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INTERMEDIATE

Database Administrator Roadmap

Your complete guide to becoming a Database Administrator.
Manage and optimize the databases that store critical business data.
A business-critical role with excellent career stability.

What is Database Administration?

Database Administrators (DBAs) are responsible for the performance, security and availability of databases. You'll design database schemas, ensure data integrity, optimize query performance, implement backup and recovery strategies and keep critical business data safe and accessible.

This role combines technical expertise with business understanding. You'll work with both SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server) and NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis), implement high availability solutions and ensure databases can handle millions of transactions.

DBAs are mission-critical to every organization. Downtime or data loss can cost companies millions, making this a highly valued role with excellent job security. As data continues to grow exponentially, skilled DBAs remain in constant demand.

Key Facts

Entry Level
Intermediate (IT basics helpful)
Coding Required
SQL + scripting (Python/Bash)
Learning Time
6-10 months to job-ready
Work Style
Detail-oriented, analytical
Career Stability
Very high, business-critical

Career Progression Path

Your journey from beginner to expert

0-1 Years

Junior Database Administrator

Learn database fundamentals, perform basic maintenance tasks, assist with backups, monitor database health, write SQL queries.

1-3 Years

Database Administrator

Manage databases independently, optimize performance, implement security policies, handle complex queries, perform upgrades and migrations.

3-5 Years

Senior Database Administrator

Design database architectures, lead major projects, implement high availability solutions, mentor juniors, handle disaster recovery planning.

5-8 Years

Lead DBA / Database Architect

Architect enterprise database solutions, set standards across organization, lead database team, handle complex multi-database environments.

8+ Years

Specialization Options

Branch into Data Engineering, Cloud Database Specialist, Database Security, Performance Tuning Expert or Database Manager/Director.

Complete Learning Path

Follow this step-by-step roadmap to become job-ready

1

SQL & Relational Database Fundamentals

Duration: 6-8 weeks

SQL Basics & Data Querying

What to Learn:
Database concepts (tables, rows, columns), SQL syntax (SELECT, FROM, WHERE), filtering and sorting data, JOINs (INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL), aggregate functions (COUNT, SUM, AVG, MAX, MIN), GROUP BY and HAVING, subqueries and nested queries, common table expressions (CTEs)
Free Resources:
  • Mode SQL Tutorial (comprehensive and free)
  • SQLZoo (interactive exercises)
  • freeCodeCamp SQL course (YouTube)
Hands-On Practice:
Install MySQL or PostgreSQL locally, practice 100+ SQL queries on sample databases, solve problems on LeetCode SQL section, create complex reports with JOINs

Database Design & Normalization

What to Learn:
Entity-relationship (ER) diagrams, primary keys and foreign keys, normalization (1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF), denormalization when appropriate, data types and constraints, indexes fundamentals, referential integrity, database schemas
Free Resources:
  • Database design tutorials (Stanford online)
  • Normalization explained (YouTube)
  • Database design best practices articles
Hands-On Practice:
Design database schema for e-commerce system, create ER diagrams, normalize poorly designed databases, implement schemas in MySQL/PostgreSQL

Data Manipulation & Transactions

What to Learn:
INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements, transaction management (BEGIN, COMMIT, ROLLBACK), ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability), isolation levels, stored procedures and functions, triggers, views and materialized views
Free Resources:
  • PostgreSQL documentation (transactions)
  • MySQL stored procedures tutorial
  • Database transactions explained
Hands-On Practice:
Create stored procedures for common operations, write triggers for audit logging, practice transaction management, create complex views
2

Database Administration Essentials

Duration: 8-10 weeks

Database Installation & Configuration

What to Learn:
Installing MySQL/PostgreSQL on Linux and Windows, configuration files and parameters, memory allocation (buffer pools, cache), connection pooling, log file management, character sets and collations, timezone configuration
Free Resources:
  • MySQL official documentation
  • PostgreSQL administration guide
  • Database configuration best practices
Hands-On Practice:
Install and configure multiple database instances, tune configuration parameters, set up different environments (dev, staging, prod)

User Management & Security

What to Learn:
Creating users and roles, GRANT and REVOKE permissions, principle of least privilege, authentication methods, password policies, SSL/TLS for connections, encryption at rest, auditing and logging access, security best practices
Free Resources:
  • Database security fundamentals
  • MySQL/PostgreSQL security guides
  • OWASP database security cheat sheet
Hands-On Practice:
Create role-based access control system, implement least privilege, enable SSL connections, set up audit logging, practice security hardening

Backup & Recovery

What to Learn:
Backup types (full, incremental, differential), logical vs physical backups, mysqldump and pg_dump, point-in-time recovery, automated backup strategies, backup verification and testing, recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO), disaster recovery planning
Free Resources:
  • MySQL backup and recovery guide
  • PostgreSQL backup strategies
  • Database disaster recovery best practices
Hands-On Practice:
Implement automated backup scripts, practice full and incremental backups, perform recovery drills, test point-in-time recovery, document procedures

