Database Administrator

Career in Database Administrator | DBA Course, Training, Jobs, Skills and Salary

In today’s digital world, it’s very essential to organize and store data or information to keep a record. To maintain this record, every organization requires a person called as Data Administrator. There is a high demand of such professionals across the world to ensure that a company’s data is accurate, reliable, accessible and secure. They use specialized software to prepare, store and organize data.

A database administrator (DBA) is a specialized computer systems professional who administers a successful database environment by implementing all the associated activities to keep the data secure. The prime duty of a DBA expert is to maintain data integrity and capacity planning, installation, configuration, database design, migration, performance monitoring, security, troubleshooting, as well as the backup for data recovery. This profession plays a chief role in creating robust databases that can withstand the menace of cybersecurity breaches.

What does a Data Administrator do?

A database administrator (DBA) has a primary role in maintaining our day to day work. They are extremely skilled and trained tech experts who employ cutting-edge software to store and organize their company’s decisive data. DBAs play a major role in coordinating the systems that data critics practices for interpreting numbers into strategic business plans. Their job is to assure that data is accessible, available, shielded from damage, extortion and easily accessible as needed.

Database Administrators control the growth of a company’s databases to store essential data accessible only to users with approved ingress. They oversee technical facets of database administration, including debugging code and upgrading software as well as focus on managing a specific application working with the database. Monitoring database systems to ensure adequate and error-free functioning is also an important part of DBA’s job profile.

Database administrators work as an in charge of storing, organizing, presenting, utilizing and analyzing data and database management software. They strive to meet the information storage needs of any organization and setting up new computer databases or integrating data from old systems to new systems. Their job is to frequently conducts routine tests and alterations to assure that a database is operating accurately. If any trouble befalls amongst a database manager, then he has to troubleshoot the programs and hardware to affix the obstacle. A database administrator routinely discusses and coordinates security or protection strategies with other managers of the company.

Eligibility Criteria for becoming a Data Administrator

Becoming a Data Administrator is not a tranquil job. Candidates require years of study in computer science courses, dedication, and diligence. So, to be a data administrator aspirants have to go through the directed eligibility criteria:

• Aspirants must have passed Intermediate with computer science as a compulsory subject from any recognized university.
• For graduates, it is mandatory to acquire a bachelor's degree in computer science or any relevant field.
• To achieve higher-level positions, candidates have to pursue a master's degree.
• There are no restraints for the minimum age limit and qualifying marks to achieve this desired designation.

Skills Required to be a Data Administrator-

Before acquiring this highly demanded position, one should possess the following set of skills :  

• Problem-solving and good analytical skills
• Communication, teamwork and negotiation skills
• Familiar with the data manipulation languages and the principles of database design
• Ability to work within deadlines and under pressure
• Excellent organizational skills
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues and clients
• Business awareness and understanding of business requirements of IT
• Compliance to keep data up to date with advancements in new technology
• Commitment to continuing professional development (CPD)
• Understanding information legislation, such as the Data Protection Act.

How to become a Data Administrator?

With the rapid expansion of the Internet and e-commerce, the demand for database administrators has also increased. Today, cybersecurity has become a major discipline as it is vital to protect the data available online. This growth provides innumerable career options to database administrators. So to avail this opportunity, aspiring candidates are required to go through the following steps:  

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree first:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that most of the database administrators have a bachelor's degree. Candidates are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree first in the computer science or relevant field. There are various bachelor's degree programs available in computer information systems with a focus on database systems, computer science or in the computer and information sciences. The four-year bachelor’s program cover topics like discrete structures, web page applications, database systems, data structure and mining, databases and distributed systems, data communications, and database management systems.

Step 2: Go for Internships:

To really shine in the race of Data Professionals, aspirants need to gain experience by completing an internship. Today, every bachelor's degree programs recommend students to attend an internship of 3 to 6 months during their studies. These internships help candidates to introduce students to the kind of work they may do as a database administrator in the future. This experience plays an essential part in candidates portfolio when they go for some jobs.

Step 3: Work as a Database Professional:

After acquiring a proper bachelor’s degree and internship in the field, the professionals are required to work as a Database Professionals such as database developers or data analysts.  The BLS also says that many of the database administrators commence their career working as database professionals. The database developers generally design and implement database technologies, gather information to establish into databases efficiency whereas data analysts consolidate and analyze data included in databases.

Moreover, to make your skills stand out among the crowd, earn industry certifications while doing a job. Microsoft, Cisco, and SQL offer the opportunity to earn voluntary certificates to the database managers.

Step 4: Consider obtaining a master's degree

To excel more in the field, you need to pursue a master’s degree. There is a different master's degree available in database technologies or management and business intelligence. The curriculum of these programs includes lectures in data mining, database security, database performance tuning, and database backup to enhance student’s knowledge in the field.

