA. 

SAP offers a comprehensive certification program, built to support its various platforms and products. We chose to feature the SAP Certified Technology Associate – SAP HANA cert because it aligns closely with other certifications in this article and is in high demand among employers, according to our job board surveys. This certification ensures that database professionals can install, manage, monitor, migrate and troubleshoot SAP HANA systems. It covers managing users and authorization, applying security, and ensuring high availability and effective disaster recovery techniques. 

SAP recommends that certification candidates get hands-on practice through formal training or on-the-job experience before attempting this exam. The SAP Learning Hub is a subscription service that gives certification candidates access to a library of learning materials, including e-learning courses and course handbooks. The annual subscription rate for individual users on the Professional certification track is $3,048. This online training program is designed for those who run, support or implement SAP software solutions. Though this may seem like a steep price for online training, you will likely be able to pass any SAP certification exams you put your mind to by leveraging all of the learning resources available to SAP Learning Hub Professional subscribers. 

Typically, SAP certifications achieved on one of the two most recent SAP solutions are considered current and valid. SAP contacts professionals whose certifications are nearing end of life and provides information on maintaining their credentials.

SAP Certified Technology Associate facts and figures

Beyond the top 5: More database certifications

Besides the ones mentioned in this article, other database certification programs are available to further the careers and professional development of IT professionals who work with database management systems. 

While most colleges with computer science programs offer database tracks at the undergraduate, master and Ph.D. levels, there are few well-known vendor-neutral database certifications. The Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) is part of this unique group, offering its Certified Data Professional and Certified Data Scientist credentials. Find out more about ICCP certifications here. 

EnterpriseDB administers a small but effective certification program, with two primary certs: the EDB Certified Associate and the EDB Certified Professional. PostgreSQL was the fourth-ranked relational database management system in October 2019, according to DB-Engines. 

Credentials from Google, MarkLogic, Teradata and SAS may also be worth considering. All of these credentials represent opportunities for database professionals to expand their skill sets – and salaries. However, such niches in the database certification arena are generally only worth pursuing if you already work with these platforms or plan to work for an organization that uses them. 

Ed Tittel

Ed is a 30-year-plus veteran of the computing industry, who has worked as a programmer, a technical manager, a classroom instructor, a network consultant, and a technical evangelist for companies that include Burroughs, Schlumberger, Novell, IBM/Tivoli and NetQoS. He has written for numerous publications, including Tom’s IT Pro and GoCertify, and is the author of more than 140 computing books on information security, web markup languages and development tools, and Windows operating systems. 

Earl Follis

Earl is also a 30-year veteran of the computer industry, who has worked in IT training, marketing, technical evangelism, and market analysis in the areas of networking and systems technology and management. Ed and Earl met in the late 1980s when Ed hired Earl as a trainer at an Austin-area networking company that’s now part of HP. The two of them have written numerous books together on NetWare, Windows Server and other topics. Earl is also a regular writer for the computer trade press, with many e-books, whitepapers and articles to his credit.

Using Data Replication to Upgrade Your Oracle Database with Minimal Downtime

If you run Oracle, database upgrades and migrations are inevitable. While there are real benefits to performing these upgrades and migrations, changes of this scale introduce equally real risks of unforeseen issues and downtime. Native Oracle solutions provide some protection, but all have trade-offs or leave remaining risks.

Business requirements around uptime and continuity are ultimately what create pressure and stress around upgrades and migrations. And, while it’s reasonably easy to predict downtime associated with the known steps in upgrading, there’s always the threat of unplanned downtime associated with unexpected problems.

This paper explores the various drivers and challenges associated with upgrades and migrations and presents proven approaches used by SharePlex customers to mitigate the risks and flawlessly upgrade without impact to the business.

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With Oracle CloudWorld in Las Vegas kicking off, the on-going battle with third party support provider Rimini Street is once again making the news. On October 10th Oracle said it had informed the court that it is prepared to proceed with a bench trial “because it is the most efficient path to ending Rimini’s illegal conduct, including its longstanding and continuing violations of Oracle’s copyrights.”

