Career Summary

Database administrators analyze company computer system requirements, set up computer databases, and test and coordinate modifications to the computer database system(s). An organization’s database administrator ensures the system is running smoothly and is not under threat of virus or reaching maximum containment. They also may design and implement system security, and coordinate security measures. With the volume of sensitive data generated and rapidly growing, data reliability, backup systems, and database security have become one of the most important characteristics of a database administrator’s job description.

Network systems and data communications analysts often work with database administrators in designing, testing, and evaluating systems such as local area networks (LANs) which allows different computers within a company to ‘talk’ to each other.

Networks can range from a connection between two offices in the same building to internationally located offices in anther country. Database administrators make sure that the information passed from one office to anther office is not stolen or lost in the process.

Additionally, database administrators often assist with database design to store information optimally for the system and they are involved in writing database queries to return the proper data for use in reporting or assisting programmers.

One of the primary and most important aspects of a database administrator's position is data archival and backup. Data is the backbone of a company and if data is lost, companies are seriously crippled. Database Administrators do daily, if not hourly database backups, setup archive systems to retrieve old data and develop recovery plans in case a database does crash.