What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Database Architects in the U.S. earn more than $139,500 a year — the middle 80% land between $86,240 and $204,000. About 67,140 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Database Architects”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$139,500typical pay / year
67,140people in this work
$204,000+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Keeping the record3
Create data models and schemas
+Design canonical entity and relationship schemas for the customer, product, order, and inventory domains;…
Create data models and schemas
+Design canonical entity and relationship schemas for the customer, product, order, and inventory domains; include field types, cardinality, validation rules, and sample JSON and CSV exports for the API team to consume by Thursday.
The tools that do the workApache CassandraESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Optimize database performance
+Profile current query runtimes and index usage for the orders and analytics databases, propose index and…
Optimize database performance
+Profile current query runtimes and index usage for the orders and analytics databases, propose index and partition changes that cut 95th-percentile response time by half, and produce a change plan for the DBAs to apply during the 02:00 maintenance window.
The tools that do the workAmazon Redshiftjob descriptionsO*NET
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Create and manage data models
+Update the canonical data model for contacts and accounts, normalise redundant fields, publish the model with…
Create and manage data models
+Update the canonical data model for contacts and accounts, normalise redundant fields, publish the model with attribute-level definitions and sample mappings, and notify integration owners to reconcile within two sprints.
The tools that do the workApache Airflowjob descriptionsO*NET
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Analysing1
Express strategic data requirements
+Write a two-page strategic brief that maps business goals to measurable data capabilities: authoritative…
Express strategic data requirements
+Write a two-page strategic brief that maps business goals to measurable data capabilities: authoritative customer record, realtime product availability, unified reporting, and the timelines and data owners required to deliver each capability this fiscal year.
The tools that do the workApache Hivejob descriptionsWikipedia
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Fixing2
Develop and test database modifications
+Create a development branch with test fixtures, implement the schema changes to add order status history and…
Develop and test database modifications
+Create a development branch with test fixtures, implement the schema changes to add order status history and audit fields, run the migration against a sanitized staging snapshot, and report failed rows and rollback steps to the release manager.
The tools that do the workApache Hadoopjob descriptionsO*NET
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Implement data backup and recovery procedures
+Document and configure nightly full and incremental backups for the customer and transaction datasets, define…
Implement data backup and recovery procedures
+Document and configure nightly full and incremental backups for the customer and transaction datasets, define RTO and RPO for each, and validate recovery by restoring last week's backup into isolated test environment before Friday.
The tools that do the workAmazon Web Services AWSjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Perform data analysis
+Analyse the customer transaction and product feed logs for Q2 to spot missing fields, inconsistent…
Perform data analysis
+Analyse the customer transaction and product feed logs for Q2 to spot missing fields, inconsistent identifiers, and outliers, produce a cleaned CSV with column definitions and a short data-quality memo for the analytics team by Wednesday noon.
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Create data sets
+Assemble canonical customer and product tables from the CRM export and the storefront feeds, normalise…
Create data sets
+Assemble canonical customer and product tables from the CRM export and the storefront feeds, normalise identifiers, add provenance columns, sample-check 500 rows, and deliver two ready-to-load datasets plus a schema document by Friday.
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Provide technical guidance to team members
+Write a short technical note for the API and frontend teams explaining the agreed JSON schema, required field…
Provide technical guidance to team members
+Write a short technical note for the API and frontend teams explaining the agreed JSON schema, required field validation rules, and two example payloads they can use to test integration by Tuesday morning so engineers can start client work on Wednesday.
The tools that do the workAJAXjob descriptionsO*NET
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Define how the data will be stored
+Draft a storage design that specifies which entities become normalized tables, which fields are indexed,…
Define how the data will be stored
+Draft a storage design that specifies which entities become normalized tables, which fields are indexed, retention policies, and a capacity estimate for the first year so the platform team can provision database instances by next sprint planning.
The tools that do the workApache Cassandrajob descriptionsWikipedia
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Review project requests describing database user needs to estimate time and cost required to accomplish project.
+Review the four new project requests and return a one-page estimate each with scope assumptions, major tasks,…
Review project requests describing database user needs to estimate time and cost required to accomplish project.
+Review the four new project requests and return a one-page estimate each with scope assumptions, major tasks, rough time per task, and a ballpark cost so product management can prioritise by Friday afternoon.
The tools that do the workApache HiveO*NET
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Establish and calculate optimum values for database parameters, using manuals and calculators.
+Calculate optimal database parameters for the sales reporting cluster: row cache size, compaction throughput,…
Establish and calculate optimum values for database parameters, using manuals and calculators.
+Calculate optimal database parameters for the sales reporting cluster: row cache size, compaction throughput, and number of shards, using vendor manuals and performance calculators, and send the tuning sheet to the DBA team for implementation on Monday.
The tools that do the workApache HadoopO*NET
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Train users and answer questions.
+Prepare a ninety-minute training session and an FAQ that covers how to query the canonical datasets, the…
Train users and answer questions.
+Prepare a ninety-minute training session and an FAQ that covers how to query the canonical datasets, the approved data exchange formats, and common debugging steps, then schedule it with the analytics team for Thursday afternoon.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatO*NET
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Ensure data integrity and security
+Run a checklist and report that verifies access control lists, encryption-at-rest settings, audit logging,…
Ensure data integrity and security
+Run a checklist and report that verifies access control lists, encryption-at-rest settings, audit logging, and integrity checks across the primary datasets, then send findings and remediation steps to security and the data owners by COB Friday.
The tools that do the workAmazon Web Services AWSjob descriptions
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Troubleshoot database issues
+Diagnose the nightly load failures to the customer records table, identify the broken transform or missing…
Troubleshoot database issues
+Diagnose the nightly load failures to the customer records table, identify the broken transform or missing index, run the failing query plan against the test replica, and list exact fixes and rollback steps by tomorrow noon for the platform owners.
The tools that do the workApache Hivejob descriptions
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Collaborate with software developers and analysts
+Run a two-hour design session with Dev team lead Marcus and analyst Priya to reconcile the API payload fields…
Collaborate with software developers and analysts
+Run a two-hour design session with Dev team lead Marcus and analyst Priya to reconcile the API payload fields with the analytics model, record agreed field definitions and example payloads, and post the final spec to the shared design folder before Friday.
The tools that do the workApache Airflowjob descriptions
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Create an inventory of the data needed
+Inventory all source, intermediate and consumed data elements for customer onboarding flows, capture owner,…
Create an inventory of the data needed
+Inventory all source, intermediate and consumed data elements for customer onboarding flows, capture owner, frequency, retention and quality rules into a single spreadsheet, and flag any missing owners for DRI assignment by end of week.
The tools that do the workApache HadoopWikipedia
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Provide a standard common business vocabulary
+Draft a one-page common business vocabulary for customer, account, transaction and product that maps synonyms…
Provide a standard common business vocabulary
+Draft a one-page common business vocabulary for customer, account, transaction and product that maps synonyms used by sales and finance, include one canonical definition for each term and circulate it to Joanne in finance for approval by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workApache CassandraWikipedia
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Manage standards for data exchange
+Publish the data exchange standards for REST payloads used by partners: required headers, JSON schema…
Manage standards for data exchange
+Publish the data exchange standards for REST payloads used by partners: required headers, JSON schema examples, error codes and secure transport rules, then notify Partner Ops and paste the doc link into the integration channel before Monday.
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Web programming
+Implement the public customer lookup endpoint, validate parameter sanitation and response shapes, add unit…
Web programming
+Implement the public customer lookup endpoint, validate parameter sanitation and response shapes, add unit tests for edge cases, and deploy the staged build so QA can begin integration testing on Thursday morning.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses