What does a day in the life of a database administrator look like? What is a Database Administrator? How much does a Database Administrator make in a year? What does a DBA or better - database administrator do on a daily basis? Database administrators use specialized software (database application like Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle) to store and organize data, such as financial information (banking transaction, stock trades, etc.), healthcare data, ecommerce data, and of course a lot more. They make sure that data are available to users or other applications like a website, CRM, stock trading app and other use cases. DBAs also secure databases from unauthorized access or limit permissions. Check out my video about "How to become a database administrator" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2qiENDQlpM Database Administrator Duties Database administrators typically do the following on a day to day basis: • Check database health status • Ensure that organizational data are secure • Back up and restore data to prevent data loss • Identify user needs to create and administer databases • Ensure that databases operate efficiently and within certain baselines • Make and test modifications to database structure when needed using development environments where applicable • Maintain databases, transaction logs and update permissions • Merge old databases into new ones; push new data into databases Database administrators, often called DBAs, make sure that data analysts, managers, and other users can easily use the data contained in databases to find the information they need and that systems perform as they should. Some DBAs oversee the development of new databases - including creating database schemas from scratch. Many databases contain personal or financial information, making information security important. Database administrators often plan security measures, making sure that data are secure from unauthorized access. They do this in conjunction with information security teams and follow information technology best practices. Many database administrators are general-purpose DBAs (jack of all trades) and have all of these duties. However, other DBAs specialize in certain tasks that vary with an organization and its needs. Imagine a database administrator working for Amazon. Amazon's website is database driven and there is just so much data that it is split into different databases and different use cases. Dedicated DBAs are subject matter experts in such cases for just some areas of Amazon's business.