Oracle offers three support stages for its enterprise software, tools and databases: Premier Support, Extended Support, and Sustaining Support. In Oracle’s words, these “deliver maximum value by providing you with rights to major product releases so you can take full advantage of technology and product enhancements.”

Premier Support provides a standard five-year support policy for Oracle Technology products; Extended Support provides for an additional three years, and Sustaining Support is indefinite technical support.

In its Magic Quadrant report for cloud database management products, Gartner warned that Oracle’s on-premises products are often perceived to be expensive and difficult to manage, and customers continue to raise concerns about contract negotiations. In fact, Oracle recently increased maintenance charge from 5% to 8% of the original contract value.

Fixes, updates, and critical patch updates created during Premier Support and Extended Support are the only fixes available when the product reaches Sustaining Support. One needs to question why people continue to buy support, if the only patches they are entitled to are the ones that have already been published.

The challenge for many IT leaders is that while they may wish to continue running Oracle, especially if it is part of a core system of record, such as the Oracle relational database, they are being encouraged, or worse, coerced, into upgrading. One of the big benefits of third-party support contracts is that they separate software from maintenance and support.

But Oracle contracts stipulate that technical support may not be discontinued for a single program module within a custom application bundle. In effect, buying the best Oracle deal bundle will mean the customer remains tied in to paying full maintenance fees on all products in that bundle, even if some are replaced with non-Oracle products or third party support is used.

Rimini Street originally ended up on the wrong side of Oracle IP (intellectual Property) in 2010 and in October 2015, a jury found that Rimini Street infringed 93 copyrights.

While Oracle claims Rimini downloaded its IP illegally, customers paying Oracle for maintenance have every right to download fixes, patches and documentation, so long as these things remain on their own systems. What Oracle’s latest actions show is that it remains deadly serious about putting the knife into third party maintenance and support.

Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.

October 12, 2022, 06:37 PM EDT

The cuts affected workers at Oracle offices in Redwood City, Calif., home to the tech giant’s former headquarters. The jobs that were affected included data scientists, application developers, marketing certified and software developers.

Oracle has laid off more than 200 of its workers in California months after reports surfaced that the tech giant was considering “thousands” of job cuts on the heels of its $28 billion Cerner acquisition.

The Austin, Texas company cut 201 jobs in total on Oct. 3 from its Redwood City, Calif. office, according to its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed in California. The job cuts took effect Oct. 3 and was received by the California Employment Development Department Sept. 30, according to the WARN.

In a letter to the state obtained by CRN, Oracle said the layoffs would be permanent and said that its Redwood Shores campus would not be closing as a result of the job cuts. Oracle formerly housed its headquarters in Redwood City, but moved it to Austin at the end of 2020.

Among the jobs cut in this round, according to the Aug. 4 letter to the state from Anje Dodson, senior vice president of human resources at Oracle: data scientists, application developers, marketing certified and software developers.

CRN has reached out to Oracle for comment.

As of this past May, Oracle employed approximately 143,000 full-time employees, of which about 48,000 are based in the U.S. and the rest internationally, according to a regulatory filing.

Oracle closed its acquisition of healthcare digital information system provider Cerner in June. The company began to notify employees of layoffs in early August, according to a report in The Information at the time. That matches with the date on the WARN notice, which states that this crop of employees received notification about the layoffs on August 4.

The company is the No. 1 employer in Redwood City, Calif. with over 6,500 workers there, according to the city.

New release delivers seven JDK Enhancement Proposals to increase developer productivity, Improve the Java language, and enhance the platform's performance, stability, and security

Java 19's key capabilities to be showcased at JavaOne 2022 in Las Vegas on October 17-20

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle today announced the availability of Java 19, the latest version of the world's number one programming language and development platform. Java 19 (Oracle JDK 19) delivers thousands of performance, stability, and security improvements, including enhancements to the platform that will help developers Improve productivity and drive business-wide innovation. Oracle will showcase the latest capabilities in Java 19 at JavaOne 2022, taking place October 17-20 in Las Vegas, and via a keynote broadcast airing on dev.java/ at 9:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, September 20.