Monitoring & Maintenance

What to Learn:
Performance monitoring tools and queries, slow query logs, connection monitoring, disk space management, database statistics, health checks, routine maintenance tasks (VACUUM, ANALYZE, OPTIMIZE), monitoring dashboards (Grafana, pgAdmin)
Free Resources:
  • Database monitoring best practices
  • Prometheus + Grafana for databases
  • Performance monitoring queries collection
Hands-On Practice:
Set up monitoring dashboard, configure alerts, create maintenance scripts, analyze slow query logs, implement health check procedures
3

Performance Optimization

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Query Optimization & Execution Plans

What to Learn:
Understanding EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE, reading execution plans, identifying bottlenecks, query rewriting techniques, avoiding N+1 queries, optimizing JOINs, using indexes effectively, query hints and optimizer directives
Free Resources:
  • Query optimization guide (Use The Index Luke)
  • EXPLAIN plan tutorials
  • SQL optimization techniques
Hands-On Practice:
Analyze slow queries using EXPLAIN, optimize queries (10x-100x speedups), practice on large datasets, create before/after benchmarks

Indexing Strategies

What to Learn:
Index types (B-tree, Hash, GiST, GIN), single-column vs composite indexes, covering indexes, partial indexes, index maintenance (rebuilding, reindexing), when NOT to use indexes, index bloat, index-only scans
Free Resources:
  • PostgreSQL index types explained
  • MySQL indexing best practices
  • Index optimization tutorials
Hands-On Practice:
Create optimal indexes for various query patterns, measure index impact, identify missing indexes, remove unused indexes, optimize composite indexes

Database Performance Tuning

What to Learn:
Memory tuning (shared buffers, work_mem, effective_cache_size), connection pooling (PgBouncer, ProxySQL), query cache configuration, table partitioning, sharding basics, read replicas, connection limit optimization, vacuuming strategies
Free Resources:
  • PostgreSQL performance tuning guide
  • MySQL performance optimization
  • Database scaling strategies
Hands-On Practice:
Tune database parameters for workload, set up connection pooling, implement table partitioning, benchmark performance improvements
4

High Availability & Replication

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Replication Setup & Management

What to Learn:
Master-slave replication, streaming replication (PostgreSQL), binary log replication (MySQL), synchronous vs asynchronous replication, multi-master replication, replication lag monitoring, failover procedures, promoting replicas
Free Resources:
  • PostgreSQL replication tutorial
  • MySQL replication guide
  • High availability architectures
Hands-On Practice:
Set up master-slave replication, configure streaming replication, practice failover scenarios, monitor replication lag

Clustering & Load Balancing

What to Learn:
Database clustering concepts, Patroni for PostgreSQL HA, MySQL Group Replication, automatic failover, load balancing reads across replicas, HAProxy and pgpool-II, split-brain problem and solutions, quorum-based systems
Free Resources:
  • Patroni documentation
  • MySQL clustering tutorial
  • Database load balancing guide
Hands-On Practice:
Set up Patroni cluster, configure automatic failover, implement read load balancing, test split-brain scenarios

Disaster Recovery Planning

What to Learn:
Disaster recovery strategies, RTO and RPO requirements, geo-replication, multi-region setup, backup strategies for HA, recovery testing procedures, documentation and runbooks, incident response planning
Free Resources:
  • Disaster recovery best practices
  • Multi-region database setup
  • Database incident response guide
Hands-On Practice:
Create DR plan documentation, set up multi-region replication, conduct disaster recovery drills, document all procedures
5

NoSQL & Modern Databases

Duration: 6-8 weeks

MongoDB Administration

What to Learn:
Document-oriented databases, BSON format, MongoDB CRUD operations, indexes in MongoDB, aggregation pipeline, replica sets, sharding, MongoDB Atlas (cloud), backup and restore, performance tuning
Free Resources:
  • MongoDB University (free courses)
  • MongoDB official documentation
  • NoSQL database patterns
Hands-On Practice:
Install and configure MongoDB, create replica set, practice aggregation pipelines, implement sharding, optimize queries

Redis & Caching Strategies

What to Learn:
In-memory databases, Redis data structures (strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets), caching patterns, cache invalidation strategies, Redis persistence (RDB, AOF), Redis Sentinel for HA, Redis Cluster, pub/sub messaging
Free Resources:
  • Redis documentation
  • Caching best practices
  • Redis University courses
Hands-On Practice:
Set up Redis, implement caching layer for application, configure persistence, set up Redis Sentinel, practice different data structures

Other NoSQL Databases (Overview)

What to Learn:
Cassandra (wide-column store), Elasticsearch (document store + search), DynamoDB (AWS), Neo4j (graph database), when to use each type, CAP theorem, eventual consistency, choosing the right database for use case
Free Resources:
  • NoSQL database comparison
  • CAP theorem explained
  • Database selection guide
Hands-On Practice:
Try out different NoSQL databases, understand their strengths and weaknesses, practice with sample applications
6

