By: Daniel Calbimonte | Updated: 2022-10-17 | Comments | Related: More > Professional Development Career
Problem
There are many different types of jobs and roles when it comes to working with Microsoft SQL Server. In this article we will take a look at the most popular and unpopular jobs related to SQL Server, along with some salary information for each of these jobs.
Solution
Career opportunities are abundant in a wide array of technologies in the IT industry. In this tip, we will talk about SQL Server-specific jobs like SQL Server DBA, Data Scientists, SSIS developers, SSRS developers, Data Engineering, and other jobs related to SQL Server. Additionally, we will take a look at the current job market for these jobs.
Jobs and Salary Information
We will first get an idea about jobs in the United Kingdom using IT Jobs Watch. This site provides information about the UK. You may say that you are not in the UK, but this is just a point of reference. Later in this tip, I will provide information about the USA job market.
| Job |
Median Salary in Pounds |
# of Open Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server DBA | £52,000 | 20 |
| Azure SQL Database | £65,000 | 268 |
| Azure SQL Data Warehouse | £70,000 | 66 |
| SQL Server Analyst | £55,000 | 2 |
| SQL Server Developer | £52,000 | 24 |
| SQL Server BI Developer | £59,526 | 3 |
| SQL Server Analysis Services | £55,000 | 116 |
| SQL Database Administrator | £50,000 | 48 |
| Senior SQL Database Administrator | £57,500 | 4 |
| SQL Server Integration Services | £55,000 | 365 |
| Data Engineer | £65,000 | 486 |
| Data Science | £70,000 | 487 |
| Big Data | £77,500 | 472 |
| PowerShell | £60,000 | 949 |
| Azure Data Factory | £63,896 | 289 |
| Power BI | £55,000 | 1018 |
| SQL BI Developer | £50,750 | 13 |
| Power BI Developer | £55,500 | 31 |
| SSRS | £52,000 | 255 |
We can see that the best-paid jobs in the UK are Big Data-related jobs, Data Science, and Azure SQL Data Warehouse. We can also see that one of the most popular jobs are related to Power BI, PowerShell, Big Data, and Data Science. The Data Engineer job has a high demand also.
Now, let's look at some salaries in the United States using Glassdoor, a job search website.
| Job |
Salary Range per year in USD |
|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $61,000-173,000 |
| SQL Database Administrator | $69,000-126,000 |
| SQL Developer | $66,000-120,000 |
| SSIS Developer | $76,000-115,000 |
| SSRS Developer | $60,000-130,000 |
| Power BI Developer | $76,000-126,000 |
| Big Data Analytics | $80,000-187,000 |
| Azure SQL Administrator | $61,000-140,000 |
The salary ranges are different, but notice that the Data Scientists and Big Data jobs have higher salaries.
Now, let's look at LinkedIn for the number of jobs related to these professions in the United States.
| Job | Number of Jobs |
|---|---|
| SSIS Developer | 16,412 |
| SQL Server Database Administrator | 65,438 |
| SQL Azure Developer | 53,541 |
| Big Data | 112,324 |
| Power BI Developer | 6,405 |
| SQL Server Database Developer | 5,530 |
| SSRS Developer | 16,282 |
| SQL Server Data Engineer | 43,705 |
Job Analysis
Let's analyze the data. Generally, the best-paying jobs are related to Big Data jobs and Data Scientists. These jobs are not directly related to SQL Server, at least not necessarily. However, we know these jobs are in high demand and well paid.
If we check the demand for Data Scientists, we notice that the demand is increasing this decade.
The vacancies for Big Data Developers are not growing in the UK.
What about the SQL Server Database Administrators? Is this position in high demand? If we look at the chart below, we notice that the demand has decreased.
What if we move to Azure? Is there more demand? Based on the chart below, one job with growing demand is Azure Data Factory.
Let's take a look at Azure SQL DBA jobs:
In general, we can say that the Azure-related jobs are doing well. There is a lot of demand.
What is the demand for jobs like SSIS and SSRS?
We can see that the demand is decreasing for SSIS.
We can see this is similar to SSRS. These roles are all still required, but according to the chart, the demand for these jobs has decreased over time.
An interesting job is the Power BI Developer and we can see an increase in demand for these jobs.
Summary
In general terms, BI jobs have better salaries than a traditional DBA and a SQL Developer usually earns more than a DBA. There are always exceptions to the rule, but in general, this is the circumstance.
Azure, Big Data, Data Science, and Power BI are growing in demand, while jobs for SSIS, SSAS, and SSRS have less need.
So, should we stop doing jobs related to SSIS, SSAS, and SSRS or even as a SQL Server DBA because there is less demand? Not really; there are still thousands of jobs in the world. However, it is always a good idea to get familiar with new technologies and stay current.
If you check the new SQL Server 2022 features, you will notice that the new features are mostly related to Azure compatibility. Many companies still have hybrid environments with some data on-premises and some data in the cloud. The smartest decision is to be aware of the job landscape and continuously learn the latest technologies.
Next Steps
For more information, refer to these links:
- SQL Server Career Paths
- SQL Server Database Administrator Salaries
- Starting your SQL Server Career Path
- SQL Queries Tutorial
- SQL Server Python Tips
- Learning SQL Server
- SQL Server Business Intelligence Tips
- SQL Server Tutorials
About the author
Daniel Calbimonte is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer and 6-time Microsoft Certified IT Professional. Daniel started his career in 2001 and has worked with SQL Server 6.0 to 2022. Daniel is a DBA as well as specializes in Business Intelligence (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) technologies.This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.
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Article Last Updated: 2022-10-17