"Our ongoing collaboration with the developer community is the lifeblood of Java. As the steward of Java, Oracle is steadfastly committed to providing developers and enterprises with the latest tools to help them create innovative apps and services," said Georges Saab, senior vice president of development, Java Platform and Chair, OpenJDK Governing Board, Oracle. "The powerful new enhancements in Java 19 are a testament to the monumental work across the global Java community."

The latest Java Development Kit (JDK) provides updates and improvements with seven JDK Enhancement Proposals (JEPs). Most of these updates are to be delivered as follow-up preview features improving on functionality introduced in earlier releases.

JDK 19 delivers language Improvements from OpenJDK project Amber (Record Patterns and Pattern Matching for Switch); library enhancements to interoperate with non-Java Code (Foreign Function and Memory API) and to leverage vector instructions (Vector API) from OpenJDK project Panama; and the first previews for Project Loom (Virtual Threads and Structured Concurrency), which will drastically reduce the effort required to write and maintain high-throughput, concurrent applications in Java.

Story continues

"Java developers are increasingly seeking tools to help them efficiently build highly functional applications for deployment in the cloud, on-premises, and in hybrid environments," said Arnal Dayaratna, research vice president, software development, IDC. "The enhancements in Java 19 deliver on these requirements and illustrate how the Java ecosystem is well-positioned to meet the current and future needs of developers and enterprises."

Oracle delivers new Java Feature releases every six months via a predictable release schedule. This cadence provides a steady stream of innovations while delivering continuous improvements to the platform's performance, stability, and security, helping increase Java's pervasiveness across organizations and industries of all sizes.

The most significant updates delivered in Java 19 are:

Updates and Improvements to the Language

• JEP 405: Record Patterns (Preview): Enables users to nest record patterns and type patterns to create a powerful, declarative, and composable form of data navigation and processing. This extends pattern matching to allow for more sophisticated and composable data queries.

• JEP 427: Pattern Matching for Switch (Third Preview): Enables pattern matching for switch expressions and statements by permitting an expression to be tested against a number of patterns. This allows users to express complex data-oriented queries concisely and safely.

Library Tools

• JEP 424: Foreign Function and Memory API (Preview): Enables Java programs to more easily interoperate with code and data outside of the Java runtime. By efficiently invoking foreign functions (i.e., code outside the Java Virtual Machine [JVM]), and by safely accessing foreign memory (i.e., memory not managed by the JVM), this API enables Java programs to call native libraries and process native data via a pure Java development model. This results in increased ease-of-use, performance, flexibility, and safety.

• JEP 426: Vector API (Fourth Incubator): Enables superior performance compared to equivalent scalar computations by expressing vector computations that reliably compile at runtime to vector instructions on supported CPU architectures.

Ports

Project Loom Preview/Incubator Features

• JEP 425: Virtual Threads (Preview): Dramatically reduces the effort of writing, maintaining, and observing high-throughput concurrent applications by introducing lightweight virtual threads to the Java Platform. Using virtual threads allows developers to easily troubleshoot, debug, and profile concurrent applications with existing JDK tools and techniques.

• JEP 428: Structured Concurrency (Incubator): Streamlines error handling and cancellation, improves reliability, and enhances observability by simplifying multithreaded programming and treating multiple tasks running in different threads as a single unit of work.

Driving Java Innovation in the Cloud

The Java 19 release is the result of extensive collaboration between Oracle engineers and other members of the worldwide Java developer community via the OpenJDK Project and the Java Community Process (JCP). In addition to new enhancements, Java 19 is supported by Java Management Service – an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) native service – that provides a single pane of glass to help organizations manage Java runtimes and applications on-premises or on any cloud.

Supporting Java Customers

The Oracle Java SE Subscription is a pay-as-you-go offering that provides customers with best-in-class support, entitlement to GraalVM Enterprise, access to the Java Management Service, and the flexibility to upgrade at the pace of their businesses. This helps IT organizations manage complexity, contain costs, and mitigate security risks. In addition, Java SE and GraalVM Enterprise are offered free of charge on OCI, enabling developers to build and deploy applications that run faster, better, and with unbeatable cost-performance on Oracle Cloud. 

