Success Tips for the Database Architect

There is no doubt that the world of IT is an exciting and challenging one, with many opportunities for smart people to succeed. One of the most popular disciplines for the driven IT professional is in the field of database architect, and this job title is widely recognized as one of the most coveted for companies large and small.

The database architect has the overall responsibility for the successful implementation and day to day operation of database systems supporting critical corporate systems. This may include the company's ERP systems, including such critical areas as payroll processing, finance, inventory control, order processing and more.

The reliability and availability of these critical database systems are tied directly to the characteristics underlying the database management system, or DBMS, in its implementation, architecture and operation. The trade-offs and technology used in the DBMS will have a large impact on the entire life cycle of the company's systems. For large corporations, mistakes in this area could cost millions of dollars and affect the company's operations for years to come. Conversely, a strong database design can end up saving the company millions of dollars and having a significant impact on the bottom line.

Since the stakes involved are so huge, the database architect must be a highly skilled individual possessing years of experience as well as an in depth knowledge and expertise of database technologies, along with solid programming, design and system analysis skills. In addition to these technical skills, however, the database architect will also need to have superior written and oral communication skills and be able to work as part of a team. These IT professionals will constantly be challenged to communicate their proposals to an audience consisting of everyone from front line technical staff to the board of directors.

Increasingly, database technology is becoming central to the operations of every conceivable business system. The database architect needs to be well versed in the architectures, technologies and issues related to the databases in use at the company. It is also critical that the database architect understand how his or her job supports those functions which rely on it, and how the hardware layer can affect those systems.

Frequently database architects are also asked to set the strategy for their company's database systems, and to set standards for programming, security and operations areas. These individuals are also apt to be involved in the design and specification of the hardware and storage architecture used to support these large database platforms.

This setting of strategy is a key role for the database architect, and one that this position is increasingly being asked to make. In order to make the right call, it is essential for the database architect to understand how the database will fit into and support the operations of the company or business unit. Typically, the database architect will look at the core business systems, categorizing each one as either an Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) or Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) application.

The separation of OLTP and OLAP applications is generally performed in order to prevent reporting programs from overloading database systems and slowing down the response time for transaction processing applications. For OLTP systems, it is important to consider uptime availability, transaction volumes, response times and scalability, and it is important to consider the scheduling of maintenance upgrades and backups as well. In order to work with OLTP systems database architects will need strong analytical skills as well as experience with developing models to support any recommended solution.

For the OLAP area, it is important for the architect to consider a solid architecture for the reporting and warehousing of data. . It is important to consider questions like how current the data needs to be, and when that data can be summarized. Reporting systems will often combine data from multiple systems, and these systems may use different keys, conflicting data, missing data, and even similar attributes with different meanings. The database architect will need to make sure that all of this data can work together to provide useful and coherent reports.

The database architect will also play a key role in the setting of standards for both the physical and logical database schema and table design, as well as in the programming. They will need to possess a thorough understanding of each of these disciplines in order to review and make decisions regarding any exceptions that may arise. There will typically be a great many issues that will need to be reviewed and specified, and it is important that the database architect have the skills to keep on top of these many issues.

In addition, differences in production, development, testing and quality assurance procedures will be likely to have different architecture and hardware needs. The database architect will need to have the ability to understand the results found in one environment in order to make a prediction of performance in a different environment. Part of the job of the database architect is determining how best to handle these complex issues.

It is important for the database architect to understand the myriad factors that can affect the performance of a database system, including programming standards and the quality of the code. Poorly written programs and poorly optimized queries can have a huge impact on the performance of the database, and it is important for the database architect to be able to ferret out these problems in order to have them corrected.

Of course programming is not the only factor that can affect database performance, the physical design of tables can have a significant impact as well. It is important for the database architect to have the necessary skills needed in order to determine where problems may arise before they become critical to the operation of the database and the business.

In business and elsewhere, the security of the information contained in various databases is becoming a growing concern, and security issues are increasingly becoming a big part of the database architect's job description. The database architect will often be required to develop standards, and to ensure that the same access and auditing requirements are implemented in both custom developed applications in models. Perhaps the most troublesome area when it comes to security is the securing of reporting and data warehousing. These systems are typically built to provide individuals with data access for analytical and reporting purposes, but they are often not secured to the same level as the production ERP systems.

