2025

State of the
Database
Landscape
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Introduction
Welcome to the latest data industry report from Redgate. This is our
seventh major report since 2017 and, in many ways, the most important yet.
The last eight or so years have seen major changes for data professionals,
transforming the way they work, and this report highlights how.

The amount – and diverse types – of data being created and stored has skyrocketed, for
example, prompting organizations to introduce multiple database platforms. The cloud is
now as important to organizations as on-premises environments, and sometimes more
important. Data security has become a reputational risk as well as a regulatory one. AI
has burst onto the scene and continues to disrupt the way businesses work. And the need
to upgrade and extend skillsets for IT teams and individuals has never been more urgent.

We saw all of this in last year’s State of the Database Landscape report. What’s so
fascinating about the 2025 data is that we’re seeing a consolidation, a shakedown, as
organizations move beyond the promised potential of multiple databases, the cloud,
and AI, balancing the advantages to be gained with the added complexity they bring, and
the ever-present need to safeguard data. They’re taking stock, and we’re seeing a more
measured position emerge.

This latest report reveals insights into multiple database platform adoption, the cloud, AI,
and data privacy, and the professional development challenges they bring, now the dust
from these changes is beginning to settle.

Welcome to the real state of the database landscape in 2025.

Note: some chart data may not always amount to 100%

Numbers in the charts displayed are rounded up or down where
necessary to ensure consistency between a figure appearing in
a chart and the same figure being called out in the report text.
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Contents
Data security and testing quality is improving 4
The fast facts: data security 5
Development and test data is more secure 6
High-quality test data increases developer efficiency 8
High-quality test data reduces failed deployments 10
Data privacy and compliance challenges persist 11

The adoption of multiple database platforms is consolidating 13

The fast facts: multiple database platforms 14
The makeup of database estates is changing – again 15
Differing needs and increased flexibility continue to prompt change 17
Organizations need more than traditional relational databases can offer 18
The challenges of working with different database platforms are becoming more complex 20
A sizeable minority of organizations are sticking with one database platform 22

Addressing the skills gap has never been more important 23

The fast facts: skills gap 24
The pace of learning is lagging behind the pace of change 25
What’s holding your people back? 27
What can push your people forward? 29

Artificial intelligence: a cautious welcome 31

The fast facts: artificial intelligence 32
Organizational adoption of AI is slow 33
Balancing the benefits and concerns surrounding AI 34
Users are more positive about AI than organizations 36
Organizations are positive about the impact of AI in the next two years 39

The cloud outlook is clearing 40

The fast facts: the cloud 41
Three distinct cloud users emerge 42
The future is in the cloud…and on-premises 43
The cloud remains appealing – and challenging 45
There’s still work to be done in terms of managing the cloud 47

Methodology and demographics 48

 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Data security and testing

quality is improving
The rise in the volume and variety of data that organizations are now
collecting, storing and analyzing also increases the chances of sensitive
data like personally identifiable information (PII) being compromised.
This is a big concern for many businesses, with the ITRC’s 2023 Annual
Data Breach Report stating that data breaches in the US increased by
78% in 2023 compared with 2022, and nearly 11% of all publicly traded
companies have been compromised.

It's clear why more and more organizations are prioritizing securing data
in every environment where it’s used, from development and testing
through to production. At the same time, organizations can enjoy
the best of both worlds, enhancing their security posture while
also improving efficiencies, by automating difficult, laborious
tasks, and streamlining workflows with practices
that help to keep data safe while speeding
up development.

4
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

THE FAST FACTS

Data security
Data security is improving, with the number of organizations with no approach for
handling sensitive data during development and testing falling by over half since
2023. There are still issues around how frequently test data is refreshed, and how long
developers wait for new test data to be provisioned, but an increasing number of teams
are adopting a test data management approach to tackle these challenges. They are able
to regularly refresh their test data and provision it faster – in turn, increasing developer
efficiency while reducing failed deployments by nearly half.

A Only 14% of organizations now have no approach A Organizations which refresh test data on every
for handling sensitive data, compared with 35% new piece of work (or daily) experience a
in 2023 reduction in failed deployments, with frequent
failed deployments falling from 17% to 9%, and
A 38% of organizations mask or de-identify occasional failed deployments dropping from
sensitive data, 33% use role-based access control 18% to 10%
(RBAC) and limit access to specific users, and
16% replace it with synthetic data A The top three data privacy challenges are
keeping development and testing environments
A Only 30% of organizations refresh development up-to-date and synchronized, compliance, and
and testing teams with new test data on every the volume of data teams are responsible
new piece of work (or daily), with 51% taking for handling
a month or more
A While 87% of organizations in the EU follow
A The time it takes to provision the refreshed data GDPR, only 49% of those in the US follow
also varies, with 21% of organizations doing so HIPAA and 24% follow the CCPA, indicating
within one hour, 25% taking 2-4 hours, 20% taking a weaker data security posture and exposing
4-8 hours, and 35% waiting a day or longer them to risk

A Organizations which refresh test data on every

new piece of work (or daily) are also able to
provision it to developers faster, improving the
speed of testing

5
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Development and test data is more secure

Copies of production databases are typically used in development and test environments
so that developers can test their proposed changes and ensure they work as expected
without risking an impact on production data. Those copies need to be realistic and truly
representative of the original so that this testing is accurate. It’s also critically important
to protect the security of sensitive data like personally identifiable information (PII).

When asked about their approaches for handling sensitive data, an encouraging
picture emerges:

Approaches for handling sensitive data in development and testing

14%
No approach for sensitive data
35%

33%
Sensitive data limited to specific users
26%

38%
Sensitive data masked / de-identified
21%

16%
Replaced by synthetic data
13%

2024 2023

Most notably, the number of organizations with no approach for sensitive data has
fallen by more than half, from 35% to 14%. Another positive sign is the increase in those
masking their sensitive data, up from 21% to 38%.

6
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

We can correlate the approaches to protecting sensitive data with the types of data
provided for development and test environments:

Types of data provided for development and test environments

54%
Full-size production backup
43%

39%
Subset of production data
28%

27%
Synthetic data
47%

7%
Unsure
6%

6%
Other

2024 2023

We see a drop in the use of purely synthetic data since 2023 (-20%) coupled with sizable
increases in the use of full production backups, and production subsets. Overall, the
responses seem to indicate that more organizations are using test data management
practices that enable production data to be used safely for testing and development,
with any sensitive data in the full backups or subsets being subsequently de-identified or
replaced with synthetic data.