Underscoring Java's popularity with the global developer community, Oracle is proud to recognize the one millionth completed Java certification. Java certifications help developers stand out as Java experts and raise their profiles with enterprises seeking to attract highly skilled Java professionals.

Additional Resources

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

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SOURCE Oracle

Winnsboro, La.-based Franklin Medical Center will receive $41,640 to upgrade its Oracle Cerner EHR system, The Franklin Sun reported Oct. 5. 

At a Sept. 29 meeting, Hospital Administrator Blake Kramer told Franklin Medical Center's Board of Commissioners the hospital needed to upgrade its Oracle Cerner system in order to meet government regulatory requirements related to data collection on medical diagnoses.

Mr. Kramer said the upgraded system needs to track diseases as part of a syndromic survey.

The health system's board agreed to the upgrades, which will cost about $31,500 to implement, and an additional $1,000 per month after that, with a total cost of about $41,640.

Oracle today is following through on its announced plans to make its MySQL HeatWave database management systems available on the Amazon Web Services Inc. cloud.

MySQL HeatWave is a major upgrade to the popular open-source database engine that combines online transaction processing, analytics, machine learning and machine learning-based automation within a single MySQL instance. Oracle said the new features, which were introduced two years ago, eliminate the need for extract/transfer/load duplication between separate databases such as Amazon Aurora for transaction processing and Amazon Redshift for analytics.

Oracle said the new offering is optimized for AWS and delivers superior economics over services from Amazon and others. It cited a 4-terabyte TPC-H benchmark that it said showed MySQL HeatWave performing seven times better than Redshift and 10 times better than Snowflake Inc.’s cloud data warehouse. It also said its machine learning extensions perform 25 times better than Redshift ML.

MySQL HeatWave on AWS provides millisecond-level latencies for applications and a full-featured console that facilitates schema and data management and executes queries interactively. MySQL Autopilot, a component that uses machine learning techniques to automate many HeatWave features, is included with the console. Its features include automated provisioning, parallel loading, encoding, data placement, scheduling, query plan improvement, change propagation and error handling.

Available everywhere

Although Oracle and AWS compete in the public cloud, Oracle has always said HeatWave would be available on other cloud platforms. AWS customers that want to use the platform face “several challenges, including exorbitant data egress fees charged by AWS, the high latency of accessing the database from applications running on AWS, and the need to integrate with other applications running in AWS,” said Nipun Agarwal, senior vice president of research and advanced development at Oracle.

HeatWave is a core part of what Oracle calls a distributed cloud strategy that will make the engine available on multiple clouds as well as on-premises as part of Oracle Dedicated Region Cloud@Customer. “Customers can also replicate data from their on-premises MySQL OLTP applications to MySQL HeatWave on AWS or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to obtain near real-time analytics,” Agarwal said. “MySQL HeatWave is always running the latest version of the MySQL database, which is not the case for many of the other MySQL-based services.”

Oracle also said the offering doesn’t compete with its own Autonomous Database. The two “address very different markets,” Agarwal said. “MySQL HeatWave supports popular open-source web applications such as WordPress, Magento and Drupal, whereas Autonomous Database supports Oracle Fusion Cloud SaaS applications. HeatWave is currently targeted at open-source cloud database users and developers with databases of less than 50 terabytes [while] Autonomous Database can scale to practically unlimited levels.”

Features added

MySQL HeatWave has also been beefed up with new security features that include server-side data masking, de-identification, asymmetric data encryption and a database firewall. Asymmetric data encryption enables developers and database administrators to use digital signatures to confirm the identity of people signing documents, Oracle said. The database firewall provides real-time protection against database-specific attacks, such as SQL Injections.

HeatWave ML, which is an optional feature provided at no charge, provides in-database machine learning capabilities for training, inference and explanations to enable customers to securely use machine learning on real-time data without ETL, Oracle said. HeatWave ML automates the machine learning lifecycle and stores all trained models inside the MySQL database, eliminating the need to move them to a separate machine learning tool or service.

While the core MySQL engine is available under an open source license, “HeatWave is designed and optimized specifically for the cloud and as such, it is not open source,” Agarwal said.

Photo: Valeriya Zankovych