Database Administrator (DBA) Definition

A database administrator (DBA) is similar to a database developer or designer except that the DBA's key responsibilities is ensuring that a database is available at all to the users and programs that need it. This includes making backups and archiving data. It also includes on-going monitoring to ensure that the database is responding to requests quickly. Sometimes the DBA has some hardware knowledge so that the appropriate servers can be purchased so that the database's performance is not impacted by hardware bottlenecks.

Related Terms

• Data Architect
• Database Designer
• Data Modeler

Other Definitions