Highlighting the need for test data management

Data from IDC¹ shows that 60% of developers still use production data, putting
sensitive data at risk. That’s where the capabilities of test data management
(TDM) come in, helping teams to mask production data, generate synthetic
data and much more. In particular, the trend towards data masking means
more and more organizations are now seeking a TDM solution to assist them.

Learn more about test data management

¹IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Redgate, Simplifying Complexity and Delivering Business Value:
Making Database DevOps Work in the Real World, doc #EUR252966324, January 2025

7
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

High-quality test data increases

developer efficiency
While the privacy and security of the data used in development and testing is of prime
importance for DBAs, the frequency with which new test data is refreshed is most
important for development teams. The data within databases is updated constantly,
so the more up-to-date the data is, the more accurate the testing will be. This test data
management approach is one area where many organizations fall behind:

How often software teams are refreshed with new test data

On every branch/new piece of work 11%

Daily 19%

Weekly 19%

Monthly 23%

Quarterly 20%

Annually 7%

Half (51%) of organizations provision their development teams with new test data
monthly, quarterly, or even annually. Only 30% do so on every new piece of work or daily,
a sign that they’re using test data management practices which enable them to provision
secure data easily and quickly. We see a similar division regarding the time it takes to
refresh those test data environments:

How long it takes to refresh test data

Within an hour 21%

2-4 hours 25%

4-8 hours 20%

1-2 days 18%

3-5 days 6%

5-7 days 4%

1-4 weeks 5%

Longer than a month 2%

8
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Just over a third (35%) of development teams have to wait anywhere between one day
and longer than a month to refresh test data. Another 20% wait between half a day and
one day. The remaining 46% wait between one and four hours. Shorter turnaround times
on refreshing test data are another signal (particularly for the 21% who can refresh test
data within an hour) that some organizations have developed established test data
management practices.

This may seem a minor point, but it has a big effect on the efficiency of development and
testing teams. If they have to wait for hours – sometimes a day or even longer – for the
test data they need, they have to pause work, despite how important that work might be.

We can see the combined effect of these two practices when we examine how often
teams are refreshed with new test data compared with how long it takes to provision
data environments. A direct correlation can be seen:

Time taken to provision test data environments

based on how often test data is refreshed

Longer than a month

1-4 weeks

5-7 days

3-5 days

1-2 days

4-8 hours

2-4 hours

Within an hour

On every branch/ Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually

new piece of work

Organizations that regularly refresh their test data on every new piece of work, or daily,
are also able to provide it to their developers faster. Developers can get back to work far
more quickly compared with those in organizations that refresh their data weekly (or,
indeed, the 51% of organizations which do so monthly, quarterly or annually). They’re not
waiting and waiting; they’re working more efficiently.

9
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

High-quality test data reduces failed

deployments
This focus on the quality of test data, and the speed at which it can be supplied and
refreshed, also has a clear and demonstrable impact on the number of issues that are
found in production which weren’t caught in testing. These issues frequently result in
failed deployments, and often involve hours of rework to resolve:

How often data-related issues are found in

production that were not caught in test

Frequently 17%

Occasionally 45%

Rarely 29%

Never 2%

Don't know 7%

Across all respondents, 31% rarely or never find issues, 45% occasionally find issues, and
17% find them frequently. When we compare how often issues are found with how often
data is refreshed, a different picture emerges:

How often data issues are found in production

based on how often test data is refreshed

Don't know

Never

Rarely

Occasionally

Frequently

On every branch/ Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually

new piece of work

10
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The number of failed deployments increases broadly in line with the days, weeks or even
months it takes to refresh development teams with new test data. For those who do so
on every new piece of work, the number of frequent failed deployments falls from 17% to
9%, the number of occasional failed deployments falls from 18% to 10%, and the number
of deployments that never fail leaps from 2% to 30%.

Data privacy and compliance challenges

persist
While development and test data is becoming more secure, challenges still remain for
IT teams. A third of teams have problems keeping data environments up to date and
synchronized, while a quarter have data privacy and compliance issues, and struggle to
keep up with the volume of data:

The biggest challenge when managing test data

Keeping things up to date / synchronised 31%

Data privacy and compliance 25%

Volume of data 24%

Unrepresentative data 11%

Cost management 6%

Other 3%

The growing importance of security and compliance

"Data is now the most critical asset for any organization,
but as reliance on it grows, so do the risks associated
with breaches, fraud, and non-compliance. For most
organizations, security and compliance are no longer
optional – they’re essential for survival."

Mri Pandit
Senior Manager at Navy Federal Credit Union

Read the full article

11
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

There are regional variations as well. While 87% of organizations in the EU follow the
GDPR, this falls to 49% for US organizations following HIPAA, and 24% following the
CCPA, indicating a weaker regional data security posture:

Data protection measures followed to protect PII

14%

CCPA 7%

24%

28%

HIPAA 11%

49%

13%

COPA 4%

11%

51%

GDPR 87%

47%

23%

DPA (UK) 23%

11%

31%

Australian Privacy Act 1988 4%

AMER
4%

14% EMEA
New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 3%

2% APAC

While these regulations may not appear to be important or relevant for all organizations
globally, compliance with regulations like GDPR helps organizations better prepare
themselves against the risk of data breaches.

Compliance drives behaviors like data anonymization (with measures like masking)
or limiting data access. Procedures are in place to limit the likelihood and impact of
breaches and mitigate their impact the moment a problem is found. This helps to
manage reputational risk, as well as making data safer.

12
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The adoption of multiple

database platforms
is consolidating
The sheer amount and complexity of data that data professionals have to
contend with has been growing rapidly over the last decade, and it shows
no sign of stopping. At the same time, the variety of data has expanded
far beyond the structured data typically seen in familiar relational
databases.

While structured data like financial records and customer information

still needs to be collected and stored, hence the continuing dominance
of ‘traditional’ platforms like Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server and PostgreSQL,
organizations are now also expected to collect, store and analyze semi-
structured, unstructured, time-series, geospatial and graph data from
a range of sources: the kinds of data relational databases are not best
suited for.

As a consequence, organizations have been introducing different types of

database platforms alongside relational platforms. But what’s the position
today? Which new database platforms are the most popular? What are the
drivers – and the challenges – of introducing them? Why are a quarter of
organizations still sticking with just one database platform?

