To become a SQL Server DBA, you need a mix of education, certifications, and experience. There are two areas of focus: production and development. Production DBAs need more training in networking and security, while development DBAs need basic programming knowledge. You can choose a training path through college, technical schools, or certification programs offered by Microsoft.
To become a SQL Server DBA or database administrator, you’ll need to create a plan to get the right mix of education, certifications, and experience. The path to becoming a SQL Server DBA is more fluid than the path to becoming an application developer, IT security specialist, or other technology specialist. The exact qualifications required will depend on the type and size of employer you would like to work for, as well as the amount of training you wish to undertake.
SQL Server database administrators generally fall into two areas: production and development. Production DBAs, who often have a background in network administration or security, are responsible for designing a database that works for whatever programs and network specifications the database server must support. The production DBA gathers the physical database requirements and maintains them. If you want to become a SQL Server DBA on the production side, you will need more training in networking and security than in programming.
Development DBAs work with a team of programmers or application developers to ensure that the database space allocation works with the needs of the software. Many development DBAs have a programming background, but those who don’t need to gain at least basic programming knowledge to help with creating database tables, stored procedures, and other software needs. While some DBAs, especially in small companies, work in production and development environments, SQL Server DBAs in larger companies share the workload.
To become a SQL Server DBA, you first need to choose a training path. Some people go to college, majoring in math, technical communication, or computer science, and then transfer those skills to jobs that maintain networks. For others, technical schools can provide an adequate education to gain entry-level employment in database administration. As you work on database design and maintenance, your work experience should begin to allow you to demonstrate your working knowledge, regardless of your educational background.
If you want to become a SQL Server DBA without going to school, then you should look into certification. SQL Server is a Microsoft product and the company offers a certification program for aspiring database administrators. Going through this certification process, which requires in-depth knowledge of the server’s attributes and functionality, can be enough to get you work in the field without any academic training in database or network issues. You can start training for certification exams by attending a one-day or weekend seminar, taking a single class at a community college, or purchasing the relevant books and learning on your own.
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