What kind of open source projects can a database developer get involved in?

Question

I recently began a new job as a database developer on a medical enterprise data warehouse in an effort to steer my professional focus toward database modeling and development. My goal in asking this question is to figure out how I can use this skill set to contribute to the community, teach others, and improve my skills in the process.

While I'm well versed in using open source software and can think of many ways to contribute to projects using languages such as C# and C++, I am having a harder time figuring out how and where to contribute using database skills such as SQL, data modeling, ETL, reporting, and SQL Server administration.

Can anyone suggest any specific projects, or types of projects, that would benefit from this skill set?

Answer 1

Could try going to something like http://www.ohloh.net/ and using their search for some of the keywords in your question.

Answer 2

I'd look into office products on Sourceforge (will be easier to find there than Github or Bitbucket imo as they're categorized). Most will have a proprietary database setup that could use some work.

The first one that I found at a glance on Sourceforge was SugarCRM, which supports both SQL Server and MySQL. I assume that you could check out their database structures and make improvements where you see fit.