13
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

THE FAST FACTS

Multiple database platforms

The relentless increase in the volume and variety of data that organizations now
need to collect, store and analyze continues. This is exacerbated by semi-structured,
unstructured and other data types entering the picture, bringing with it the requirement to
introduce different database platforms that are built to handle them.

Organizations have now recognized that this explosion of data brings with it major
challenges, with the need to improve skillsets and training the biggest among them.
Consequently, they’re now consolidating their use of multiple databases, with nearly 75%
pulling back to three platforms or less. Meanwhile, a quarter of organizations are sticking
with one database platform, driven by increasing concerns around cost, licensing issues,
and security and compliance.

A 74% of organizations now use more than one A Differing needs and use cases remains the
database platform, down from 76% in 2023, with biggest factor influencing the decision to
the number using four or more platforms also introduce new database platforms, up to 62%
dropping from 42% to 26% from 44% in 2023

A The majority of organizations (74%) have A While the top four relational databases (Oracle,
consolidated their adoption of multiple database MySQL, SQL Server and PostgreSQL) remain
platforms, using between one and three database the most popular, NoSQL databases like
platforms (up from 57% in 2023) MongoDB and Redis now comprise five of the
top 12 databases
A For the 26% of organizations sticking with one
platform, the top three drivers are that the need A The top four most popular databases that
for additional platforms has not arisen, concerns organizations have introduced over the past
around costs have more than doubled since two years are the open-source platforms
2023, and worries about licensing have more than PostgreSQL and MySQL, and the NoSQL
trebled since 2023 platforms MongoDB and Snowflake

A For 57% of organizations, their biggest challenge A Sharing common practices across different
when managing different database technologies database management systems is limited to
is skillset requirements and individual/team 32% of organizations
training, up sharply from 38% in 2023
A 56% of organizations want multi-platform
support for database monitoring tools, and
48% want the same support for database
migration tools

14
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The makeup of database estates is

changing – again
Since 2020, Redgate’s major data industry surveys have highlighted a notable upward
trend in the adoption of different database platforms, with organizations using only
one platform falling by nearly half from 38% in 2020 to 21% in 2023. This year we see
a reversal in that trend, with organizations using just one platform rising to 26%:

The number of different database platforms in use

62%
70% 79% 74%
2 or more

1 only

38%
30% 26%
21%

2020 2021 2023 2024

Beneath the surface, there has also been a significant shift. The proportion of
organizations using three or fewer database platforms has risen to 74%, compared
with 57% in 2023 – and those using more than five has dropped from 29% in 2023
to 9% in 2024:

47%

36%
29%
26%
21% 2024
17% 2023
13%
9%

One Two to Three Four to Five More than Five

The implications here are important. This shift indicates that organizations have
explored the opportunities afforded by multiple database platforms to meet changing
business requirements and are now rationalizing their choices. They’re moving from
introducing any platform that meets a business use case, to considering which
platforms they can support with the resources they have.

15
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

This trend is highlighted by the challenges organizations now face when managing
different database technologies compared with 2023:

The challenges faced when managing different technologies

57%
Skillset requirements and individual / team training
38%

52%
Data integration complexities
33%

45%
Monitoring and troubleshooting
30%

35%
System complexity
27%

38%
Compatibility issues
26%

38%
Data security and access controls
26%

33%
Performance disparities
24%

22%
Vendor support and updates
20% 2024
6%
None - we had no difficulties or challenges 2023
5%

Skillset requirements, data integration complexities, and monitoring and troubleshooting

continue to be the top three challenges. However, there is a marked increase in the
magnitude of those challenges across nearly every factor, with experiences of the top
three reported challenges rising by around half. These increasing challenges are driving
recognition that one way to mitigate them is to scale back the number of database
platforms in use.

“For enterprise companies, the future of data means embracing a

multi-database strategy where non-relational databases coexist with
relational databases to meet diverse business requirements.”

Tom Treivish
Head of Content & Brand, Studio 3T

16
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Differing needs and increased flexibility

continue to prompt change
While the challenges of managing different technologies are on the up, so too are
the drivers for introducing them, with differing use cases, flexibility, and cost saving
continuing to make up the top three:

The factors influencing the decision to implement a

multiplatform environment

62%
Differing needs / use cases for each platform
44%

42%
The need to increase flexibility
34%

34%
Cost saving
27%

33%
Vendor requirement
24%

22%
To simplify scaling and management operations
21%

21%
Result of merger / acquisition
19%

11%
Avoiding vendor lock-in
14%

21%
Ease of use
13%
2024
4%
Market reports
4% 2023

The need to cater for different use cases rising by nearly half is a standout finding here,
but another factor is also worth noting. Vendor requirements have now increased to the
point where they almost match the desire for cost saving, indicating that the option of
introducing a new database platform is sometimes driven by external pressures rather
than business imperatives or the bottom line. Examples of this effect include WordPress,
which requires a MySQL or MariaDB database, and Salesforce, which typically runs on
Oracle databases.

17
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Organizations need more than traditional

relational databases can offer
Whatever the challenges organizations face when introducing new database platforms,
the reason why they need them is clear: the expansion in data, new and different types of
data, and the rising complexity of that data.

Make no mistake – organizations still need to collect and store structured data like
financial records and customer information, hence the continuing dominance of
traditional relational databases like Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server and PostgreSQL. These
four have consistently taken the top spots in the DB-Engines ranking of database
management systems since DB-Engines was launched in late 2012.

Over the last decade, however, those four platforms have been joined in the ranking by
hundreds of other databases designed to store and analyze all of the different kinds of
data organizations now use. We can see why when we examine the top 12 databases in
the current DB-Engines ranking and review the variety of data they store:

The kinds of data stored in different database platforms

Microsoft Cassandra SQLite IBM Db2 Elasticsearch Snowflake

Access

Redis MongoDB Postgres SQL Server MySQL Oracle

Relational Semi-structured Unstructured Time-series Geospatial Graph

18
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Structured relational data has now been joined by semi-structured data in the form of
emails and HTML code, unstructured data like images and video files, time-series data
from edge devices such as smart meters, geospatial data for mapping, and graph data
from social media.

As a consequence, organizations are introducing additional database platforms which

are better suited to handling this data. So, while the top four (along with IBM Db2
and Microsoft Access) remain popular for relational data, others, like MongoDB and
Snowflake, are being introduced alongside them when additional forms of data enter
the picture. This effect is particularly notable when we look at the database platforms
organizations have introduced within the past two years:

The database platforms introduced within the past two years

Oracle

MySQL

SQL Server

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Redis

Snowflake

Elasticsearch

IBM Db2
Work in progress
SQLite

Cassandra Less than 12 months

Microsoft Access 1 to 2 years

Snowflake, the cloud-native database platform, supports most basic SQL data types,
but its real focus is on semi-structured, unstructured, time-series, numerical, string and
logical data. Similarly, MongoDB is particularly good at handling large volumes of semi-
structured and unstructured data. Other NoSQL databases like Redis and Elasticsearch
are also being introduced in greater numbers than Oracle and SQL Server.

It’s worth noting that the most popular databases being introduced within the last two
years, PostgreSQL and MySQL, are still relational. Organizations are typically moving
to open-source platforms to reduce licensing costs and support customization. And in
terms of overall numbers of instances, the top four from the DB-Engines ranking remain
far ahead of other database platforms. These new database platforms aren’t replacing
legacy platforms: they’re supplementing them.

19
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The challenges of working with different

database platforms are becoming
more complex
This need to handle more data, and more types of data, naturally brings obstacles when
it comes to introducing new database management systems. We’ve already seen that
skillset requirements, data integration complexities, monitoring and troubleshooting are
the biggest challenges. These challenges aren’t just limited to development teams. Since
2023 they’ve spread across the business, and IT/Ops, data science, infrastructure, BI and
security teams are now also far more likely to work across multiple database platforms.

One common approach to resolve this complexity is to use common, shared and
standardized practices that simplify workflows across teams. Unfortunately, only 32% of
respondents are working in organizations that promote cross-functional collaboration,
formal sharing, a continuous improvement culture, and communities of practice:

The sharing of practices across teams working with

different database management systems

Ad hoc sharing 19%

Limited sharing 18%

Informal sharing 17%

Cross-functional collaboration 16%

Partial sharing 14%

Formal sharing 7%

Continuous improvement culture 6%

Communities of practice 2%

This particular challenge calls for teams to share more practices, more widely, and seek
out processes to streamline workflows across different database platforms in order to
reduce the skillset requirements and the impact across multiple business functions.

20
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Another widespread approach to addressing the gap in skillsets involves equipping teams
with tools to remove, reduce or automate laborious processes, and standardize working
practices across multiple platforms. When asked which tools would benefit from support
across multiple platforms, the top two mentioned by around half of respondents are
database monitoring and performance tools, and database migration and integration tools:

Tools currently used that would benefit from

multiple platform support

Database monitoring & performance tools 56%

Database migration & integration tools 48%

Query optimizaton solutions 42%

Database automation & management tools 40%

Database development & collaboration solutions 35%

Database security & compliance software 30%

Other 2%

Redgate’s multi-platform solutions

With 56% of respondents saying they currently use database monitoring &
performance tools that would benefit from multi-platform support, Redgate
Monitor could be the answer, with full compatibility with both SQL Server and
PostgreSQL.

Try Redgate Monitor for free

Meanwhile, 40% and 35% want cross-database automation, management &

development tools, which is where Redgate Flyway comes in.

Try Redgate Flyway for free

Using our tools for tasks such as database change management (Flyway) and
monitoring (Monitor) helps to improve workflows, reduce operational costs and
lower skills gaps.

21
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

A sizeable minority of organizations are

sticking with one database platform
Finally, we want to highlight the 26% of organizations who are sticking with one database
platform. They form a sizeable minority, up from the 21% we saw in last year’s survey.
And for good reason. Half have deliberated on introducing another platform, but the need
has not yet arisen. They’re happy with the database platform they have.

There are also big – and rising – concerns about the challenges of adopting multiple
platforms. Concerns about the costs have more than doubled over the last year, security
and compliance issues have also doubled, and worries about licensing have more than
trebled. It’s clear that organizations are balancing the potential advantages with the
challenges…and in some cases deciding not to move forward.

The challenges influencing the decision not to

adopt multiple platforms

53%
Need has not arisen
51%

30%
Concerns around cost
13%

23%
Licensing
7%

21%
Security and compliance issues
10%

15%
Concerns around the lack of support
11%

11%
Vendor Lock in
4%
2024
7%
Bugs
2% 2023

Advance your PostgreSQL learning

Stay up-to-date with Redgate’s articles, webinars and training courses

See all the resources

22
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Addressing the skills

gap has never been
more important
Professional development has now become a major priority for the IT
industry, with the IT skills gap widely understood to be a challenge.

Rapid changes in technology over the last decade, and the use of more
and more different systems, have seen organizations in every sector
struggling to narrow the gap.

Multiple database platforms are now the norm, along with hybrid cloud
and on-premises database estates. AI has changed the game, bringing
opportunities as well as pitfalls. Data privacy and security makes
complying with regulations challenging, while also presenting
reputational risk.

So how can we better equip data professionals to understand and work

more effectively in today’s complex IT environments? What professional
development opportunities are offered, and are most beneficial? How
can we better understand the ‘gap’ in ‘IT skills gap’, and how can we
overcome it?

23
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

THE FAST FACTS

Skills gap
Throughout this report, the need to improve skillsets and training and bring in more
advanced development practices has been a recurring theme. The last decade has seen
the introduction of multiple database platforms, the widespread adoption of the cloud
and the emergence of AI, but professional development has remained in stasis. The
opportunities on offer no longer match what developers and data professionals need
and want, and only half of organizations proactively provide these opportunities,
despite the fact that there is a recognized IT skills gap.

The skills gap will be different across organizations and sectors, depending on the
makeup of their IT infrastructure, so it would be prudent for them to understand where
their own gaps are and seek ways to remedy them. The IT Skills Gap Report from Forbes
is a good place to start, covering the latest methods and approaches.

A Online courses are the most popular professional A The top three barriers preventing individuals
development opportunity offered by 64% of from participating in professional development
organizations, followed by external training are lack of time, lack of financial support, and
courses (44%), in-house training programs (43%), limited availability of relevant training
and conferences and seminars (41%)
A 32% of individuals have a professional
A The most beneficial opportunities are online development budget representing 3% or more
courses (71%), external training courses (70%), of their salary, but 46% are limited to ad hoc or
conferences and seminars (67%), and in-house low-cost requests
training programs (63%)
A The top additional professional development
A There’s a mismatch between the provision of opportunities individuals would value
professional development opportunities and are advanced technical training, industry
how often data professionals would prefer to certifications, and soft skills like leadership,
access them, with 44% of individuals preferring teamwork and networking
these opportunities to happen weekly or monthly,
compared with the 27% of organizations offering A The top three resources necessary to further IT
them at this frequency, while 54% are only offered skills are software tools (55%), online forums
opportunities annually or rarely and communities (44%), and a budget for
external courses (42%)

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 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The pace of learning is lagging behind the

pace of change
That’s not to say organizations have dropped the ball – they haven’t. Many do offer
professional development opportunities in lots of different ways:

Professional development opportunities offerered

Online courses (eg, Coursera, Udemy) 64%

External training courses 44%

In-house training programs 43%

Conferences and seminars 41%

Subscription services (eg, OReilly, PluralSight) 31%

Certification programs 27%

Mentoring and coaching 26%

“I knew I wanted to switch careers, so I prioritized learning and

making connections in the industry. I took advantage of free and
inexpensive resources like books, articles and forums – YouTube
and TikTok didn’t exist in the mid-1990s, but today an unbelievable
amount of free resources are available online.”

Kathi Kellenberger
Former Customer Success Engineer, Redgate

The Redgate Hub

Free articles, courses and videos covering a huge variety of topics

Visit the Redgate Hub

25
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Clearly there are a lot of opportunities across varied learning mechanisms, with two
thirds of organizations offering online courses, and around four in ten providing external
training courses, in-house training programs, and access to conferences and seminars,
alongside subscription services, certification programs, mentoring and coaching.
Satisfaction rates are also fairly high:

The most beneficial professional development

opportunities over the last 12 months

Online courses (eg, Coursera, Udemy) 71% 23% 6%

External training courses 70% 23% 7%

Conferences and seminars 67% 27% 6%

In-house training 63% 27% 10%

Subscription learning services 63% 28% 9%

Mentoring and coaching 60% 32% 8%

Certification programs 58% 33% 9%

Very or somewhat beneficial Neutral Not very beneficial

Again, this paints a good (if not perfect) picture. Professional development opportunities
are available, and the majority of participants find them beneficial. But arguably it’s not
enough, given that the much-discussed skills gap still exists.

26
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

What’s holding your people back?

While many organizations do offer professional development opportunities, they often
fall short when it comes to the frequency at which these opportunities are provided, the
barriers their people face when trying to participate, and the budgets available to take
advantage of opportunities. Reviewing the frequency of opportunities, for example, we
can see that there’s a mismatch between what’s on offer and what people prefer:

How often opportunities for professional development are provided

14%
Weekly
10%

30%
Monthly
17%

35%
Quarterly
20%

17%
Annually
26%

4%
Rarely/Never
28%
Preferred
6%
Unsure
6% Provided

44% would like weekly or monthly professional development opportunities, for example,
but only 27% of organizations are providing such opportunities this frequently. Over
a third (35%) would appreciate quarterly opportunities, compared with the 20% of
organizations providing professional development once a quarter. Perhaps most
importantly, 54% of organizations provide opportunities only annually or rarely/never,
while only 21% of data professionals prefer such infrequent opportunities for learning
and development.

For 77% of organizations, data-driven transformation is a strategic

goal – but 45% report lack of data skills/data literacy being a barrier.

IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Redgate, Simplifying Complexity and Delivering Business Value: Making
Database DevOps Work in the Real World, doc #EUR252966324, January 2025

27
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

When we explore the barriers to participating, the biggest challenge by far is lack of time
at 67%, followed by lack of financial support at 39%:

The barriers faced when participating in

professional development activities

Lack of time 67%

Lack of financial support 39%

Limited availability of relevant training 29%

Lack of management support 22%

Personal reasons 15%

Other 3%

Given that 44% of people would like professional development opportunities to be

provided weekly or monthly, this is a relevant – and telling – finding. People don’t just
need opportunities; they also need dedicated time away from their day jobs to take
advantage of them.

Lack of financial support can be seen when we look at the budgets organizations provide
for professional development opportunities. For a lucky third (32%), that budget ranges
between 3% to more than 10% of their salary. For 22%, it’s 2% or less of their salary. The
remaining 46% are limited to ad hoc or low-cost requests, or no budget at all.

Average annual professional development budget

for each team member

More than 10% of salary 5%

6% to 10% of salary 10%

3% to 5% of salary 17%

2% or less of salary 22%

Ad hoc, case-by-case basis 19%

Limited to low cost, one-off requests 11%

There is no development budget 16%

28
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

What can push your people forward?

The professional development opportunities offered today haven’t changed significantly
over the past decade. A range of courses are available online, in-house or externally,
with some opportunities to attend conferences or seminars, for those who firstly have a
training budget and secondly are given the opportunity. However, organizations haven’t
kept pace with the kinds of opportunities their people would like to see:

The additional professional development opportunities

employees would like to participate in

Advanced technical training 70%

Industry certifications 39%

Leadership and management training 38%

Soft skills (eg, communication, teamwork) 35%

Networking opportunities with peers 29%

Top of the list by a wide margin is advanced technical training – people want to upskill
faster and further with more complex and in-depth training. Perhaps most importantly,
they also want leadership and management training, soft skills and networking
opportunities, as well as industry certifications. Interestingly, where tight budgets are
concerned, some of these opportunities (like networking opportunities with peers) can
be achieved without significant cost.

“We continue to invest in education and content, and events like PASS
Data Community Summit, where we welcome a range of diverse and
experienced voices to share their skills and describe how they’ve
overcome common database challenges.”

Cassi Roper,
Chief Revenue Officer, Redgate

29
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

When asked about the resources they need to further their skills, people are looking
beyond the usual suspects:

The resources or tools necessary to further skills

Software tools 55%

Online forums and communities 44%

Budget for external courses 42%

In person events 42%

In person, peer-to-peer engagement 40%

Books and manuals 39%

Access to databases 28%

Over half (55%) want software tools that can help them do their jobs more efficiently
by removing laborious, manual tasks. They also want access to online forums and
communities, and in-person events to improve their networking skills. And, naturally,
they want a budget for external courses.

This ties in with The IT Skills Gap Report from Forbes, which found that training
methods have moved on. A third (34%) of businesses are investing in internal training
programs that help to create a culture of continuous learning. Over a quarter (28%) are
collaborating with educational institutions like universities to bridge the gap between
the IT skills their current workforce have and what they need, now and for the future.
Soft skills are also now firmly on the agenda; the leading three requests in this space are
problem solving and analytical thinking, adaptability and the willingness to learn,
and teamwork in the form of collaboration, cooperation and conflict resolution.

Forward-thinking organizations are now looking beyond the traditional methods to upskill
their employees, using a variety of strategies and experiential learning approaches like
hands-on labs, games and hackathons to enhance their professional
development efforts.

30
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Artificial intelligence:
a cautious welcome
Artificial intelligence has been the biggest business disruptor since the
launch of the internet, and the fastest too. It was only in June 2022 that
GitHub released its AI ‘pair programmer’, Copilot, built on OpenAI’s Codex
API. OpenAI followed this up with the launch of ChatGPT in November
2022, adding the ability to generate text and images as well as code.
Since then, it’s been open season for AI, with numerous businesses
launching tools, services, features and capabilities to take advantage
of this disruption, all promising to do things faster, better, smarter.

In many ways, the shift has been welcome, replacing minor and laborious
tasks with a few clicks or a short prompt. In other ways, it’s been less
welcome, with concerns around copyright and data privacy, unintentional
bias, a lack of transparency about the algorithms used, and AI’s ability
to generate ‘hallucinated’ and fake content.

But what about data professionals? When it comes to streamlining

processes in database management, how welcome is AI? What
tasks is it being used for, and what are the benefits gained?
What concerns do data professionals have? What
does the future hold?

31
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

THE FAST FACTS

Artificial intelligence
While AI presents a lot of promise, with its ability to streamline tasks, automate
processes and standardize workflows, there are also understandable concerns around
its use. Data security and accuracy are the most important concerns, followed by ethical
considerations, regulatory compliance, and training and expertise. Hence only 15%
of organizations are using AI to help with database management. Among that 15%,
however, the majority have relied on it to some degree – and 84% say that it’s improved
their productivity. In the next two years, the majority of organizations predict AI will have
a positive impact across their business.

A Only 15% of organizations are using AI in the A Concerns about using AI have risen, with
context of database management, down from 61% of organizations citing data security and
20% in 2023 privacy, up from 41% in 2023, and 57% citing
accuracy, up from 37% in 2023
A The top three tasks AI is being used for are code
reviews, query optimization, and data modeling & A Users are far more positive about AI than
schema design their organizations, with 60% extensively or
moderately relying on it – and 84% say it has
A The top three benefits experienced by significantly or somewhat improved their
organizations using AI are automation (47%), the productivity
streamlining of tasks (45%), and standardization
(42%) A 70% of those using AI state that they’re likely
or very likely to adopt more AI tools in the next
A While enhanced security was cited by 40% of one to two years
organizations as a main benefit of using AI in
2023, this has dropped sharply to 25% in 2024 A Across all organizations, more than half think
AI will have a positive impact on internal
processes, DevOps performance, saleable
products, and careers in the next two years

32
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Organizational adoption of AI is slow

Across many sectors, AI has been widely embraced and often boasted about. It’s seen
by some as a badge of honor to have adopted it. At the moment, however, database
management professionals are telling a different story:

Have you used AI in the context of database management?

15%
Yes
20%

42%
No, but we are considering it
35%

30%
No, and we have no plans to do so
32%

12%
AI isn't applicable to our current environment
10%

2024
1%
Other
3% 2023

The already low percentage of 20% we saw using AI in 2023 dropped to 15% in 2024,
although the percentage of those considering using it rose. Those who did adopt it,
however, used it widely:

The tasks AI is being used for

Code review 46%

Query optimization 45%

Data modeling and schema design 33%

Synthetic data generation 28%

Predictive analytics 28%

Natural language interfaces 27%

Automating database management 23%

Anomaly detection and security 23%

Data quality assurance 20%

Data indexing and search 17%

Data backup and recovery 14%

33
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

There’s clearly significant interest in using AI across every database management

task, from code reviews and query optimization, through synthetic data generation and
predictive analytics, to data quality and assurance, and data backups. This trend is
broadly repeated among the 42% who are considering using it, demonstrating that AI
does indeed have a wide appeal.

Balancing the benefits and concerns

surrounding AI
Those who have used AI in database management have seen major benefits in every
area although, notably, its effectiveness at enhancing security has fallen since 2023.

The main benefits you and your organizations experience using AI

45%
Streamlining tasks / efficiency
41%

47%
Automation
41%

25%
Enhanced security
40%

42%
Standardization
39%

32%
Optimized database performance
35%

28%
Advanced insights
27%

2024
4%
None
6% 2023

34
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

AI can help streamline and automate tasks, standardize working practices, optimize
database performance and provide advanced insights. All of this sounds like good news
until we look at the concerns data professionals shared about using AI:

Concerns about using AI

61%
Data security and privacy
41%

57%
Accuracy and reliability
37%

32%
Training / expertise
29%

35%
Ethical concerns
27%

32%
Regulatory compliance
25%

26%
Maintenance and support
21%

20%
Performance overhead
18%

16%
Interoperability and integration
16%

14%
Incompatibility
14%
2024
11%
None of the above 2023
10%

The top two concerns around data security and accuracy are the most important, and both
have increased by around half since 2023. Ethical concerns have also risen to the third
spot, and regulatory compliance is now in fourth spot, tying with training and expertise.

Quite simply, organizations are worried. Databases contain data, and the security and
privacy of that data is vital to their businesses, as is the accuracy and reliability of any
measures taken to store, analyze and manage it.

35
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Users are more positive about AI than

organizations
Among the 15% who have used AI for database management, in many cases its adoption
appears to have been informal, rather than formal. When asked about training or
guidance, for example, just under half had not received any:

Have you received any formal training or guidance

from your organization on using AI?

No Yes
48% 52%

Similarly, access to AI tools is sporadic, with 43% limited to an approved list of tools that
offer enterprise licenses, and the remaining 57% having a number of different choices:

What access does your organization provide to AI tools?

Limited to approved list of tools with enterprise licenses 43%

Personal subscriptions to AI tools paid for 29%

Open access, although subscriptions not paid for 18%

Encouraged to seek out and use any free AI tools of interest 9%

Security top of mind as Redgate rolls out new AI capability

Data security was top priority for the Redgate Test Data Manager team while
developing the product’s AI-enhanced data generation capability, which is
currently in beta. Unlike open GPTs, your data stays yours, at all times.

