A database administrator is an IT Professional responsible for the installation, configuration,
upgrading, administration, monitoring, maintenance, and security of databases in an organization.
The role includes the development and design of database strategies, system monitoring
and improving database performance and capacity, and planning for future expansion requirements.
They may also plan, co-ordinate and implement security measures to safeguard the database.
Skills List of skills required to become database
administrators are: Communication skills
Knowledge of database theory Knowledge of database design
Knowledge about the RDBMS itself, e.g. Oracle Database, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Adaptive
Server Enterprise, MaxDB, PostgreSQL Knowledge of Structured Query Language
e.g. SQL/PSM, Transact-SQL
General understanding of distributed computing architectures, e.g. Client/Server, Internet/Intranet,
Enterprise General understanding of the underlying operating
system, e.g. Windows, Unix, Linux, z/OS General understanding of storage technologies,
memory management, disk arrays, NAS/SAN, networking General understanding of routine maintenance,
recovery, and handling failover of a Database Education
Some employers require a Bachelor's Degree or higher in Computer Science, Information
Technology, Engineering, or related field to perform job duties as a database administrator.
In general, DBA's work with commercial databases such as SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB and many
others.
Certification Employing organizations may require that a
database administrator have a certification for the particular RDBMS being used.
Examples IBM Certified Advanced Database Administrator
- DB2 10.1 for Linux UNIX and Windows IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2
10.1 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified
Professional MCSA SQL Server 2012.
Duties A database administrator's responsibilities
can include the following tasks: Installing and upgrading the database server
and application tools Allocating system storage and planning future
storage requirements for the database system Modifying the database structure, as necessary,
from information given by application developers Enrolling users and maintaining system security
Ensuring compliance with database vendor license agreement
Controlling and monitoring user access to the database
Monitoring and optimizing the performance of the database
Planning for backup and recovery of database information
Maintaining archived data Backing up and restoring databases
Contacting database vendor for technical support Generating various reports by querying from
database as per need.
Job titles DBAs are also known by the titles Database
Coordinator or Database Programmer, although a database programmer requires more advanced
skills in SQL programming than a DBA may have, and Database Programmers may not have and
do not require the skills of database administration, backing up, restoring, monitoring or tuning
to do their job well.
The role integrates closely with the other jobs of Database Analyst, Database Modeller,
Programmer Analyst, and Systems Manager.
Some organizations have a hierarchical system of database administrators, generally:
Junior DBAs Mid-level DBAs
Senior DBAs DBA consultants
Manager/Director of Database Administration/Information Technology
References
External links The US Department of Labor's description of
"Database Administrators"