One of the challenges for both database developers and administrators is doing more, often with less. Many companies continue to grow their database estate, both in width with more platforms, and in depth with more instances of the platforms they have.  Some companies will look to shrink their staff, especially when adopting a cloud platform, while others may add more databases, but not increase staffing to match the additional load.

In either case, what many have found over the years is that the cost of labor is high. Both for developers that write code against databases, and administrators that manage those platforms. While licensing can seem to be a large number, compared to the cost of labor, it isn't usually a significant number.

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