1. Database Administrators
FUTURE JOBS READERS
Level 4-①
Database Administrators

2. What does a database administrator (DBA) do?
The Job of DBAs
Working with a database
What does a database administrator (DBA) do?
DBAs have three duties:
To maintain databases
To solve problems for database users
To set up new databases

3. Data and Databases What is a database?
Different types of data
What is a database?
A database is an organized collection of data. Among other things, this data can be
personal information such as names, addresses, and ID numbers.
banking or shopping information.
health records.

4. Taking Care of Databases
Database security
Trying to get into a database
Are DBAs only interested in the data in databases?
No, DBAs also need to make sure the database is secure. This means that the information in the database is safe. Only people who are allowed into the database can see or use the data in it.

5. What does a person need to study in university to become a DBA?
Studying to Be a DBA
Students in class
What does a person need to study in university to become a DBA?
Usually someone who wants to be a DBA has a degree in computer science, math, or management information systems (MIS).

6. How to Be a DBA
Training for a certificate
Gaining work experience
What else does a person need to do before becoming a DBA?
Can a person start work as a DBA right out of university?
Before moving up to become a DBA, a worker may need to take special certification classes to learn more about the software used by the company. This certification is important for many companies.
No, usually a person will work as a database developer or data analyst before becoming a DBA.

7. Do DBAs only work with computers?
DBAs at Work
A team in an office
Do DBAs only work with computers?
No, most DBAs work with other people at a company. That means they must be able to explain things and share ideas well with others. A DBA may need to discuss hardware or software concerns related to a database. Or they may need to train users who are working with a new database.

8. What kind of person would make a good DBA?
What Makes a Good DBA
Thinking about how to solve a problem
What kind of person would make a good DBA?
DBAs need to have a good eye for details and be good at solving puzzles or problems. When something goes wrong with a database, the DBA needs to quickly figure out the problem and fix it.

9. Looking to the Future
With new and better software these days, might DBAs lose their jobs in the future?
No, even with the changes related to technology, companies will still need DBAs to explain things and share ideas with managers and other workers. But DBAs need to keep learning about new applications. They also need to make themselves into “data people,” not “database people.”
A “data person” at work
What is a “data person”?
A “data person” understands the data that is useful to their companies. There is always a future for those kinds of valuable workers.

10. Vocabulary administrator n. analyst n.
a person who manages or supports a computer system
analyst n.
a person who studies numbers or information to see different elements or essential parts

11. Vocabulary certification n. database n.
a paper that guarantees a person’s knowledge or training
database n.
a large collection or body of data

12. Vocabulary hardware n. maintain v.
the physical, mechanical parts of a computer system
maintain v.
to keep something in working order

13. Vocabulary secure adj. software n.
protected; closed or off-limits to outside use
software n.
a program used to make a computer work in a certain way