You're absolutely spot on. But it's not DBAs as in database admins that are needed. Every project should start with the correct data architecture and for that

You're absolutely spot on. But it's not DBAs as in database admins that are needed. Every project should start with the correct data architecture and for that you need an architect. There are endless number of projects that eventually failed because the data architecture did not scale. That's due to a programmer who designs the database according to the way that their preferred tool works best, which is usually bad for data. For any project that requires a database, always start with the method that data will be reported. If a report takes a long time to be generated because of your design, then you need to fix that first.