As a person that switched from and IT job to a non-IT job, and working in a school where we currently have no apps that require a central database, but are considering some, I'm wondering how much time it would take me to play the role of 'database administrator' for our school, given that it is a volunteer position with no allocated work time for it.
In the past, (about 10 years ago), I remember that DBAs needed a lot of detailed product knowledge and hardware knowledge. Also, I realize the roles and responsibilities for a DBA are different in different companies. And of course, your answers will be based on the particular product/platforms with which you work - Oracle, MySql, MS SQL server, etc.
Taking into account your personal experiences given the variations listed above, I ask:
Has the DBA job gotten easier in recent years due to improved products ? If so - how has it gotten harder, and how has it gotten easier ? What database products have you found to require the least in-depth knowledge, and causing the least user and maintenance problems?