IT Jobs - The Database Administrator

In the Information Technology world there are many options to pursue if one is looking for a solid and trustworthy career. One particular job specifically has proved being of great interest and is currently in dire need of more recruits. This IT job is that of a "Database Administrator" or for short, a DBA. Database administrators obviously work with databases, specifically database management systems software. The basic requirements of DBAs is to create databases, maintain them and write programs for database administration.

DBA Obligations

Responsibilities of database administrators differ upon many factors. Depending on one's specific DBA job description, the interwoven corporate and IT policies as well as the technical issues of Database Management Systems (or DBMS) one's duties can vary greatly. What is certain, duty wise, is that a few definite and necessary tasks need to be fulfilled by all DBAs. DBAs are often required to conduct operations including disaster recovery, performance analysis and tuning, data dictionary maintenance and some database design.

DBA obligations in clear cut form involve safeguarding and guaranteeing either a corporation's or organization's functional databases and coinciding applications that reach those databases, making sure to monitor both efficiency and functionality.

6 Required Tasks

Beyond the above obligations, DBAs are also responsible for 6 main tasks including issues of recoverability, integrity, security, availability, performance and development and testing support.

Recoverability here is done as a means to take precautionary action in case of major errors in terms of data entry, program bugs or overall hardware malfunctions. The objective for a DBA in recoverability terms is to be able to bring back a database in the state it was prior to the malfunction or lose. Rightfully so, recoverability is also sometimes called "disaster recovery."

Integrity requires DBAs to provide means to protect, but more importantly, to prevent data giving users from breaking the system's business rules. Security is obviously just what it implies. And DBAs must tailor what they create to conform to a company's security policies in terms of user ability, both in access and changing data. Availability here is just asking DBAs to provide accessible means to authorized users to access and change data as necessary for business interest.

Performance from a DBAs point of view is simply a task of maintaining efficiency in online response times and workability between all other aspects tying into the database maintenance process. If performance problems arise, DBAs will examine SQL statements, table processes and overall system architecture, individually speaking. And lastly, the Development and Testing Support aspect for DBAs is a rather less important task, one involving the collecting of sample production data for testing new and/or altered programs, consulting with programmers about overall performance tuning and making certain table design modifications as to provide new means of storage for new program functions.

Prerequisite Action

Before actually heading out into the real IT working world as a DBA, one must get their Microsoft certification, or gain what is referred to as a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator certification or MCDBA for short. This involves going through various steps from training, to testing and actual certification attainment. It doesn't necessarily come easy, but in the long run, to become a successful, accelerated and respected DBA, one must have their MCDBA certification as validity to one's IT and specific DBA skills and capabilities. And once this is had, a DBA position can be acquired and the above responsibilities are then put into effect.

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Career As a Database Administrator

Database administration jobs are some of the top career opportunities at the moment. There are several positions to choose from, such as the Oracle database administrator, which works specifically with industry leading Oracle software. Basically, the database administration job description is to oversee the software installation and ongoing software functions of a system that was designed to be used by numerous users in a corporate environment.

Of course most people want to know what the database administrator salary range is when they are considering pursuing this career, and when it comes to pay, the outlook is good. The average salary range for database administrators around the nation is about $51,000 to $83,000 per year. This will vary depending on location, experience, education level and employer, however.

There are many basic responsibilities that come with database administration and management jobs, starting with the installation of new databases, including defining privileges for each authorized user, making sure all the networked work stations are set up to access the new database and setting up login credentials for all authorized persons. There will also be quite a bit of troubleshooting involved with any installation process. Database administrators need to be able to resolve problems for users and address issues that come up with the new product being installed.

Another basic part of the database administration job description is creating backup records of the database's information, including checking backup files for quality control, ensuring the integrity of the system and making sure the files are easily accessible. And since the database administrator is like the software guru of the corporate environment, he or she must be aware of new software coming out that may be of help to the network of users. Some database administrators even help design and customize database software within a company. This may help increase the salary as well.

Whether you are an Oracle database administrator or an in-house administrator in charge of customizing the company's databases, this is a rewarding job with plenty of challenges as well as plenty of perks.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

SQL Administrator - Database Job Description, Requirements

Database technologies have grown to a large proportion of most organizations' information technology budget. As the dominant format, SQL databases have become a core part of the data infrastructure for most companies. The resulting shifts have increased demand for SQL administrator professionals with expertise in web data, MsSQL as well as a variety of software technology ranging from SQL 2000 to 2005.

An SQL Server Administrator works to develop secure SQL databases for a variety of organization as well as ensuring the free flow of data to authorized users. A core part of the job is developing a proper firewall to ensure that security rights are well established so prevent unauthorized data access both within and external to the organization. The ability to solve database problems is a particular important skill, as DBA administrators come across new issues nearly every day. While most days an administrator will work to develop and upgrade existing technologies, they also need to be able to constantly test and correct any issues with the database to avoid any potential problems down the road. Since large companies require fast data access, administrators are constantly upgrading systems and creating plans to upgrade software and hardware to improve performance.

While there are no firm degree requirements, most DBA professionals have an associates, bachelors or masters degree with a focus on information systems, computer science or software engineering. Most importantly, the skills needed to properly analyze the growth of web data is a broad set of quantitative skills that allow you to constantly learn new and emerging technologies. To that end, SQL DBAs should seek to become Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professionals which provides both certifications on existing technology, as well as opportunities for training on upgrades and forthcoming software options. MS SQL is a major component of SQL software, along with the open source mySQL solution. Most major companies rely upon a complete set of Microsoft solutions ranging from software to hardware, so a Microsoft SQL training course will cover the professional needs of most DBAs.

As a growing field, the career outlook for SQL administrators is strong with above average earnings and field growth projected over the next decade. In order to maintain competitive in the field, it's important to be involved with ongoing professional training to stay ahead of the curve. Like most fields, ongoing professional development is a core part of gaining promotions in SQL database administration. Louis Zhang, Certdatabaseadministrator dot com

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Database Administrators Job Description