Research wire salarysurvey-2009

WHAT ORACLE
TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS EARN:
THE 2009 IOUG SALARY SURVEY
The Premier Survey for Information Management Salaries

By Joseph McKendrick, Analyst
Produced by Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc .
August 2009

Sponsored by Produced by

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Database Administrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Analysts and Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

IT Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

What Oracle Technology Professionals Earn: The 2009 IOUG Salary Survey was produced by Unisphere Research and sponsored by Ntirety. Unisphere Research is the market research unit
of Unisphere Media, a Division of Information Today, Inc., publishers of Database Trends and Applications magazine and the 5 Minute Briefing newsletters. To review abstracts of our past reports,
visit www.dbta.com/research. Unisphere Media, 229 Main Street, Chatham, NJ 07928. Tel: 973-665-1120, Fax: 973-665-1124, Email: Tom@dbta.com, Web: www.dbta.com.
Join the IOUG—If you're not already an IOUG member and would like to continue receiving key information like this, visit the IOUG at w3.ioug.org/join/today for information on how to join
this dynamic user community for Oracle applications and database professionals.
Sponsored by the Ntirety, Inc., www.ntirety.com. For over eight years, Ntirety has provided its Database Administration AS A Service® -Remote Database Administration utilizing innovative
technology, staffed by U.S. based database experts, delivering 98% Customer Satisfaction level and yielding outstanding ROI.
Data collection and analysis performed with SurveyMethods.

3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Key findings include the following:
The economy over the past year has been turbulent, marked ■ Overall, the average base salary reported within this survey is
by painful cutbacks in many sectors. However, Oracle technology about $96,000 a year. There has been some movement upward
professionals appear to be weathering the storm. A new survey in salary ranges over the past year. About a third now report
shows Oracle professionals reporting more robust compensation making more than $100,000, up from 30 percent in last year’s
this year over last, with companies placing a high premium on survey. (See Figure 1.)
database administrators. Database administrator (DBA) salaries ■ At least 44 percent of Oracle technology professionals and
remained steady, and more bonuses were seen. Specialties managers report they received some type of bonus over the
drawing the highest salaries this year include multi-terabyte past year as well. The average bonus for all the positions
database and storage management. covered in the survey is $7,566. More professionals are seeing
The role of the database administrator is expanding, and this increased bonuses. About half, 45 percent, say their annual
is being reflected in the compensation companies are offering for bonuses topped the $5,000 mark, well over the 35 percent that
this position. Bonuses are up, and premiums are being offered to saw these levels in last year’s survey. (See Figure 2.)
DBAs that are managing larger, complex sites. In addition, these ■ While most Oracle technology professionals seem to have
professionals are assuming a wider range of specialties and skirted the worst of the economic downturn, more than a
responsibilities, which provide greater opportunities for quarter did see some kind of impact on their day-to-day jobs.
compensation growth. About 16 percent saw their jobs restructured to incorporate
Still, a sizeable segment of professionals saw changes in their more responsibilities, and four percent say they were moved to
jobs as a result of economic conditions, and many remain another part of the business. (See Figure 3.)
concerned about the impact of tighter budgets on their
departments’ performance. While many respondents’ jobs were unaffected by the recent
A new survey conducted among 481 members of the economy, leaner budgets have not made their jobs any easier. One
Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG) by Unisphere Research, in respondent, for example, reported that there has been a
partnership with Ntirety, finds an increase in the number of Oracle noticeable “increase in work pressure. They’re now seeking full
technology professionals are near or surpassing the $100,000 mark dedication and error-free performance. To keep our jobs in the
in their base salaries. The average salary for all the positions covered safe zone, we need to be creative and implement new ideas that
in this survey is $95,900. More professionals are making more than are profitable and revenue generators.”
$100,000 a year. A third now make more than this benchmark, up Another respondent says that the economy has put a crimp
from 30 percent in the survey a year ago. (See Figure 1.) into training and development efforts. “We have no funding for
Oracle technology professionals covered in this survey include conferences, and only minimal funding for training and books to
database administrators, analysts and developers, and IT learn,” she says. “It’s often necessary to just figure things out with
managers. Each category is covered in detail within the pages of little or no training or reference materials.”
this report. More than half of the respondents overall are DBAs, Still another respondent reported that his team is “now
and 16 percent are analyst/developers. Respondents came from a supporting almost twice the number of databases as compared to
wide range of company sizes and types. One out of three is from before the economic downturn.” The IT manager at a university
a smaller organization with fewer than 1,000 employees. About reports that his team is looking to consolidate database and IT
16 percent come from IT service firms, and 14 percent are with operations between departments. “We now offer storage
government organizations. One out of 10 represent the utility, virtualization in an effort to reduce hardware and maintenance
communications, and transportation sector. By region, 87 percent expenditures by schools, colleges and departments.”
of respondents come from the United States or Canada. Only Some respondents may even see a silver lining in the economic
North American results were included in the salary statistics crunch: “The economic downturn did not affect us directly,” says
shown in this report. (See Figures 24-27 in the Demographics a respondent. “But, indirectly, it helps us to maintain low level of
section at the end of this report.) attrition and high team-build skills.”


4

Figure 1: Average Annual Base Compensation for
Oracle Technology Professionals
(Includes DBA, analysts/developers, 2008 2009
and managers)
Average=$95,880 4%
Less than $60,000 5%

23%
$60,000-$80,000 21%

43%
$80,001-$100,000 41%

30%
More than $100,000
33%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Figure 2: Average Annual Bonuses for 2008-2009 for
Oracle Technology Professionals
(Includes DBA, analysts/developers, 2008 2009
and managers)
Average=$7,566 25%
Less than $1,000 6%

16%
$1,000-$2,500 25%

17%
$2,501-$5,000
25%

39%
More than $5,000
45%

0 20 40 60 80 100


5

Figure 3: Impact of Economic Conditions on Respondents’ Jobs

No impact on job 68%

Job restructured—more responsibilities 16%

Laid off 5%

Temporary furlough/days without pay 4%

Job restructured—moved to 4%
another department/unit

Job restructured—responsibilities 2%
moved to outsourcer

Job restructured—fewer responsibilities 1%

Don't know/unsure 2%

Other 4%

0 20 40 60 80 100


6

DATABASE ADMINISTRATORS
command higher-than-average salaries, close to $98,400 a year.
The recent economic downturn may have taken its toll on IT (See Figure 7.)
operations, but companies continued to place a high premium It’s well understood that experience pays off, and the survey
on database administrators. DBA salaries remained steady, and documents the salary growth that can be seen through a DBA’s
more bonuses were seen. Specialties drawing the highest career. In fact, DBA salaries grow by a third above the entry-level
salaries this year include multi-terabyte database and storage rate of about $80,000 (for those with less than five years’
management. experience). By the time a DBA has more than two decades’
DBAs—who cover the operational aspects of database sites— worth of experience, he or she sees an average base salary of close
now average near $95,000 in base salary, the survey finds. Salaries to $107,000 a year. (See Figure 8.)
for this class of professionals have remained consistent over the More experienced DBAs also are more likely to express
past year. Overall, a large segment, 48 percent, report salaries in satisfaction in their jobs, the survey finds. Twenty-three percent
the range of $85,000 to $110,000. The level of those making more of DBAs with more than a decade on the job report they are
than $100,000 has remained unchanged since last year, remaining “extremely satisfied” with their jobs, compared to 18 percent of
at about 25 percent. (See Figure 4.) newer DBAs. This suggests that the DBA “burnout” discussed by
In this survey, about 59 percent of the DBA group say their some industry observers may not be as pronounced as feared.
salaries have notched upward over the past year. The economy (See Figure 9.)
took somewhat of a toll, however, as this is far lower than the 94 More experienced DBAs may have more job satisfaction due to
percent reporting increases a year ago. (See Figure 5.) In addition, the greater variety and richness of their job descriptions and
the percentage seeing salary increases topping five percent is only specialties. For example, more experienced DBAs are more likely
half of that from a year ago (eight percent). to have moved into high availability support (51 percent, versus
Along with their base compensation, 45 percent of the DBAs 42 percent of less-experienced counterparts), very large databases
participating in the survey report receiving bonuses in the 2008- (38 percent versus 28 percent), and Oracle Grid-based projects (36
2009 timeframe. This is an increase over 41 percent receiving percent versus 28 percent). Experienced DBAs also are more likely
bonuses in last year’s survey. While DBA base salaries held steady to be focused on business intelligence and data warehousing
