The data architect job description has become one of the most sought-after jobs on the internet. Data-related jobs are on the rise in today’s data-driven world. We have already explained cloud computing job requirements and business intelligence analyst skills in these articles. Data science professionals are in high demand. Large and small businesses want to recruit the top talent in the market to assist them in efficiently collecting, processing, and analyzing enormous amounts of data. So, it’s time to show you the data architect job description, their salaries, requirements, and more.
What is the data architect job description?
A data architect is a professional in data architecture, a branch of information technology that focuses on developing, inventing, deploying, and managing an organization’s data architecture. Data architects influence how data is stored, consumed, integrated with other sources of information, and managed by distinct business units and IT systems and any applications that use or process it in some way. It’s one of four enterprise architecture domains alongside business architecture and application development.
The responsibilities of a data architect at this level include laying the groundwork for an organization’s database by coming up with structural and installation options. They collaborate with database administrators and analysts to guarantee that company data is easily accessible. Creating database solutions, assessing needs, and producing design reports are part of the job.
The Data Architect works with management to choose the best data-gathering techniques. Many in this position have a Master’s degree and extensive training in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a closely related field. You must be detail-oriented and comprehend abstract ideas to do well in this job. Today, data architects must be able to model and predict how changes in how an organization obtains data might affect how it uses that data, as well as map out how data will flow through the many phases of a project.
The data architect is one of the most in-demand professions within data science. Organizations wanting to implement a strong data strategy need a data architect who knows how to work with big databases, analyze and apply machine learning, and utilize programming languages. These businesses also want the data architect to assist them in determining how the information—both structured and unstructured—should be stored and used with other IT systems. According to a Forbes article, over half of all businesses in the world conduct data analysis to obtain operational insights that help them make better decisions. In the next several years, 71 percent of these firms anticipate company investment in data and analytics will speed up.
Are you interested? Let’s examine some sub-job descriptions of this profession.
What is the senior data architect job description?
Senior data architects are in charge of the overall plan for data architecture systems. Their duty is optimizing databases, building ETL solutions, and overseeing automated data flow.
As a senior data architect, you’ll be in charge of using the company’s technology platforms to their full potential and managing cloud and on-premise environments. You’ll also be in charge of verifying data quality.
You’ll be in charge of the company’s data architecture, ensuring it is safe and long-lasting. You will collaborate with other teams on developing various data integration techniques. Your employer will expect you to have significant expertise in data management.
When it comes to being a Senior Data Architect, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Did you know that they make an average of $57.96 per hour? That’s $120,554 per year!
What is the cloud data architect job description?
An IT professional in charge of a company’s cloud computing strategy is known as a cloud architect. This includes policies for adopting clouds, cloud application design, and the oversight and monitoring of cloud operations. Cloud architects are responsible for architecture and deployment in cloud environments, including public clouds, private clouds, and hybrid Clouds. They also provide consultancy to their companies and must stay informed on current trends and concerns. Companies that employ cloud architects either use cloud services or intend to migrate to the internet.
Architects are responsible for providing project management, architecture, and technical guidance to the cloud architect team. They may also be engaged in legal issues surrounding cloud computing, managing contracts, and contacting legal and procurement teams. Architects ensure that service level agreements are fulfilled.
According to Payscale’s salary research for 2022, cloud architects may expect base pay ranging from $80,000 to $167,000 per year, depending on various criteria such as education, location, skills, and experience. According to Payscale, the average pay for a cloud architect is $128,418.
Data architect roles and responsibilities
According to DAMA International’s Data Management Body of Knowledge, a Data Architect “provides common business language and strategic requirements, develops high-level integrated designs to meet those requirements, and aligns with company strategy and associated business architecture.”
A data architect is a professional who designs, develops, and maintains an integrated framework of easily accessible, secure data consistent with company strategy. The data architect also defines the processes for testing and maintaining the database.