Read the full article

36
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The overall mood about the use of AI, however, is positive in terms of the ways
respondents have relied on it, and its effects on productivity. 60%, for example, have
extensively or moderately relied on AI, while 26% have minimally relied on it:

In your current role, how much have you relied on AI

over the last 3-6 months?

Extensively relied on AI 24%

Moderately relied on AI 35%

Minimally relied on AI 26%

Not at all relied on AI 15%

84% of those who have used AI found that it has significantly or somewhat improved
their productivity. That’s a significant outcome for any organization:

How has the use of AI impacted your productivity?

Significantly improved 36%

Somewhat improved 48%

No change 8%

Somewhat decreased 3%

Significantly decreased 4%

“AI-driven optimizations in Oracle, SQL Server,

PostgreSQL, and MySQL help automate
tasks like query optimization,
coding and indexing.”

Kellyn Gorman
Advocate & Engineer at Redgate

Read the full article

37
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The attraction of AI tools also looks set to continue, with over two thirds (70%) stating
they’re likely or very likely to adopt more tools in the near future:

How likely are you to adopt more AI tools in your

role in the next 1-2 years?

Very likely 27%

Likely 42%

Neutral 21%

Unlikely 5%

Very unlikely 4%

What does AI mean for Redgate?

"Time-forecasting predictions, synthetic data generation, utilizing ChatGPT to
help write SQL queries…that’s just a sample of what Redgate is doing with AI
right now, in the knowledge that any AI solutions we create support human
workflows rather than replacing them."

Jeff Foster
Director of Technology & Innovation at Redgate

Read the full article

38
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Organizations are positive about the impact

of AI in the next two years
There’s a clear mismatch between organizations (who are cautious about introducing
AI to database management) and users (the vast majority of whom have found that
AI improves productivity). However, there’s a strong signal that both sides will meet
somewhere in the middle. When asked about the impact of AI on internal processes,
DevOps performance, saleable products, and careers in the next two years, the majority
opinion is positive:

The impact of AI in the next 1-2 years

Don't know

No impact

Negative impact

Positive impact

Internal processes/ The speed and Saleable Your career

software performance of products/
DevOps processes solutions

It appears that while organizations are playing catch up to address their concerns about
data privacy and reliability, over half will be adopting AI for database management use
cases in the next two years.

39
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The cloud outlook

is clearing
Ever since Amazon first launched AWS with its Elastic Compute (EC2)
service in 2006, the cloud has been a popular topic. The potential for
business is huge, with the promise of instant scalability, high availability,
and cost efficiencies compared with on-premises hosting environments.

However, there are also downsides to the cloud, including performance

issues, resource optimization and data privacy. And, perhaps surprisingly,
the biggest downside: cost management. While the cloud can introduce
cost efficiencies, it can also be difficult to control and manage ongoing
cloud costs.

So, while the cloud remains an attractive option, it’s not the panacea it
was once seen as. With that in mind, how has cloud adoption changed
over the last five or so years? What are organizations’ future plans when
it comes to cloud migration? How are they balancing the potential of the
cloud with the concerns and challenges once they reach it? And why are
a sizeable minority of organizations keeping their data on-premises?

40
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

THE FAST FACTS

The cloud
After a meteoric rise in popularity, the cloud is beginning to lose its shine, with
respondents whose data is entirely or mostly in the cloud falling from 36% in 2023
to 30%. While scalability, high availability and cost efficiency are still big drivers for
migrating to the cloud, these promises are balanced by concerns once the cloud is
reached. Chief among these concerns is, perhaps surprisingly, cost management,
followed by performance issues and resource optimization. As a result, the rush to the
cloud has slowed, and high-level, mid-level and low-level groupings of cloud users have
emerged, with each group having their own valid business reasons for their position.

A 30% of organizations now host their databases A For organizations using the cloud, 63% see
all or mostly in the cloud, down from 36% in 2023, cost management as their biggest challenge,
while 34% host their databases all or mostly on- followed by performance issues (40%) and
premises, up from 31% in 2023 resource optimization (37%)

A 46% of organizations plan a hybrid future for A While 59% of individuals feel they have the
cloud adoption, up from 36% in 2023, while 30% necessary skills to manage databases in
have already fully migrated to the cloud or plan to the cloud, 19% do not, and a further 23%
migrate are unsure, highlighting a further gap in
appropriate skills to manage the shifting
A The top three reasons for hosting databases in database landscape
the cloud persist: scalability and flexibility (up
to 70% from 48% in 2023); high availability and A The top three areas where organizations
reliability (up to 62% from 45% in 2023); and cost are planning to invest in their cloud strategy
efficiency (up to 42% from 34% in 2023) are security (61%), automation (59%), and
monitoring (49%)
A The top three reasons to reduce cloud usage
are cost management (39%), data privacy and
security (26%), and performance issues (22%)

41
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Three distinct cloud users emerge

The move to the cloud has been well documented by many sources. The decision to host
databases in the cloud or on-premises, however, has been in flux for years. While some
organizations have fully embraced the cloud, others have been less certain, year on year:

Where production databases are hosted

Low-level users - 31% Mid-level users - 33% High-level users - 36%

37%

33% 33%

28%
27%
26%

22%
20%
19%
18% 18% 18%
17%
16%
15%
13%
12%
11%
10%

7%

All on-premises Mostly on-premises A combination of Mostly cloud All cloud

cloud and on-premises

2020 2021 2023 2024

Back in 2020, 18% of organizations were all cloud or mostly cloud, and this rose to 36%
by 2023. At the same time, all or mainly on-premises usage fell from 53% in 2020 to 31%
in 2023. We also see around a third keeping feet in both camps, using a combination of
cloud and on-premises. In 2024, this picture has become a lot more balanced, with what
looks like a correction taking place. All or mainly cloud usage has fallen to 30%, while on-
premises usage has increased to 34%, and those taking the middle position have risen to
37%. Three kinds of cloud users have emerged: high-level, mid-level, and low-level. Each
takes up around a third of the market, and all have their own reasons behind their
hosting choices.

High-level users want the scalability and high availability of the cloud to easily handle
fluctuations in traffic and load, or the ability to scale up their business very quickly
without high capital expenditure. Low-level users are likely to have predictable workloads
and demands, and stable platforms. Around half of these users have stayed mostly on-
premises while exploring the cloud for greenfield projects, with the other half preferring
to stay on-premises. And that third of mid-level users with one foot in each option?
They want the best of both worlds.