in the thick of the economic downturn, some employers may efforts (26 percent versus 16 percent). In addition, more
have compensated for a lack of salary growth with additional experienced DBAs are more involved in project management as
bonus compensation. On average, these bonuses were about part of their jobs (33 percent versus 21 percent), team
$7,700, meaning that many DBAs had income topping $100,000 management (29 percent versus 22 percent). (See Figure 10.)
over the past year. The survey also tracked some growth over the Certification also boosts salary prospects for DBA, the survey
past year in terms of bonus compensation. For example, this year, confirms. However, a majority of DBA respondents, 59 percent,
37 percent of DBAs receiving bonuses say they were more than report that they hold no certifications. The survey asked
$5,000—up slightly from 37 percent a year ago. (See Figure 6.) respondents whether they hold certifications in a range of Oracle
The survey tracked the increasingly diverse role of the DBA. and general IT areas, including Oracle 10g and Oracle 9i. Overall,
Many respondents reported multiple specialties and those DBAs holding a certification report average base salaries of
responsibilities. Among specialty areas, those DBAs involved in close to $96,200, about two percent higher than those without
the management of very large databases—in the multi-terabyte certifications ($94,300). (See Figure 11.) There are also more
range—are the most well compensated in terms of specialty DBAs with certifications that exceed the $100,000 mark—30
area, the survey finds. Overall, 37 percent of the DBAs percent report salaries of more than $100,000, versus 24 percent
responding to this survey report they specialize in multi-terabyte of the non-certified DBAs responding to the survey.
sites, and their average base salary is more than $100,000. DBAs in larger companies are also likely to earn a little more
Corporate data stores are growing rapidly, and storage in average salaries. Respondents in larger organizations (with
management is another important area for today’s DBAs, more than 10,000 employees) average about $96,800, compared
ranking second in terms of compensation levels. Those DBAs to about $94,500 for those in mid-sized organizations.
specializing in storage management report average salaries of Interestingly, DBAs in smaller companies (with 1,000 employees
more than $98,500. About 28 percent of DBA survey or fewer) make a bit more than their mid-sized counterparts,
respondents work in this area. Oracle Grid specialists also averaging $95,100. (See Figure 12.)


7

Figure 4: DBA Base Salaries
Average=$94,920 2008 2009

7%
2%
$60,001-$65,000 4%
5%
$65,001-$70,000 3%

$70,001-$75,000 6%
3%

$75,001-$80,000 6%
11%

10%
$80,001-$85,000 12%
13%
$85,001-$90,000 9%

$90,001-$95,000 10%
11%

$95,001-$100,000 14%
17%

13%
$100,001-$110,000 11%
5%
$110,001-$120,000 9%

$121,001-$130,000 4%
2%

$130,001-$140,000 3%
1%

More than $140,000 3%
2%

0 20 40 60 80 100


8

Figure 5: Rate of Salary Increases for DBAs
2007-08 2008-09

6%
No increase
40%
5%
1%
4%

22%
2%
13%

31%
3%
26%

16%
4%
8%

12%
5%
4%

2%
6%
0%

6%
Greater than 6%
4%

0 20 40 60 80 100


9

Figure 6: DBA Bonuses
Average=$7,675 2008 2009

20%
Less than $500
2%

9%
$501-$1,000
6%
4%
$1,001-$1,500
7%

8%
$1,501-$2,000
7%

6%
$2,001-$2,500 12%
4%
$2,501-$3,000 5%

8%
$3,001-$3,500 4%

2%
$3,501-$4,000 2%

1%
$4,001-$4,500 6%

4%
$4,501-$5,000 10%

35%
More than $5,000 37%

0 20 40 60 80 100


10

Figure 7: DBA Salaries—By Area of Specialization
$Average Salary

Managing very large databases 37% $100,124
(1TB or more)
$98,505
Storage management 28%
$98,360
Oracle Grid 37%
$97,582
High availability/clustering/RAC 53%
Data warehouse/BI 20% $97,548

