Do you want to stay with PL/SQL?

I regularly give my presentation “The Seven Ways of Building Oracle Applications” at conferences around the world, and a few weeks ago I gave it in Bulgaria for the Bulgarian Oracle User Group. In that presentation, I have a slide I always update to show the latest TIOBE index of the top 20 programming languages. PL/SQL has always been hovering somewhere at the bottom of this list, but last month, it had fallen out of the top 20.

Google Trends shows PL/SQL continuing a slow decline, down by about 50% over the last five years.

There are good arguments for using the Thick Database paradigm as set out by Bryn Llewellyn in his white paper, but brilliant architecture doesn’t always win in the marketplace.

This situation gives you two options as a PL/SQL developer:

• Learn something else
• Double down on your PL/SQL skills

Since Oracle is losing database market share, there will be less PL/SQL work in the future. Organizations change faster than people, so the drop in Oracle installations is not going to be matched by a similar drop in Oracle database developers. If you want to hang on to one of the declining number of PL/SQL programming jobs, you need to make sure you are a really good PL/SQL developer. Fortunately, Oracle provides an excellent resource for you to keep your PL/SQL skills in top shape: The Dev Gym. If you decide you want to stay with PL/SQL, make sure you work out regularly with the PL/SQL Challenge at the Dev Gym.

If you want to do something else, or add to your skills, I provide developer mentoring. You’re welcome to send me an e-mail so we can discuss how we might work together.

This post originally appeared in the Oracle Tool Watch newsletter. Don’t miss the next one, sign up and get an independent opinion on Oracle development in your inbox every two weeks. You also get a free copy of my whitepaper “What Oracle is Doing Wrong (and Right) in the Cloud“.