The responsibilities of a data architect are numerous, including research, design, evaluation, integration, deployment, monitoring, and collaboration. The following are some of the duties of a data architect:
- Collaborate with management and IT staff to create a data strategy that meets corporate demands and industry standards.
- Establish a data architecture from the ground up by creating an inventory of all the data needed to develop and implement it.
- Consider how data might move throughout the organization.
- Maintain a data architecture repository that includes all of the procedures and artifacts.
- Determine what additional data management technologies are required based on current systems and resources.
- Examine what improvements and updates are required for the current data infrastructure.
- Create, design, document, and deploy database systems and applications.
- Manage data in a cloud-based environment. Create database models, analytics, and AI applications from scratch.
- Ensure that guidance is available to staff on developing and enforcing data development standards.
- Manage multiple systems and functions, including security, performance, scalability, reliability, and data recovery.
- Use your gathered data to develop new leads and methods for gathering information.
- Ensure that data is accurate, intact, and accessible.
- Maintain a data management system that is continually tested, modified, and reported.
You may be asking if it’s the same as a data engineer. However, don’t let these responsibilities mislead and confuse you. The titles Data Architect and Data Engineer are frequently conflated, and even worse, they are sometimes employed interchangeably. However, the work of a Data Architect differs significantly from that of a Data Engineer.
Comparison: Data architect vs data engineer
The data architect and data engineer ranks are frequently conflated, which causes them to be interchangeable. The defining distinction between both positions is their major responsibilities.
- The data architect is in charge of developing the organization’s data framework’s vision and blueprint, whereas the data engineer takes care of making it a reality.
- Data architects assist data teams in bringing business needs to live by providing technical know-how and assistance; data engineers ensure that data is readily available, secure, and accessible to stakeholders when they need it (data scientists, data analysts).
- Data architects have significant data modeling, integration, and design expertise and a good understanding of other data tasks. Data engineers are highly skilled in programming but lack software engineering experience.
- The data architect and the data engineer collaborate to construct the company’s data infrastructure.
How to become a data architect?
Formal education, internships, certifications, and relevant work experience are all important aspects of a data architect’s qualifications to get a job and advance their profession.
- Bachelor’s degree: A bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science, IT, or a closely related discipline is required for individuals looking to work as data architects. Many businesses demand that potential senior data architect candidates have a master’s degree in data science or computer science.
- Work as an IT intern: Because the data architect isn’t a beginner job, anyone interested in pursuing it should have as much IT knowledge as possible.
- Entry-level IT experience: Individuals will generally require at least three to five years of experience in an entry-level IT field like programming or database administration before becoming a data architect.
- Secure a job as a data architect: A data architect may work for various organizations in various sectors that handle huge amounts of client data.
- Certification: The IBM Certified Data Architect–Big Data, Salesforce Certified Data Architecture and Management Designer, and Institute for Certified Computing Professionals’ Certified Data Management Professionals are some certifications available to data architects.
Must-have data architect skills
The following are a few of the most important data architect abilities:
- Knowledge of project management techniques, process management systems, and requirements gathering methods is required.
- Data modeling and design, as well as SQL development and database administration, must be fulfilled.
- Data is the perfect fit for companies looking to embrace AI into their business but don’t know where to start. Machine learning, NLP and text analysis, and predictive modeling are necessary skillsets.
- The ability to use commonly used data management and reporting technologies is required, as well as the fundamentals of columnar and NoSQL databases, data visualization, unstructured data, data mining, and predictive analytics.
- Python, C/C++, Java, and Perl programming languages are required.
So, is it worth it?
What is the average data architect salary?
According to ZipRecruiter, the median salary for enterprise data architects in the United States was $132,617 per year as of September 2021, ranging from a low of $36,500 to a high of $190,500. IT data architect ($142,869), platform architect ($140,000), data architecture director (£125k), and cloud business architect (£130k) were among the best-paying jobs.