If you use a database at work, you‘re considered a database user. From administrators to analysts and everyone in between, users play a crucial role in optimizing database infrastructure.
Recent surveys show that over 75% of companies now rely on databases for daily operations and strategic planning. But without the right users managing access, monitoring activity, and extracting insights, these systems fail to live up to their potential.
This article will explore the 12 most common types of database users. We‘ll cover their typical duties, necessary technical skills, and importance to an organization. Let‘s dive in!
Database Users – An Overview
Database users fall into two broad categories:
Technical Users responsible for administering systems and developing applications that interact with data. This includes DBAs, developers, data scientists, and security admins.
Business Users who leverage databases to do their jobs. This covers analysts, executives, clerks, casual users, and power users.
Cross-functional collaboration between these groups helps translate raw data into tangible business value. Consider how a casual user sends a data request to a developer, who constructs a readable report for analysts to contextualize for executives.
Now let‘s explore specific user types in more detail…
The Database Administrator (DBA)
The DBA owns database availability, integrity, and performance. Daily duties span:
- Installation, upgrades, and configuration
- User provisioning and access controls
- Write optimization and indexing
- Capacity planning and workload management
- High availability Failover and replication
According to DB-Engines rankings, over 70% of companies now use either Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server for their database. DBAs must demonstrate expertise across the most widely adopted platforms.
Top 3 Database Management Systems
| Database | Market Share |
|-|-|
| Oracle | 41.7% |
| MySQL | 23.7% |
| Microsoft SQL Server | 14.7% |With data breaches having massive financial fallout (an average cost of $4.24 million in 2021), DBAs also serve as gatekeepers safeguarding availability and integrity.
The Developer
Database developers design and build applications allowing users to interact with data through friendly interfaces rather than complex query languages.
Responsibilities include:
- Gathering application requirements from business teams
- Modeling data objects like tables, forms, searches, and reports
- Coding apps in languages like C# .NET, Java, PHP, or JavaScript plus frameworks like Angular, React, and Django
- Integrating with core database infrastructure and operating environments
- Troubleshooting bugs and performance issues
SQL mastery is mandatory for constructing performant queries and database procedures. Vetted internal developers or trusted third-party firms can fulfill this role.
The Business Analyst
Business analysts connect raw data to leadership priorities around growth, spending, staffing, and more. Their mix of technical and business acumen helps model scenarios to identify optimal data-driven strategies.
Key duties involve:
- Distilling data into dashboards, reports, and summaries
- Identifying trends and anomalies needing investigation
- Communicating technology limitations affecting insights
- Presenting findings to department heads and company executives
To achieve this, business analysts need SQL proficiency plus data visualization fluency using Excel, Tableau, Power BI, and other reporting tools. Certifications like CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) validate their expertise.
According to projections from LinkedIn, business data analyst jobs are expected to grow over 25% through 2024 – much faster than other occupations.
The Data Scientist
Data scientists employ advanced statistical modeling and machine learning techniques to detect hard-to-spot patterns within large, complex data sets.
Their mix of computer science and quantitative skills allows them to:
- Build predictive models assessing risk, forecasting trends, etc.
- Categorize data using techniques like supervised vs unsupervised learning
- Identify new data sources to enrich analysis
- Optimize algorithms for accuracy and performance
- Communicate technical findings to business partners
Top platforms and languages include Python, R, SQL, Spark, AWS data services, TensorFlow, and Azure Machine Learning.
Average Annual Salary by Data Science Role
| Role | Salary |
|-|-|
| Data Scientist | $120,931 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $114,856 |
| Database Administrator | $98,028 |Given competitive demand, data science salaries lead most IT occupations. Their insights catalyze innovation and differentiated offerings.
The Power User
Power users have advanced SQL query writing and data modeling skills surpassing casual users. Unlike developers building applications, power users answer ad hoc questions by manipulating data creatively on the fly.
Every company has anomalies falling outside the scope of standard reports. Power users fill this gap through:
- Data profiling across sources to stitch together disparate data
- Advanced JOINs and UNIONs combining complex sets
- Custom calculations within queries using CASE statements
- Recursive queries showing data hierarchies
- Pivots and unpivots changing table structure
- Metadata investigation informing query approach
Power users prevent executives from being boxed in by the limitations of predefined objects delivered in standard reporting packages.