Automation & Cloud Databases

Duration: 4-6 weeks

Database Automation & Scripting

What to Learn:
Python for database automation, database connectors (psycopg2, pymysql), Bash scripts for maintenance, scheduled jobs (cron), Ansible for database management, database migrations (Flyway, Liquibase), infrastructure as code for databases
Free Resources:
  • Python database programming
  • Ansible for databases
  • Database migration tools
Hands-On Practice:
Write Python scripts for common DBA tasks, automate backup procedures, create Ansible playbooks for database deployment, implement migration workflow

Cloud Database Services

What to Learn:
AWS RDS (MySQL, PostgreSQL), Aurora, DynamoDB, Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, Google Cloud SQL, managed vs self-hosted, cloud database best practices, cost optimization, backup and DR in cloud
Free Resources:
  • AWS RDS documentation
  • Azure SQL tutorials
  • Cloud database comparison guide
Hands-On Practice:
Create RDS instances, configure automated backups, set up read replicas, practice migration to cloud, optimize costs

Portfolio & Interview Preparation

What to Create:
GitHub repository with automation scripts, documented case studies (performance optimizations, migrations), architecture diagrams, disaster recovery plans, technical blog posts
Interview Prep:
  • Database design questions
  • Query optimization scenarios
  • Troubleshooting problems
  • Architecture discussions
  • Real-world DBA experiences

Essential Tech Stack

Master these technologies to become job-ready

Relational Databases

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL / MariaDB
  • Oracle (optional)
  • SQL Server (optional)

NoSQL Databases

  • MongoDB
  • Redis
  • Cassandra (optional)
  • Elasticsearch (optional)

High Availability Tools

  • Patroni
  • PgBouncer / ProxySQL
  • HAProxy
  • Replication (built-in)

Monitoring & Tools

  • Prometheus + Grafana
  • pgAdmin / MySQL Workbench
  • Slow query analyzers
  • Database profilers

Automation & Scripting

  • Python (psycopg2, pymysql)
  • Bash scripting
  • Ansible
  • Flyway / Liquibase

Cloud Platforms

  • AWS RDS / Aurora
  • Azure SQL Database
  • Google Cloud SQL
  • Managed database services

Portfolio Projects to Build

Build these projects to showcase your skills to employers

⚡

Query Performance Optimization Case Study

Document a real optimization project where you improved query performance by 10x-100x. Include before/after EXPLAIN plans, indexing strategies, query rewrites and measurable results with benchmarks.

Query Optimization Indexing Performance Tuning Benchmarking
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High Availability PostgreSQL Cluster

Set up production-grade HA cluster using Patroni, etcd and HAProxy. Implement automatic failover, load balancing, monitoring with Prometheus/Grafana. Document architecture and procedures.

Patroni High Availability Replication Load Balancing
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Database Automation Framework

Create Python-based automation toolkit for common DBA tasks: health checks, backup verification, performance monitoring, automated reports and alerts. Include scheduling and error handling.

Python Automation Monitoring Scripting
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E-Commerce Database Design

Design complete e-commerce database schema with proper normalization, implement complex queries, stored procedures, triggers. Include performance testing, indexing strategy and scaling considerations.

Database Design Normalization SQL Performance
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Cloud Database Migration Project

Plan and execute migration from on-premise PostgreSQL/MySQL to AWS RDS. Include downtime minimization strategy, data validation, rollback plan and cost optimization analysis.

Cloud Migration AWS RDS Planning Documentation
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Disaster Recovery Implementation

Design and implement complete DR solution with geo-replication, automated backups, point-in-time recovery testing. Document RTO/RPO, conduct DR drills, create detailed runbooks.

Disaster Recovery Backup Strategy Replication Documentation

Free Learning Resources

Best free resources to master database administration

🎓 SQL & Database Basics

  • Mode SQL Tutorial
  • SQLZoo (interactive)
  • freeCodeCamp SQL course
  • Stanford Database Course
  • LeetCode SQL problems

📺 YouTube Channels

  • Hussein Nasser (databases)
  • CMU Database Course (Andy Pavlo)
  • Database Star
  • Coding with John (SQL)
  • TechWorld with Nana

📖 Documentation

  • PostgreSQL Documentation
  • MySQL Reference Manual
  • MongoDB Manual
  • Redis Documentation
  • Use The Index Luke (optimization)

💻 Practice Platforms

  • DB Fiddle (online SQL)
  • HackerRank SQL
  • StrataScratch
  • PostgreSQL Exercises
  • Local database installations

💬 Communities

  • Reddit r/Database
  • Reddit r/PostgreSQL
  • Stack Overflow
  • DBA Stack Exchange
  • PostgreSQL Slack

📚 Books (Free/Open)

  • PostgreSQL Up and Running
  • High Performance MySQL
  • Database Internals
  • Designing Data-Intensive Apps
  • SQL Performance Explained

Ready to Start Your DBA Journey?

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