Becoming a Senior Database Administrator

A senior database administrator or DBA is responsible for handling different kinds of environmental aspects of a database. In fact, the changing technology of the database management systems has made it necessary for the role of the senior database administrators to be dynamic. In fact, this is also the reason as to why the role of the data base owners has changed too. The senior database administrator may be required to perform the tasks and responsibilities of logical and physical database design and those of a database analyst or database designer. The senior database administrator jobs are dynamic as well.

The senior database administrator is required to perform a variety of duties and responsibilities such as working with facts and figures and arranging them in the appropriate order. The job of a senior database administration also incorporates knowing the database inside out. There are a number of database technologies that are around with a large amount of database software that is available for the management of data. Some of the common database specializations take into account:

• Oracle
• SQL Server
• DB2

The job of senior database administrators is to be specialized in the field of IT and oversee all the aspects of a large scale business database including the following:

• Designing the initial architecture database
• Implementation
• Administration
• Monitoring
• Tuning
• Backup
• Migration
• Support

Some of the common job titles that are related to senior database administration include:

• Data architect
• Data modeler
• Data administrator
• Database manager

The educational qualification for the senior database administrator jobs includes a 4 year degree in computer science or management information systems or MIS. It is also important for you to have knowledge in business functions. You also need to master the English language for gaining appropriate communication skills in both the oral and written aspects in technical as well as non technical roles.

The skill sets of a senior database administrator take into account working with database operation, designing, and implementation of the database. Some of the key skills include:

• Designing and documenting database architecture and data modeling
• Designing data warehousing and a business intelligence platform
• Building database schemes, tables, procedures, and permissions
• Setting up the data sharing processes as well as enabling disk partitioning
• Creating shell scripts for task automation
• Creating and executing data management languages

Training is an important part of the senior database administration jobs and you can go for a certification course in a specific database software program. The popular programs among them include the Oracle Database Certification Programs that are highly demanded by the employers. Along with that, the senior database administrators can also go for the Microsoft Certified Database Administrator or MCDBA programs that are one of the highest paying technical certifications to be made available. Other than that, taking relevant classes in the senior database administrator jobs will help you familiarize yourself with the popular databases and determining your skills.

Experience in the following fields may help you perform the role of a senior database administrator in an effective manner:

• Technical support
• System administrator
• Network administrator

The global career prospects for senior database administrators are good as has been estimated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The employment outlook is also better with the global markets expanding and senior database administrator jobs are likely to have better prospects.

The median annual salaries of the senior database administrators are between $36,000 and $62,000. However, this is something that is dependent on the size of your employer as well as location of the job. The added benefits of senior database administrator jobs include paid holidays, insurance, and others.

The senior database administrator is required to take care of and maintain various kinds of administrative tasks incorporating backup and security. Since access to the database is restricted, they are required to allow authorized users to access it as well as make sure that different users have different levels of access. Tracking accessibility is one of the critical aspects of the senior database administration. The senior database administrators assist the users in critical situations as well as recommending new database technologies in any tough situation.