What Do Database Architects Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Database Architects design strategies for enterprise database systems and set standards for operations, programming, and security. Design and construct large relational databases. Integrate new systems with existing warehouse structure and refine system performance and functionality. They also design databases to support business applications, ensuring system scalability, security, performance and reliability.

Other tasks include:

• Develop database architectural strategies at the modeling, design and implementation stages to address business or industry requirements.
• Collaborate with system architects, software architects, design analysts, and others to understand business or industry requirements.
• Develop data models for applications, metadata tables, views or related database structures.
• Set up database clusters, backup, or recovery processes.
• Create and enforce database development standards.
• Develop and document database architectures.

We asked Database Architects how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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70% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Database Architects monitor and report systems resource consumption trends to assure production systems meet availability requirements and hardware enhancements are scheduled appropriately. They develop database architectural strategies at the modeling, design and implementation stages to address business or industry requirements.

A typical day for a Database Architect will also include:

• Collaborate with system architects, software architects, design analysts, and others to understand business or industry requirements.
• Provide technical support to junior staff or clients.
• Design databases to support business applications, ensuring system scalability, security, performance and reliability.
• Develop data models for applications, metadata tables, views or related database structures.
• Develop and document database architectures.

We asked some Database Architects a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	52% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	39% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	70% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	13% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	4% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	17% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Database Architects also design database applications, such as interfaces, data transfer mechanisms, global temporary tables, data partitions, and function-based indexes to enable efficient access of the generic database structure. They may also test changes to database applications or systems.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Database Architects Develop or maintain archived procedures, procedural codes, or queries for applications. They might also Demonstrate database technical functionality, such as performance, security and reliability.

In addition, they Develop data models for applications, metadata tables, views or related database structures.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Design databases to support business applications, ensuring system scalability, security, performance and reliability.

To some Database Architects, it is also their responsibility to Create and enforce database development standards.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Database Architect, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/database-administrators.htm

http://www.acm.org/

http://www.computer.org/

http://www.ncwit.org/