Job Responsibilities
At some companies, the typical responsibilities of a database administrator are divided among several positions. At other companies, typically smaller ones, one individual plays all of these roles. Examples of some of these positions include:
- Database Administrators--Work with business areas to set up and maintain their databases. They are concerned with database objects like tables, indexes, tablespaces, stored procedures, etc.
- Database Systems Administrators-- Responsible for supporting the database system itself. These individuals are concerned with the actual code that runs the database and how that integrates with the platforms on which it runs and the applications trying to access data from a database.
- Database Designers--Help business areas design their databases. They determine which tables are needed and how those tables should relate to one another.
How to Become a Database Administrator
To become a database administrator (DBA), a four year degree in database administration, information technology, or Applied Computer Science is preferred. If interested in this field, take as many database courses that the school you attend offers. There are also database-specific certifications that one can obtain (IBM, Oracle, SQL Server) that help better prepare you for this exciting field. Internships are also valuable in helping you land a job in database administration.
Entry-level positions in database administration are harder to come by than jobs calling for more experienced database administrators. Therefore, don't be afraid to take a different job in IT initially. Many database administrators start out as programmers, analysts, or other IT professionals before moving into the database administration field.
As for interview preparation for a job in database administration, most interviews for entry level positions aren't too technical. They are oftentimes focused more on “soft skills” such as your conflict resolution experience, times you exhibited leadership skills, and communication skills. But, it's important to be prepared for technical questions to be asked as well. A prospective DBA should be able to talk about relational databases, SQL, and some data modeling concepts.
Database Administrator Titles
- Administrator
- Database Administrator (DBA)
- Oracle Database Administrator
- Oracle DBA
- SQL Server Database Administrator
- SQL Server DBA