SQL Clauses Frequency Among Power Users vs Casual Users
| SQL Clause | Power User Utilization | Casual User Utilization |
|-|-|-|
| Nested Queries | High | Low |
| CASE Statements | High | Low |
| INSERT | High | Medium |
| JOINs | High | Medium |The Casual User
Casual users represent the majority of employees interacting with databases. They rely on simple views and interfaces to check high-level records related to day-to-day work like:
- Sales reps viewing client data
- Marketing reviewing campaign metrics
- HR checking personnel information
- Logistics confirming inventory levels
Casual users just need read permissions plus UI features allowing filtering and export. They rarely write queries directly. However, proper casual usage improves productivity company-wide.
The Executive
High-level leaders like directors, VPs, and C-level executives leverage aggregated analytics from database reporting to steer top-down strategy. Their duties center on:
- Reviewing visual summaries from business intelligence tools
- Identifying macro trends, red flags, and standout metrics
- Relying on data highlights to set growth targets
- Weighing scenarios using advanced modeling
However, imperfect data can severely undermine or complicate executive‘s jobs. Trusted inputs and transparency around methodology, assumptions, and confidence levels gives executives confidence in the insights that guide billion-dollar decisions.
The Data Entry Clerk
Data entry clerks transfer paper documents, forms, surveys, and other files into databases through manual transcription or data loading.
Vital capabilities include:
- Accurate keyboarding and typing
- Sharp eyesight verifying inputs
- Commitment to detail and policy
- Tenacity for routine work
Validation checks and audits catch inevitable human inaccuracies. But without clerks executing proper data collection, downstream reporting suffers. Companies should inspect samples continuously.
The Outsourced User
Third parties granted database access like contractors, systems integrators, offshore technical teams, and business process outsourcing partners represent outsourced users. Their work spans:
- Administration
- Infrastructure
- Security
- Development
- Support
Digitization makes skills globalization easier than ever. But outsourced users still need local context and access minimization. Firms should:
- Vet backgrounds to uphold ethics
- Use least privilege permissions
- Mask sensitive information
- Phase knowledge transfer for sustainability
The Mobile User
Mobile users remotely access databases via smartphones and tablets while traveling or in the field. Use cases include:
- Using dashboards during client visits
- Capturing survey responses into forms
- Updating central records from any location
Key enablers include:
- Responsive design supporting all devices
- Seamless SSO across platforms
- Automatic syncing upon reconnect
- Decentralized data governance
With over 80% of workers expecting mobile functionality by 2023, companies must accommodate needs.
The Temporary User
Temporary users receive time-bound access to assist short-term initiatives related to:
- Migration projects
- Third-party data analysis
- System testing
- Compliance auditing
Stringent oversight is mandatory, usually requiring:
- Executive sponsorship
- Limited permissions
- Remote monitoring
- Access revocation upon completion
Temporary access allows elastic skills augmentation to fuel special initiatives without unnecessary permissions lingering.
The Security Administrator
Security administrators enforce policies safeguarding database infrastructure and information assets. Daily duties include:
- Configuring authentication protocols
- Granting and revoking access
- Detecting unauthorized activity
- Shielding from cyberthreats
- Remediating vulnerabilities
- Ensuring regulatory compliance
Top certifications like CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) validate credentials.
Given attackers stole over 1 billion records globally last year alone, the security administrator role serves as the last line of defense for companies worldwide.
Key Takeaways Around Database Users
Database users span technical administrators to casual business users – but ongoing collaboration across groups is vital.
Supporting the needs of all user types is mandatory for optimizing infrastructure ROI.
Specialized users like data scientists, power users, and security admins provide high value.
Continuous access control, education, and oversight ensures responsible data usage.
Understanding the spectrum of database users equips companies to assemble the right mix of talent for their needs. With data now an invaluable business asset, a 360-degree perspective on usage, capabilities, and access enables data-driven development.
