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The differences between application administrators and database administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an application administrator, becoming a database administrator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an application administrator has an average salary of $100,258, which is higher than the $81,960 average annual salary of a database administrator.
The top three skills for an application administrator include troubleshoot, linux and technical support. The most important skills for a database administrator are customer service, linux, and microsoft sql server.
| Application Administrator | Database Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $100,258 | $81,960 |
| Hourly rate | $48.20 | $39.40 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 78,004 | 56,992 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Applications administrators are information technology (IT) professionals who manage specific applications or software in a company. They are in charge of installing, updating, and maintaining their assigned application. They also troubleshoot concerns and respond to inquiries from application users. They are expected to be experts on matters related to the application. Applications administrators collect information from users and program prompts. They primarily collect data on program usage and common user concerns. This data will help application administrators identify trends in software usage and recommend solutions for software improvement.
Database administrators use specially designed software to keep, organize, restore, and secure data for businesses, employees, and customers from unauthorized people or unwanted users. They search for potential security risks or issues and proactively correct or find appropriate solutions. They are highly trained tech experts who work full-time for establishments that give computer design services or in industries that have huge databases, such as educational academies, institutions, and insurance firms. It is their responsibility to closely monitor the database system to ensure efficiency and functionality. They work jointly with information systems managers to customize database solutions based on corporate needs. They also coordinate the systems that data analysts use for translating numbers into strategic business plans.
Application administrators and database administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Administrator | Database Administrator | |
| Average salary | $100,258 | $81,960 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $137,000 | Between $60,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Cloudflare | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an application administrator and a database administrator in terms of educational background:
| Application Administrator | Database Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application administrators' and database administrators' demographics:
| Application Administrator | Database Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 12.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 17.7% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |