The topic is the debate over whether edge databases should be integrated in the enterprise or left separate. A company first has to know the type of edge database, since some databases need more specific attention, and others run best without it. Edge database are usually either embedded databases that are pre-built into applications or devices and run in the background; or mobile databases that store on laptops, palmtops, or digital phones. Industry experts know that both types are now more crucial components of the enterprise infrastructure and have to be handled concomitantly. Each type requires different management and administration approaches. An example is the mobile database, which is often an extension to enterprise databases and requires similar approaches to data management and security. Embedded application databases, in contrast, frequently operate independently of enterprise data centers in a company and need little intervention or fine-tuning. Issues to be considered include the attraction to companies of the 'DBA-less database environment'; the extent to which an application is packaged as a factor in the type of database in use; vendors', including Oracle's, increasing support for low- overhead systems; moving databases and repositories closer to their applications; and a trend toward putting support for combined online and offline database access again in the hands of a 'traditional IT DBA' group.