A professional who designs logical and physical data bases and coordinates data base development as part of project team, applying knowledge of data base design standards and data base management system. Responsibilities include:

• Reviews project request describing data base user needs.
• Estimates time and cost required to accomplish project.
• Determines if project requires creating series of new programs or modifying existing programs that access data stored in data bases.
• Attends specification meeting with project team workers to determine scope and limitations of project.
• Reviews workflow chart developed by programmer-analyst to understand tasks computer will perform, such as updating records.
• Reviews procedures in data base management system manuals for making changes to data base, such as defining, creating, revising, and controlling data base.
• Revises company definition of data as defined in data dictionary (information about data, including name, description, source of data item, and key words for categorizing and searching for data item descriptions).
• Determines and enters changes to data dictionary descriptions, including type, structure, and intended use of data within system, using computer or assigns data entry work to programmer.
• Develops data model describing data elements and how they are used, following procedures and using pen and template or computer software.
• Creates description to enable programmer-analyst to understand how programs should access data.
• Writes description of how user accesses data, referred to as logical data base.
• Writes physical data base description, such as location, space requirements, and access method, to protect company data resources against unauthorized access and accidental destruction, according to computer industry standards and knowledge of data base management system.
• May specialize in adding, deleting, and modifying data items in data dictionary and be designated Data Dictionary Administrator.
• Workers typically specialize in one or more types of data base management systems.