Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Database designer to software architect

A database designer already meets 54% of what the software architect role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From database designer
54 % overlap
Partial match
To software architect
56 You already bring
13 Still to learn
89 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

58.9/ 100

1 How much of what a software architect is expected to do is already part of a database designer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the software architect role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A software architect role treats 6 of its required skills as things a database designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • analyse business requirements
  • build business relationships
  • business process modelling
  • create software design
  • define technical requirements
  • systems development life-cycle

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 56 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A software architect role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a database designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held systems theory information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held apply ICT systems theory working with computers
  • already held design database scheme communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held design database in the cloud communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held create software design communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held web programming information and communication technologies (icts)

All 56 carried skills, including the 6 the software architect role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 33 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information and communication technologies (icts) 4 required, 9 supplementary
  • still to learn object-oriented modelling required
  • still to learn system design required
  • still to learn tools for software configuration management required
  • still to learn unified modelling language required
  • optional, not held Ansible optional
  • optional, not held Apache Maven optional
  • optional, not held Jenkins (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held Puppet (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held SPARK optional
  • optional, not held STAF optional
  • optional, not held Salt (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held WildFly optional
  • optional, not held task algorithmisation optional
02 working with computers 3 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn align software with system architectures required
  • still to learn analyse software specifications required
  • still to learn use an application-specific interface required
  • optional, not held develop software prototype optional
  • optional, not held do cloud refactoring optional
  • optional, not held implement data warehousing techniques optional
  • optional, not held use query languages optional
  • optional, not held utilise computer-aided software engineering tools optional
  • optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn define software architecture required
  • still to learn create flowchart diagram required
  • still to learn design process required
  • optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
  • optional, not held provide ICT consulting advice optional
04 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn collect customer feedback on applications required
  • still to learn provide cost benefit analysis reports required
  • optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
05 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn oversee development of software required
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held security engineering optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a software architect role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 56 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse business requirements skill
  • already held build business relationships skill
  • already held business process modelling knowledge
  • already held create software design skill
  • already held define technical requirements skill
  • already held systems development life-cycle knowledge
  • already held ABAP knowledge
  • already held AJAX knowledge
  • already held APL knowledge
  • already held ASP.NET knowledge
  • already held Agile project management knowledge
  • already held Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held C# knowledge
  • already held C++ knowledge
  • already held COBOL knowledge
  • already held CoffeeScript knowledge
  • already held Common Lisp knowledge
  • already held Erlang knowledge
  • already held Groovy knowledge
  • already held Haskell knowledge
  • already held ICT project management methodologies knowledge
  • already held ICT security legislation knowledge
  • already held Java (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held JavaScript knowledge
  • already held Lisp knowledge
  • already held MATLAB knowledge
  • already held ML (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
  • already held Objective-C knowledge
  • already held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language knowledge
  • already held PHP knowledge
  • already held Pascal (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Perl knowledge
  • already held Process-based management knowledge
  • already held Prolog (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Python (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held R knowledge
  • already held Ruby (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held SAP R3 knowledge
  • already held SAS language knowledge
  • already held Scala knowledge
  • already held Scratch (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Smalltalk (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Swift (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held TypeScript knowledge
  • already held VBScript knowledge
  • already held Visual Basic knowledge
  • already held apply ICT systems theory skill
  • already held computer programming knowledge
  • already held design database in the cloud skill
  • already held design database scheme skill
  • already held lean project management knowledge
  • already held perform resource planning skill
  • already held systems theory knowledge
  • already held use markup languages skill
  • already held web programming knowledge
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held Ansible optional
  • optional, not held Apache Maven optional
  • optional, not held Jenkins (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held Puppet (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held SPARK optional
  • optional, not held STAF optional
  • optional, not held Salt (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held WildFly optional
  • optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
  • optional, not held develop software prototype optional
  • optional, not held do cloud refactoring optional
  • optional, not held implement data warehousing techniques optional
  • optional, not held provide ICT consulting advice optional
  • optional, not held use query languages optional
  • optional, not held utilise computer-aided software engineering tools optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
  • optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
  • optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
  • optional, not held security engineering optional
  • optional, not held task algorithmisation optional
47 held skills the software architect role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role CA Datacom/DB knowledge
  • not needed by the target role DB2 knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Filemaker (database management systems) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role IBM Informix knowledge
  • not needed by the target role LDAP knowledge
  • not needed by the target role LINQ knowledge
  • not needed by the target role MDX knowledge
  • not needed by the target role MarkLogic knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Microsoft Access knowledge
  • not needed by the target role MySQL knowledge
  • not needed by the target role N1QL knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ObjectStore knowledge
  • not needed by the target role OpenEdge Database knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Oracle Relational Database knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Oracle WebLogic knowledge
  • not needed by the target role PostgreSQL knowledge
  • not needed by the target role SPARQL knowledge
  • not needed by the target role SQL Server knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Teradata Database knowledge
  • not needed by the target role TripleStore knowledge
  • not needed by the target role XQuery knowledge
  • not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
  • not needed by the target role assess ICT knowledge skill
  • not needed by the target role create data sets skill
  • not needed by the target role create database diagrams skill
  • not needed by the target role data engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role data models knowledge
  • not needed by the target role data science knowledge
  • not needed by the target role database knowledge
  • not needed by the target role database development tools knowledge
  • not needed by the target role database management systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role define database physical structure skill
  • not needed by the target role design database backup specifications skill
  • not needed by the target role develop automated migration methods skill
  • not needed by the target role information structure knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manage cloud data and storage skill
  • not needed by the target role manage database skill
  • not needed by the target role manage standards for data exchange skill
  • not needed by the target role migrate existing data skill
  • not needed by the target role operate relational database management system skill

7 further entries not listed here

14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn object-oriented modelling required
  • still to learn system design required
  • still to learn tools for software configuration management required
  • still to learn unified modelling language required
  • optional, not held Ansible optional
  • optional, not held Apache Maven optional
  • optional, not held Jenkins (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held Puppet (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held SPARK optional
  • optional, not held STAF optional
  • optional, not held Salt (tools for software configuration management) optional
  • optional, not held WildFly optional
  • optional, not held security engineering optional
  • optional, not held task algorithmisation optional
Index

Other moves recorded from database designer

Full index of moves from database designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a database designer become a software architect?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A database designer already covers 54% of what a software architect is expected to do: 56 skills carry over, 6 of which the software architect role treats as required.

What skills does a database designer need to become a software architect?

13 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is align software with system architectures.

How hard is the move from database designer to software architect?

Its learning distance is 58.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.