Database administrator

What does a database administrator do?

• Install, configure and upgrade database software on servers or in the cloud.
• Design database structures with developers and data teams.
• Monitor performance and tune queries and settings so that systems run quickly.
• Set up backups and test that data can be restored after a failure.
• Control who can access data and apply security updates.
• Plan for growth, data migrations and disaster recovery.
• Solve urgent problems when a database fails or slows down.

Where do they work?

Database administrators work for banks, insurers, hospitals, telecoms companies, retailers, governments, universities and IT service providers, as well as software companies. Many work in IT operations or data teams, and some work for consultancies that manage databases for several clients. The work is computer-based and often remote or hybrid. Because databases must run all the time, on-call duty, night-time maintenance and weekend work during upgrades are common.

What skills do you need?

• SQL and relational databases
• Database design and data modelling
• Backup, recovery and high availability
• Performance tuning
• Data security and access control
• Cloud database services
• Scripting and automation
• Attention to detail

Official skills profile (ESCO)

Essential skills listed for this occupation in ESCO, the European Commission's multilingual classification of skills and occupations.

• perform backups
• operate relational database management system
• maintain database security
• interpret technical texts
• administer ICT system
• perform ICT troubleshooting
• balance database resources
• use scripting programming
• define database physical structure
• maintain database performance
• design database scheme
• manage database

Essential knowledge: information structure · distributed computing · resource description framework query language · data quality assessment · system backup best practice · database management systems · data models · query languages

How do you become a database administrator?

The usual starting point is a degree in computer science, information systems or a related subject, though some DBAs have degrees in mathematics, science or business. Few people become DBAs straight after education. Most first work as software developers, data analysts, system administrators or IT support staff, and gain database experience before specialising. Certifications for specific database products and cloud platforms are common, and employers often ask for them. Strong SQL is essential, and experience with backup, recovery and performance problems is highly valued.

1. University degree. A degree in computer science, information systems or software engineering covers databases, operating systems and networking. Some graduate schemes and IT service companies train new graduates as junior DBAs. A master's degree is rarely required, but it can help international students and people switching from another subject.
2. Apprenticeship or vocational training. Vocational diplomas and IT apprenticeships in countries such as Germany, Switzerland and the UK can lead to technical roles that include database work. From there, you can specialise as a DBA with experience and product certifications. This route suits people who prefer to learn while earning.
3. Moving from a related IT role. Many DBAs start as developers, analysts or system administrators who become the person their team relies on for database problems. Taking database certifications, learning cloud database services and volunteering for backup, migration and performance work can help you move into a full DBA role.

Degrees that lead to this career

• Computer science

  A computer science degree teaches how software, data and computer systems work, from programming and algorithms to networks and artificial intelligence.

  9 linked careers

• Data science

  A data science degree teaches how to collect, clean, analyse and learn from data, combining statistics, programming and machine learning with knowledge of real-world problems.

  6 linked careers

• Mathematics

  A mathematics degree develops advanced reasoning and problem-solving through pure mathematics, such as algebra and analysis, and applied areas, such as statistics, modelling and computing.

  6 linked careers

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Do you need a licence to work as a database administrator?

Database administration is not a regulated profession, so you do not need a licence. However, DBAs handle sensitive information, so their work must follow data protection and privacy laws, which differ between countries and regions such as the European Union. Banks, healthcare providers and government bodies often have extra rules on data security, and some roles require background checks or security clearance. Product and cloud certifications are optional but widely used.

How much does a database administrator earn?

Pay in the United States

• $104,620Median annual wage, May 2025
• $60,230–$163,320Range from the lowest-paid 10% to the highest-paid 10%
• 70KPeople employed in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 15-1242, May 2025. National estimates across all industries; excludes the self-employed.

Earnings of Professionals around the world

Most countries do not publish pay for single job titles. The International Labour Organization collects median monthly earnings for broad occupation groups instead. This career belongs to ISCO-08 major group 2, "Professionals". The table covers the whole group, which includes database administrator and many other occupations.

Source: ILOSTAT, median monthly earnings of employees, latest year available. PPP$ adjusts for price differences between countries so figures can be compared. "vs all employees" compares the group's median with the median for all occupations in the same country.

Career progression

1. Junior database administrator
2. Database administrator
3. Senior database administrator
4. Database architect or data engineering lead
5. Head of data platforms or IT infrastructure manager

Job outlook

Organisations depend on data more than ever, so skills in managing it remain valuable. However, cloud providers now automate many traditional DBA tasks, such as installation, patching and backups, which reduces demand for purely routine administration. The role is shifting towards cloud databases, data engineering, security and automation. DBAs who build these skills often move into roles such as database reliability engineer, data engineer or cloud architect.

Questions about becoming a database administrator

Is database administration a dying career?

No, but it is changing. Cloud services automate many routine tasks, so there are fewer purely administrative roles than in the past. Organisations still need experts who can design, secure, tune and recover databases, especially large or critical systems. DBAs who learn cloud platforms, automation and data engineering usually have good prospects.

What qualifications do you need to be a database administrator?

Most DBAs have a degree in computer science, information systems or a related subject, but experience matters more than the specific qualification. Employers often ask for strong SQL skills and certifications in the database products or cloud platforms they use. Few people start as DBAs; most move in from development, analysis or IT support.

What is the difference between a DBA and a data engineer?

A database administrator focuses on keeping databases secure, reliable and fast. A data engineer builds pipelines that move and transform data between systems, often for analysis and machine learning. The skills overlap, and many DBAs move into data engineering as organisations shift to cloud data platforms.

Which database skills should I learn first?

Start with SQL and the basics of relational database design, because they apply to almost every database product. Then learn backup and recovery, indexing, query performance and user permissions. After that, add one major database product, a cloud database service and some scripting to automate tasks.

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Sources

1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — SOC 15-1242, national estimates, May 2025
2. ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by occupation — ISCO-08 major groups, latest year per country
3. European Commission — ESCO occupation profile — ESCO code 2521.1

How to cite this page: CourseToJob (2026). How to become a database administrator: degrees, skills and salary. https://coursetojob.com/careers/database-administrator/ (accessed September 26, 2026)

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