Whether the database architect is implementing a new environment or managing an existing one, he or she will need to develop a strategy to ensure that the architecture is meeting the needs of the business. Trends in performance and capacity will need to be carefully monitored in order to anticipate changes that may be needed before they impact the end users. The database architect will often be called upon to make recommendations and to lead any troubleshooting efforts that may be needed in the event of a system slowdown.

What Skills and Experience Does the Database Architect Need?

In order to be a strong candidate for the position of database architect, the IT professional will need a combination of work experience, job skills and credentials. These three elements should compliment one another and present a complete picture. Typically a bachelor's degree will be required, with a master's degree often being a plus.

It is also important for candidates to keep in mind that many companies are working to standardize their database operations on a platform like IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle. This standardization is likely to affect the certifications and other credentials needed to be competitive in this challenging arena.

And of course the position of database architect is very much a senior position, and as such it will be assumed that the candidate will possess at least eight to ten years of experience, often at a variety of different companies. The candidate may be helped in his or her job search if he or she possesses experience on a number of different platforms at a number of different companies.

Since there are many ways to approach the database architect position, it is a good idea for those who aspire to this position to get exposure to a number of different technologies. Successful database architects often develop an understanding of what works and what does not across a number of different platforms. Each platform will have its own unique set of strengths and weaknesses, and exposure to several different platforms will allow the database architect to be a competitive candidate for an expanded number of job opportunities.

It is also important for the database architect to keep abreast of the market share numbers for the most popular database platforms. If SQL Server is gaining ground, additional training and certification in that platform may be in order. If Oracle seems to be on the move, learning more about that platform can be a good choice. It is important for all IT professionals to keep up with the ever changing world of computer and database technology.

In addition to strong technical skills, the database architect will need to possess strong communication skills and an ability to sell his or her ideas to those in positions of power. The database architect will be asking senior management to commit large sums of money to a long term strategic vision, and this will require the ability to build a consensus and sell those ideas. In order to pull all of this together, it will be necessary to work well with other people, and to constantly keep up to date with the latest technologies and database techniques.

How to Get Started

There are of course many ways to enter the IT industry and start working toward a position of database architect. Some will start out as programmers or analysts, while others will start as desktop support technicians supporting and troubleshooting smaller databases. It is important, however, for those who aspire to be database architects to look toward gaining a position as a junior database administrator.

Those coming in to the field with a programming background may want to learn the data access layer of the DBMS in which they are programming. Working with a DBA, and working to understand the value of query optimization and the attributes of DBMS which can affect performance can provide valuable insights into the database arena.

For those in systems administration or operations fields, it may be a good idea to take the responsibility for the DBMS environment, as this will help to provide the exposure and familiarity it will take to build database knowledge.

Those individuals coming from a business background will need to master the technical aspect of the DBMS, but coming in from a business background can actually have some advantages, since business managers will no doubt already be familiar with the impact that the IT field has on their business.

Those considering pursuing a career as a database architect should seriously consider getting a master's degree if they do not already have one. An MS or MBA with a technical component would be a good degree to consider. One example would be a master of science in MIS (management information technology) or a master's degree in computer science.

While getting that master's degree, however, it is important not to overlook the importance of relative certifications. It is important to consider the relative market share of each database platform, and to pursue vendor certification for the product most likely to be in high demand. For instance, Oracle offers a set of progressively more difficult certifications, including the OCA, OCP and OCM. It is important for IT professionals to look at gaining these credentials to make themselves more viable and more valuable job candidates for the most coveted database architect positions.

No matter which certifications you choose to pursue, CBT Planet can help you get the training you need to pass those tough exams. CBT Planet provides self paced computer based training, courseware, books and instructor led computer training classes. . They offer training in subjects such as MCSE, CCNA, A+, Oracle, Red Hat, Sun, IBM and more. Contact CBT Planet today to discuss your career development, training and certification plans.