SQL Server Database Administrator
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A SQL Server Database Administrator administers SQL Server data systems and structures. Uses software applications and structured query language (SQL) procedures to store and organize data, such as an organization's records or financial information. Ensures that users can easily access the information they need and that data are protected from unauthorized access.
Job Outlook
There were 137 SQL Server Database Administrator job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 3735 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Database Administrator industry, which includes the SQL Server Database Administrator career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2016:
Salary
Many new SQL Server Database Administrator jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $106,144.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $106,144.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for SQL Server Database Administrator postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $98,920.
Education and Experience
Posted SQL Server Database Administrator jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.8% |
| Master's Degree | 11.38% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.04% |
| Other | 2.86% |
Posted SQL Server Database Administrator jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 9.42% |
| 3 to 5 years | 48.45% |
| 6 to 8 years | 22.5% |
| 9+ years | 19.63% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills SQL Server Database Administrator positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (50.15%)
- Communication (34.32%)
- Management (33.63%)
- Problem Solving (26.75%)
- Information Technology (16.81%)
- Operations (15.29%)
- Planning (12.64%)
- Leadership (11.83%)
- Mentorship (8.67%)
- Verbal Communication Skills (8.17%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Computer Science (27.3%)
- Backup Devices (27.08%)
- Microsoft Azure (28.27%)
- Database Security (17.46%)
- Disaster Recovery (25.85%)
- Database Administration (81.01%)
- Microsoft SQL Servers (46.88%)
- Performance Tuning (34.62%)
- SQL (Programming Language) (96.93%)
- SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) (28.11%)
- Stored Procedure (21.11%)
- Transact-SQL (19.66%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Data Encryption (3.85%)
- Database Architecture (4.46%)
- Database Management (11.38%)
- Data Maintenance (6.7%)
- Database Systems (15.79%)
- Technical Support (7.45%)
- Agile Methodology (10.49%)
- Active Directory (7.1%)
- Microsoft Access (15.57%)
- Automation (20.68%)
- Application Development (8.47%)
- Amazon Web Services (18.48%)
- IT Capacity Management (12.91%)
- Data Integrity (10.3%)
- Database Servers (11.14%)
- Auditing (11.94%)
- C# (Programming Language) (3.12%)
- Data Warehousing (11.62%)
- Change Control (6.43%)
- Change Management (7.77%)
- Cryptography (3.85%)
- DevOps (7.24%)
- Extract Transform Load (ETL) (18.34%)
- Data Management (8.39%)
- Relational Databases (7.42%)
- Database Management Systems (12.96%)
- Development Environment (3.68%)
- Operating Systems (8.1%)
- Linux (7.56%)
- MySQL (11.62%)
- Information Systems (7.4%)
- Data Modeling (12.91%)
- Encryption (7.32%)
- Database Design (15.98%)
- Database Tuning (13.53%)
- Project Management (9.71%)
- Python (Programming Language) (8.58%)
- PostgreSQL (11.89%)
- Relational Database Management Systems (6.72%)
- Scalability (7.37%)
- Windows Servers (12.86%)
- MongoDB (6.35%)
- Query Optimization (10.19%)
- SQL Server Analysis Services (8.61%)
- Windows PowerShell (19.82%)
- Power BI (14.07%)
- SQL Server Reporting Services (23.7%)
- Scripting (20.17%)
- Backup And Restore (3.42%)
- Indexing (7.1%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Database Mirroring (2.66%)
- Failover Clustering (4.22%)
- Log Shipping (8.39%)
- Query Tuning (6.75%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Backup Devices (35.47%)
- Computer Science (35.75%)
- Disaster Recovery (33.85%)
- Failover Clustering (5.53%)
- Log Shipping (10.99%)
- Microsoft SQL Servers (61.39%)
- Windows PowerShell (25.96%)
- SQL Server Reporting Services (31.03%)
- SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) (36.81%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with SQL Server Database Administrator skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- SQL Database Administrator
- Lead SQL Server Database Administrator
- Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrator
- SQL Administrator
- Process Improvement Manager
- PostgreSQL Database Administrator
- Database Administrator
- Systems Administrator
- SQL Developer
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Database Administrator
- SQL Developer
- Database Analyst / Developer
- Database Architect
- Oracle Database Administrator
- MySQL Database Administrator
- ETL Developer
- Data Warehouse Developer
- Business Intelligence Developer / Architect
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most SQL Server Database Administrator jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Contact Government Services (134)
- Molina Healthcare (89)
- Allegis Group (74)
- Insight Global (70)
- Humana (63)
- TEKsystems (62)
- Beacon Hill Staffing Group (54)
- Eliassen Group (51)
- Xerox (43)
- Accenture (41)
North Carolina
- Vaco (5)
- A3 Solutions (4)
- Allegis Group (4)
- Ascendion Group (4)
- CRG (3)
- Larsen & Toubro (3)
- General Dynamics (3)
- TD Bank (3)
- TEKsystems (3)
- Dataedge Consulting (3)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.