Step 5: Fulfill your dream of becoming a Database Administrator

After the completion of a master’s degree, one can accomplish his dream of becoming a Database Administrator. Candidates can go for the jobs after acquiring 1-5 years of work experience to become a Database Administrator. These administrators ensure that databases perform accurately and can be used to perform their job responsibilities.

Responsibilities of a Data Administrator-

• Software installation and maintenance
• Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading
• Implement, support and manage the corporate database.
• Ensure database security, including backups & disaster recovery.
• Authentication
• Capacity Planning
• Troubleshooting
• Ensure database access, consistency, and integrity
• Design, deploy and monitor database servers.
• Performance testing and benchmark activities
• Create prototypes for new database expansion or changes to existing ones
• Design data distribution and archiving resolutions.
• Monitor, optimize and allot physical data storage for database systems
• Transfer database information or data to integrated portable devices.
• Execute database encryption and data encryption
• DBAs examines and prepare a report on corporate data to shape business decisions.

• Produce entity relationship, data flow diagrams, database normalization representation, logical to physical database maps, and data table parameters.
• Database administrators are skilled in the leading database management systems, such as Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, MySQL and Oracle.

How to become a Data Administrator?

With the rapid expansion of the Internet and e-commerce, the demand for database administrators has also increased. Today, cybersecurity has become a major discipline as it is vital to protect the data available online. This growth provides innumerable career options to database administrators. So to avail this opportunity, aspiring candidates are required to go through the following steps:  

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree first:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that most of the database administrators have a bachelor's degree. Candidates are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree first in the computer science or relevant field. There are various bachelor's degree programs available in computer information systems with a focus on database systems, computer science or in the computer and information sciences. The four-year bachelor’s program cover topics like discrete structures, web page applications, database systems, data structure and mining, databases and distributed systems, data communications, and database management systems.

Step 2: Go for Internships:

To really shine in the race of Data Professionals, aspirants need to gain experience by completing an internship. Today, every bachelor's degree programs recommend students to attend an internship of 3 to 6 months during their studies. These internships help candidates to introduce students to the kind of work they may do as a database administrator in the future. This experience plays an essential part in candidates portfolio when they go for some jobs.

Step 3: Work as a Database Professional:

After acquiring a proper bachelor’s degree and internship in the field, the professionals are required to work as a Database Professionals such as database developers or data analysts.  The BLS also says that many of the database administrators commence their career working as database professionals. The database developers generally design and implement database technologies, gather information to establish into databases efficiency whereas data analysts consolidate and analyze data included in databases.

Moreover, to make your skills stand out among the crowd, earn industry certifications while doing a job. Microsoft, Cisco, and SQL offer the opportunity to earn voluntary certificates to the database managers.

Step 4: Consider obtaining a master's degree

To excel more in the field, you need to pursue a master’s degree. There is a different master's degree available in database technologies or management and business intelligence. The curriculum of these programs includes lectures in data mining, database security, database performance tuning, and database backup to enhance student’s knowledge in the field.

Step 5: Fulfill your dream of becoming a Database Administrator

After the completion of a master’s degree, one can accomplish his dream of becoming a Database Administrator. Candidates can go for the jobs after acquiring 1-5 years of work experience to become a Database Administrator. These administrators ensure that databases perform accurately and can be used to perform their job responsibilities.

Responsibilities of a Data Administrator-

• Software installation and maintenance
• Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading
• Implement, support and manage the corporate database.
• Ensure database security, including backups & disaster recovery.
• Authentication
• Capacity Planning
• Troubleshooting
• Ensure database access, consistency, and integrity
• Design, deploy and monitor database servers.
• Performance testing and benchmark activities
• Create prototypes for new database expansion or changes to existing ones
• Design data distribution and archiving resolutions.
• Monitor, optimize and allot physical data storage for database systems
• Transfer database information or data to integrated portable devices.
• Execute database encryption and data encryption
• DBAs examines and prepare a report on corporate data to shape business decisions.

• Produce entity relationship, data flow diagrams, database normalization representation, logical to physical database maps, and data table parameters.
• Database administrators are skilled in the leading database management systems, such as Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, MySQL and Oracle.

Salary Package:

The database administrators can have a bright career ahead as it can give the opportunity to the individuals to excel in the field. A fresh Database Administrator can expect a minimum salary package of around 25,000 to 30,000 on monthly basis.  A Database Administrator (DBA) with mid-career experience which includes employees with 5 to 10 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation around 8 to 15 lakhs per annum. With the cumulative compensation, they can get tips, bonus, and overtime pay etc.

The range of their wages depends on the type of industry and area. They can attain higher salary packages in the financial services and banking, investment and insurance sectors, etc.