If you want to work with databases, you could have a rewarding and satisfying career ahead of you, although it is important to know what assets you will need to bring to the table in this type of role if you want to thrive.
With that in mind, here are just a few of the most important skills that any would-be database pro will need to succeed.
Attention to detail
This may sound like a broad skill that will apply to every job across every industry, but it is especially pertinent in the context of database management, specifically with regards to monitoring and maintenance duties.
For example, it is only by being familiar with TempDB in SQL Server that you can not only keep an entire instance running as it should, but also be able to spot problems early and take remedial action to address them, rather than overlooking errors and ultimately allowing them to spiral out of control.
The same goes for troubleshooting common website issues, since finding a fix will often come down to digging into the database and looking for that flawed query or bugged process which is creating the conundrum in the first place.
Awareness of security threats & adherence to best practices
Aside from keeping an eye on a database and optimizing it to overcome performance problems, a professional in this sphere must also be au fait with the kinds of cybersecurity risks that exist today, while also putting preventative measures in place to protect sensitive information from exploitation.
Likewise in the event that an attack is successfully carried out by malicious third parties, an administrator will need to be able to delve into the activity logs and piece together a picture of how this was possible and what data may have been compromised as part of the recovery process.
Ability to plan ahead
As well as dealing with the minute to minute intricacies of monitoring and managing a database, it is crucial for professionals to also be aware of the long term implications of their involvement.
In particular, being able to calculate how capacity requirements will shift over time will allow you to plan ahead to future upgrades to the hardware, so that bottlenecks can be avoided and unnecessary performance problems and even unplanned downtime do not disrupt the database’s operations.
Efficient data handling
Efficiency is clearly a necessary component of any DBA’s set of skills, and yet this is not just about being able to blast through everyday tasks as quickly as possible, but also being adequately equipped with the knowledge and understanding needed to deal with the many different types of data that will likely stream into your servers in large volumes.
The larger the infrastructure and the higher the capacity of storage you are dealing with, the more adept you will need to be.
This all means that following the right paths through education and training, as well as getting plenty of on-the-job experience with the right mentors in place, will put you in the best position to forge a career as a database professional.
