The typical role-specific responsibilities of a Database Engineer are to:
Review and understand relevant:
Requirements specifications.
Architecture documents.
Conventions.
Vendor database management documentation.
Produce the physical database models and schemas from the
logical database models.
Implement the physical production databases.
Test and fix defects in the physical production
databases.
Determine the optimum values of the physical data base
parameters (e.g., amount of computer memory to be used) based
on the database management system documentation.
Input the data base identifiers, descriptions, and
parameters into the database management system(s).
Input user authorizations:
Which users can access which databases.
Which users can access which data in the
databases.
User access level for that data (e.g., create, read,
update, delete).
Initially tune the database code to optimize database
performance.
Produce the database layer of software components (e.g.,
database wrappers, stored procedures).
Produce database loading and batch-processing
routines.
Produce the database-related contents of the following
deployment and operations documentation:
To fulfill these responsibilities, database engineers should
typically have the following personal characteristics,
expertise, training, and experience:
Database engineers should typically have the following
personal characteristics:
Strong analytical problem solving skills.
Able to comfortably multitask (i.e., perform multiple
database design and implementation tasks concurrently).
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and
thus able to explain and document the database-related
contents of the deployment and operations documentation its
diverse audiences.
On smaller projects and in smaller organizations, the
same person often plays the database architect, database
engineer, and the database administrator roles.
This role is not needed on endeavors that do not involve databases.