Middleware 18% $95,870
Multi-vendor DB management 34% $94,870

0 20 40 60 80 100

Figure 8: Average DBA Salaries—By Years of Job Experience

Less than 5 years $79,625

5-10 years $84,000

11-20 years $97,200

More than 20 years $106,770

0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K


11

Figure 9: DBAs “Extremely” Satisfied With Their Jobs
—By Years of Job Experience

10 years or less 18%
>10 years 23%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Figure 10: DBA Areas of Specialization or Focus
— By Experience Level
10 yrs. or less >10 yrs.

28%
Managing very large databases (1TB or more) 34%
22%

28%
Oracle Grid
34%
42%
High availability/clustering/RAC 51%
16%
Data warehouse/BI 26%
22%
Middleware 23%

24%
Multi-vendor DB management
34%
21%
Project management 33%

22%
Team/staff management 29%

0 20 40 60 80 100


12

Figure 11: Average DBA Salaries—By Certification

Certified $96,177

Not certified $94,276

0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K

Figure 12: Average DBA Salaries
—By Company Size (Number of Employees)

1-1,000 $95,127

1,001-10,000 $94,460

More than 10,000 $96,781

0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K


13

ANALYSTS AND DEVELOPERS
make close $86,000, or almost half more than their counterparts
Analysts and developers saw some salary and bonus growth with less than five years of experience. (See Figure 15.)
over the past year—though fewer received bonuses overall. Analysts/developers in larger companies fare much better than
For purposes of this survey, the categories of developers (or their counterparts in smaller organizations. Respondents with
programmers) and analysts are combined into a single category. organizations on 10,000 employees of more report average
Overall, the average base salary for this class of professionals is salaries of $100,000, compared to $74,300 among mid-sized
close to $82,000 this year. There has been some growth in the companies. (See Figure 16.)
percentage of analysts/developers making more than $100,000, There were fewer analysts/developers receiving bonuses over
the survey finds—from 13 percent a year ago to 16 percent today. the past year. In this survey, 27 percent report receiving a bonus
(See Figure 13.) for the 2008-2009 timeframe—down from 40 percent in the
But there has also been a decline in the percentage of survey from a year ago. However, those respondents that have
analysts/developers seeing their own salaries increase, the survey received bonuses have done well this year, the survey finds. The
finds. Last year, 91 percent of these professionals saw at least average bonus for the recent year was almost $9,000. A majority,
some raises in their base salaries. This year, 58 percent report 58 percent, reports that their bonuses had topped the $5,000
raises. The segment seeing raises topping the five percent mark is level, up significantly from last year. (See Figure 17.)
only half of the 12 percent that saw these kinds of raises a year While three out of four of the analysts/developers in the
ago. (See Figure 14.) survey report they spend most of their time in application
There is a significant difference between the salaries of entry- development, there are also sizeable segments spending time in
level analysts/developers versus those with more experience. On data warehousing/business intelligence initiatives, as well as basic
average, respondents with more than two decades’ experience project management activities. (See Figure 18.)