42
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The future is in the cloud…and on-premises

This picture, where hosting choices are split between high-level, mid-level and low-level
cloud users, looks set to continue in the future. In terms of the priorities organizations
place in cloud transformation, there’s a lot of interest, with 46% stating this as a high
or very high priority, 27% considering it a moderate priority, and 13% treating it as
a slight priority:

The priority your organization places in cloud transformation

To a very high extent 20%

To a high extent 26%

To a moderate extent 27%

To a slight extent 13%

I don't know 7%

Not at all 6%

When it comes to future plans, however, they’re more measured, with around half (46%)
planning to continue with a hybrid approach, up from 36% in 2023. Meanwhile, 30% have
already fully migrated to the cloud or plan to migrate, and 25% have no migration plans or
are still evaluating their options:

Future plans regarding cloud adoption

46%
Hybrid approach
36%

19%
Full migration
19%

14%
Evaluating options
17%

11%
No migration plans
15%
2024
11%
Already fully migrated
6% 2023

43
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

When asked about the factors prompting organizations to reduce cloud usage or
move towards on-premises, 41% of respondents had no plans to reduce usage, leaving
59% who are unsure. The leading reason among more than a third (at 39%) is cost
management, with data privacy and security cited by just over a quarter (26%):

The factors driving the decision to reduce cloud

usage or move towards on-premises

My organization is not looking to reduce usage 41%

Cost management 39%

Data privacy and security 26%

Performance issues 22%

Resource optimization 18%

Regulatory compliance 16%

Vendor lock-in 9%

Misaligned expectations between teams 6%

Other 1%

The conclusion from this data is that the cloud still offers lots of promise, but it’s not the
single destination every organization wants to head for. Instead, they’re recognizing that
high-level, mid-level or low-level cloud user personas exist, offering them the flexibility
to choose their usage based on their specific business needs and the unique challenges
they face.

The big lie - cost saving in the cloud

"Don’t get me wrong; it is possible to save on infrastructure spending
by making use of cloud computing. But effort is required to achieve
this, and many organizations don’t bother. Either there’s a naivety
about what’s involved, or someone makes a call based
on numbers and sets an arbitrary deadline."

John Q Martin
Technical Training Manager, Redgate

Read the full article

44
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

The cloud remains appealing – and

challenging
We’ve seen that two thirds of organizations are fairly evenly split between high-level and
mid-level cloud usage, though factors like cost management and data security remain
major concerns. They like the cloud, they want to host databases in the cloud, and when
asked why, their reasons are immediately apparent:

Primary reasons for hosting databases in the cloud

70%
Scalability and flexibility
48%

62%
High availability and reliability
45%

42%
Cost efficiency
34%

41%
Ease of management
32%

38%
Data backup and disaster recovery
30%

33%
Data security and compliance
26%

30%
Global accessibility
25%
2024
25%
Integration with other cloud services 2023
14%

Scalability, high availability and cost efficiency remain in the top three spots, and notably
there has been an increase across every measure since last year. The cloud is seen
as the route to resolving many database issues, from ease of management, through
backups and data security, to global accessibility.

“What the cloud excels at in 2024, which wasn’t even possible in

1999, is its level of automation, scalability, and integration.”

Hamish Watson
DevOps Alchemist, Morph It lTD

45
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

That’s not to say, however, that everything is easy in cloudland. While the promise of the
cloud remains as appealing as ever, the challenges organizations face when managing
the journey persist:

Challenges organizations face managing databases in the cloud

Cost management 63%

Performance issues 40%

Resource optimization 37%

Data privacy and security 32%

Regulatory compliance 20%

Vendor lock-in 18%

Misaligned expectations between teams 16%

Cost management is the number one challenge, experienced by two thirds of

organizations. We saw earlier that cost efficiency is the third biggest reason for
migrating to the cloud. However, it can be hard to effectively manage costs once the
cloud migration journey is complete, and this is the leading factor prompting a reduction
in cloud usage.

Organizations also cite performance issues (40%) and resource optimization (37%) as
major challenges. Data privacy and regulatory compliance also come into the picture as
a major concern for organizations subject to data regulations.

46
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

There’s still work to be done in terms

of managing the cloud
Managing databases in the cloud is hard, particularly for DBAs and data teams who are
accustomed to managing on-premises databases. The cloud requires a different skillset,
as illustrated by our survey respondents’ views when they were asked if they had
those skills:

Do you feel you have the

Unsure
necessary skills to manage 23%
databases in the cloud? Yes
No 59%
19%

59% do, which is good. 19% state they don’t, which is a concern but it’s an identified gap
which can be rectified. What’s more worrying is the 23% who aren’t sure. We saw earlier
that skillset requirements and individual/team training are the biggest challenge for 57%
of organizations when managing different technologies. The same challenge exists for
the cloud, with 41% of organizations working with team members who either don’t have
the skills or simply don’t know if they’re up to the challenge.

Fortunately, many organizations already have plans in place for more investment in their
cloud database strategies across a number of different areas. Top of the list are security,
automation and monitoring, with backup solutions and test data management also cited
as important:

Areas your organization plans to invest more in a

cloud database strategy

Security 61%

Automation 59%

Monitoring 49%

Backup solutions 43%

Unsure 21%

Test data management 23%

No plans to invest more 8%

47
 2025 State of the Database Landscape

Methodology
Conducted in late 2024, Redgate’s State of the Database Landscape survey was
launched to discover how enterprises and businesses everywhere are using data and
addressing cross-database development, where DevOps comes into the picture, how
far and wide cloud adoption has become, and what impact AI has had on
development practices.

From the C-level to Architects and Analysts, DBAs to Developers, just under 2,500 IT
professionals from businesses of every size and sector around the world responded.
The results offer a unique and informed insight into the challenges they face.
Importantly, they also reveal just how complex and varied the database landscape
now is, and what IT leaders need to address to stay ahead in the coming years.

Demographics
Sector
Software & Technology 22%

Banking/Finance/Insurance 19%

Healthcare 11%

Other 48%

Company size
Small-medium sized enterprise 25%

Mid-sized enterprise 35%

Large-sized enterprise 20%

Major enterprise 19%

Region
The Americas 50%

Europe, the Middle East & Africa 35%

Asia-Pacific 15%

48
End-to-end Database DevOps
Redgate creates ingeniously simple software to help organizations
and professionals get the most value out of any database, anywhere,
through the provision of end-to-end Database DevOps.

redgate.com/Solutions