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Why best-of-breed and all-in-one aren't mutually exclusive in database management

Posted by Andreas Hope on Feb 23, 2018 9:18:00 AM
Andreas Hope
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For many people, the idea of an all-in-one tool suggests a lack of quality. People mistakenly think that by opting for a wide-ranging one-size-fits-all toolset, they’ll be sacrificing quality compared to adopting bespoke specialist tools that have been designed to fit a niche.

In the case of modern database solutions, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, packages exist today that bring a whole range of best-in-class tools together in one package to provide DBAs with the best possible tools without the expense and headaches associated with adopting multiple separate options.

Tools which combine an all-in-one approach with being the best in their class can have significant benefits over the alternatives, and that’s the topic of today’s post:

Using The Best Tools

By definition, best-of-breed tools are often very specialised niche solutions typically used to solve just one specific problem. Despite their narrow focus, they often represent a large financial and time investment to adopt and considerable training to be used efficiently. They may be good at what they do, but these tools are often an inefficient use of money and time for large organisations.

Traditional tools tend to fall down in modern server management environments, however, as DBAs increasingly require a wide range of powerful tools to complete the various tasks that they are set. If a team requires individual tools to monitor and report on servers, to manage security, tweak performance, and handle maintenance, the figures spent on tools can rise rapidly.

Utilising the best possible tools at all times, therefore, isn’t without its drawbacks. Adopting multiple different class-leading solutions can not only be expensive but can also require extensive staff training and lengthy adoption periods.

To get around those drawbacks, top quality tools are often now included in packages, providing an all-in-one tool for DBAs to use.

All-In-One Benefits

Packages that provide multiple different tools in one place, or single tools which can be used for multiple different jobs, provide many advantages over single solutions.

Not only are they often cheaper and quicker to adopt, but they can provide efficiency benefits to your business. Less time typically needs to be spent on training if a suite of tools shares a similar UI and workflow, and less DBA time is wasted on configuring and switching between tools too.

It’s wrong to assume that an all-in-one solution cannot also provide the same benefits as a supposed best-of-breed toolkit. Many database management and monitoring solutions provide all the same features that single tools do, and many of the tools included in all-in-one suites are themselves considered best-of-breed.

An all-in-one tool might be able to offer reporting and custom alerts, automated maintenance, security features, cost-saving benefits and much more all in one package - something which otherwise would require many different individual tools.

Being the best possible tool in a niche and being part of a one-size-fits-all package are not mutually exclusive. Suites of tools are used by teams of DBAs in all industries around the world for the power, flexibility and time and money savings that they provide.

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If you’re looking to equip your DBAs with the best possible tools, consider investing in an all-in-one solution.

Despite the name, these packages can provide you with the same powerful benefits as a single tool alongside lower costs, quicker adoption and a boost in productivity for your team.

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