Database administrator courses focus on how data are added, managed and obtained from a database and may be required for an information technology degree, or they simply be individual training courses. Available courses range from introductory theoretical courses to specialized courses in query languages, web development, security and business intelligence. The concepts taught in introductory database administrator courses lay a foundation for learning how to use various query languages, how to use a database to make a business more successful and how to secure the database to prevent data loss and corruption.
The most basic database administrator courses are introductory, teaching the student about the theoretical concepts behind database administration. These courses teach how to design a basic database, how to manipulate data in the database and how to run queries to find needed information. Courses may introduce the student to a variety of database query languages or focus on a single popular one, but the main goal of introductory courses is to teach the student how databases work so they can apply the concepts to more specialized courses.
Although basic database administrator courses usually introduce the student to database query languages, specialized courses often focus on one language in detail and also may cover web programming. These courses reinforce the concepts learned in introductory database administrator courses by teaching the student how to create tables, add, remove and edit items, and run queries in a specific language. Other topics covered in specialized database language courses include how to backup and restore items in a database, how to install the software needed to run the database and how to secure the database to increase availability and decrease the possibility of data loss.
Data warehousing courses focus on how a company can use database technologies to improve its business intelligence. These courses cover the common tools businesses use to gather and analyze data and focus on how a business can use database information to make better decisions. Data modeling technologies and data mining techniques also are covered in these courses, and project management skills also may be introduced.
Other popular database administrator courses specialize in database security. In addition to learning about how to secure the data in a database, these courses often also teach the student how to secure the operating systems on which databases commonly run. Students will learn how to implement password policies, how to give database users the appropriate roles, how to audit a database and how to prevent data loss and corruption.