Data Architect vs. Data Engineer

A data architect is a tech professional who designs the vision and plan for a company's data framework, while a data engineer is tasked with implementing a data architect's vision. A data architect is tasked with formulating the organizational data strategy. They also seek to define the data management standards and principles that a company uses. Data architects design data blueprints that other data colleagues adhere to and implement.

How many years does it take to become a data architect?

It takes five to ten years to become a data architect. This includes the time it takes to get the necessary educational and work experience needed to be successful as a data architect. To become a data architect, a person should start with gaining a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field. While it is possible to become a data architect without a degree, it is less common and typically takes longer.

What is a data architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Joseph Byrum

A data architect designs and manages an organization's data architecture. They create and maintain the structure, organization, and accessibility of data. A data architect works with software developers, database administrators, and data analysts to ensure accurate, secure, and accessible data. They also develop and implement data modeling, integration, and security strategies. A data architect must have strong technical skills and knowledge of database technologies, as well as excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

What general advice would you give to a Data Architect?

Joseph Byrum

Chief Data Scientist, Principal

The next revolution will happen when every aspect of a business, from top to bottom, is designed with AI and OR in mind. Call this new construct the intelligent enterprise. A joint cognitive system view is the first step in creating the intelligent enterprise - a large, complex organization with global distribution of its resources and processes run by people who make consistently excellent adaptations to rapid changes in the world. They also share the execution of these rapid adaptations seamlessly across the entire organization without loss of consistency and coherence.

ScoreData ArchitectUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $113,700

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.9

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 18.81%

male 81.19%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Data Architect?

Pros

High demand for skilled data architects
Good salary potential
Variety in job responsibilities
Ability to work remotely
Opportunity for creative problem-solving

Cons

Can be mentally taxing and require long hours
Often requires working under tight deadlines
Can entail a lot of documentation and paperwork
May require travel or working in a team in different locations
May require dealing with difficult stakeholders or clients

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Key steps to become a data architect

Explore data architect education requirements

Most common data architect degrees

Bachelor's

63.7 %

Master's

27.4 %

Associate

4.0 %

Start to develop specific data architect skills

Skills	Percentages
Analytics	8.57%
Architecture	6.52%
Java	4.83%
Data Lake	4.49%
AWS	4.47%

Complete relevant data architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New data architects learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a data architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real data architect resumes.

Research data architect duties and responsibilities

Handle large projects throughout SDLC phases and manage teams and deliver successfully.
Design and manage reference data and master data programs: design and implement RDM and MDM solutions.
Lead the evaluation process for an ultimate dashboard solutions that can provide fast development and powerful visualization plus self-service features.
Report procedures against SSAS are constructed and ExcelWriter templates are developed to automate and replace existing manually generate, client-contract reports.

Get data architect experience

Prepare your data architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your data architect resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a data architect resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Data Architect Resume templates

Build a professional Data Architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Data Architect resume.

Apply for data architect jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a data architect job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do data architects rate their job?

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Data Architect reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Cons

Less technical, but with some traveling sometimes