14

Figure 13: Developer and Analyst Base Salaries
Average=$81,942 2008 2009

22%
Less than $60,000 24%
14%
$60,001-$65,000 6%
8%
$65,001-$70,000 8%

$70,001-$75,000 9%
8%

$75,001-$80,000 4%
12%

12%
$80,001-$85,000 6%
6%
$85,001-$90,000 10%

$90,001-$95,000 10%
4%

$95,001-$100,000 1%
8%

4%
$100,001-$110,000 12%
3%
$110,001-$120,000 2%

$121,001-$130,000 6%
0%

$130,001-$140,000 0%
2%

More than $140,000 0%
0%

0 20 40 60 80 100


15

Figure 14: Rate of Salary Increases for Developers and Analysts
2007-08 2008-09

9%
No increase 39%

10%
1% 4%

19%
2% 10%

35%
3% 20%

5%
4%
14%

9%
5%
4%

3%
6%
0%

9%
Greater than 6%
6%

0 20 40 60 80 100


16

Figure 15: Average Analyst and Developers Salaries


5-10 years $83,338

11-20 years $89,509


0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K

Figure 16: Average Analyst and Developers Salaries

1-1,000 $76,795

1,001-10,000 $74,278

More than 10,000 $99,992

0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K


17

Figure 17: Analyst and Developer Bonuses
Average=$8,913 2008 2009

18%
Less than $500 0%

16%
$501-$1,000 0%
3%
$1,001-$1,500 17%

8%
$1,501-$2,000 0%

8%
$2,001-$2,500 14%

16%
$2,501-$3,000 0%

8%
$3,001-$3,500 0%
0%
$3,501-$4,000 0%

3%
$4,001-$4,500 0%

3%
$4,501-$5,000 8%

18%
More than $5,000
58%

0 20 40 60 80 100


18

Figure 18: Where Analysts and Developers Spend Most of Their
Time Each Week

Application development 76%



Database performance management 14%


Application servers/middleware 10%

0 20 40 60 80 100


19

IT MANAGERS
Organizational size matters, at least for those respondents in
IT managers saw significant raises in base and bonus the largest companies in the survey (with more than 10,000
compensation over the past year. employees). IT managers in larger organizations average close to
IT managers in this survey include CIOs, vice presidents, $117,000 in base compensation, compared to $103,000 made by
directors, and managers. Overall, IT managers in this survey their counterparts in mid-size firms. IT managers in smaller
average close to $110,000 in base pay. More than two out of three firms tend to do better than their mid-size counterparts,
managers, 67 percent, report salaries above the $100,000 mark. averaging more than $11,000. (See Figure 22.)
This is almost twice the level found in last year’s survey (35 Economic conditions did not seem to affect the bonus levels
percent). (See Figure 19.) seen among managers, the survey finds. A majority of IT
Interestingly, IT managers in this survey are more prone to managers (61 percent) received bonuses over the past year, about
have seen increases in their own paychecks (65 percent) than the the same as in the previous survey. The average bonus seen
other two job categories covered in this survey. Last year, IT among this group was about $11,000, meaning that a number of
managers were slightly less likely than professionals to have seen managers in the survey received total cash compensation of more
raises (88 percent). (See Figure 20.) than $120,000 in the most recent year. (See Figure 23.)
For the first two decades, length of experience is not a Nine out of 10 management respondents spend most of their
significant determinant of IT manager salary levels. While those time engaged in team and staff management activities, and eight
more in “entry-level” mode (less than five years on the job) out of 10 say their days are spent in project management-related
averaged about $111,300 in base pay, those with between 10 and activities. Interestingly, a large segment—almost four out of 10—
20 years experience averaged a little less, at $107,500. Only those are also immersed in database performance management, while
with more than two decades’ experience on the job saw the more than a third partake in application development activities
highest level, averaging more than $116,500. (See Figure 21.) as a good part of their days. (See Figure 24.)


20

Figure 19: IT Manager Base Salaries
Average=$109,696 2008 2009

15%
7%
$60,001-$65,000 0%
2%
$65,001-$70,000 0%

$70,001-$75,000 5%
0%

$75,001-$80,000 5%
8%

5%
$80,001-$85,000 5%
2%
$85,001-$90,000 3%

$90,001-$95,000 0%
3%

$95,001-$100,000 20%
13%

17%
$100,001-$110,000 21%
7%
$110,001-$120,000 15%

$121,001-$130,000 2%
10%

$130,001-$140,000 7%
13%

More than $140,000 2%
8%

0 20 40 60 80 100


21

Figure 20: Rate of Salary Increases for IT Managers
2007-08 2008-09

22%
No increase 35%

9%
1% 3%

12%
2% 10%

22%
3%
15%

12%
4%
15%

15%
5%
8%

2%
6%
8%

12%
Greater than 6%
8%

0 20 40 60 80 100


22

Figure 21: Average IT Manager Salaries


5-10 years $110,063

11-20 years $107,487


0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K

Figure 22: Average IT Manager Salaries

1-1,000 $110,289

1,001-10,000 $102,859

More than 10,000 $116,904

0 $25K $50K $75K $100K $125K


23

Figure 23: IT Manager Bonuses
Average=$10,912 2008 2009

18%
Less than $500 0%

16%
$501-$1,000 4%

3%
$1,001-$1,500 0%

8%
$1,501-$2,000 9%

8%
$2,001-$2,500 4%

16%
$2,501-$3,000 0%

8%
$3,001-$3,500 4%

0%
$3,501-$4,000 0%

3%
$4,001-$4,500 9%

3%
$4,501-$5,000 9%

18%
More than $5,000
61%

0 20 40 60 80 100


24

Figure 24: Where IT Managers Spend Most of Their Time
Each Week



Database performance management 38%

Application development 36%

Database administration 31%

Application servers/middleware 26%


Database backup and recovery 21%

Database security 24%

Database installation and patching 7%


Network systems management 3%

0 20 40 60 80 100


25

DEMOGRAPHICS

Figure 25: Respondents’ Primary Job Titles

Database Administrator (DBA) 54%

Programmer/Developer 10%

Analyst/Systems Analyst 6%

Director/Manager of IS/IT or 7%
computer-related function

IT Consultant for IT service/ 3%
integration firm

Systems Administrator 3%

Project Manager 2%

Data Architect 2%

Chief Information Officer/CTO/ 2%
Vice President of IT

IT Consultant independent contractor 2%

Manager business unit (other than 1%
computer-related function)

IT Operations Manager 1%

Applications Administrator 1%

Other 6%

0 20 40 60 80 100


26

Figure 26: Company Size—By Number of Employees

1-100 employees 9%

101-500 employees 12%

501-1,000 employees 8%

1,001-5,000 employees 23%

5,001-10,000 employees 13%

More than 10,000 34%

Decline to answer 2%

0 20 40 60 80 100


27

Figure 27: Respondents’ Primary Industries

IT Services/Consulting/System Integration 16%

Government (all levels) 14%

Utility/Telecommunications/Transportation 10%

Education (all levels) 8%

Healthcare/Medical 8%

Manufacturing 7%

Financial Services 6%

Software/Application Development 6%

Insurance 4%

Retail/Distribution 4%

High-Tech Manufacturing 3%

Consumer Services 3%

Business Services 2%

Other 10%

0 20 40 60 80 100


28

Figure 28: Respondents—By Region

Northeastern U.S. 17%
(ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC)

Southeastern U.S. 15%
(VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, WV, KY, TN, MS, AL, LA, AR)

Midwestern U.S. 24%
(OH, IN, IL, WI, MI, MN, IA, MO, NE, KS, ND, SD)

Mountain States 8%
(MT, ID, WY, CO, UT, NV)

Southwestern U.S. 8%
(TX, OK, NM, AZ)

Pacific U.S. 10%
(CA, OR, WA, AK, HI)

Canada 5%
(all provinces)

*International— 5%
Europe, Mideast, Asia
Asia Pacific/Australia
Latin America/Caribbean Basin
Other 2%

0 20 40 60 80 100

* Salary results reported in this survey included U.S. and Canada only; did not include international respondents.

The information in this report has been gathered through Web-based surveys of member and prospective member lists provided by the IOUG, through interviews with knowledgeable
participants in the computer industry and through secondary research of generally available documents, reports and other published media, as well as from earlier studies conducted by
Unisphere Research. Unisphere Research has relied on the accuracy and validity of all information so obtained. Unisphere Research assumes no liability for inaccurate or omitted information.

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