Career Profile: Database Administrators

Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 91,800 people employed as database administrators in the United States. The median annual salary is $96,710. Entry level employees earn approximately $48,880 per year and senior employees earn approximately $151,400 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Select and enter codes to monitor database performance and to create production database.
• Test programs or databases, correct errors, and make necessary modifications.
• Train users and answer questions.
• Review workflow charts developed by programmer analyst to understand tasks computer will perform, such as updating records.
• Approve, schedule, plan, and supervise the installation and testing of new products and improvements to computer systems, such as the installation of new databases.
• Identify and evaluate industry trends in database systems to serve as a source of information and advice for upper management.
• Develop data model describing data elements and how they are used, following procedures and using pen, template, or computer software.
• Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure.
• Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes.
• Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database.
• Write and code logical and physical database descriptions and specify identifiers of database to management system, or direct others in coding descriptions.
• Develop standards and guidelines for the use and acquisition of software and to protect vulnerable information.
• Review procedures in database management system manuals to make changes to database.
• Revise company definition of data as defined in data dictionary.

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