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Over time, there has been a significant transformation in the realm of data and its associated domains. Initially, the emphasis was primarily on extracting valuable insights. However, in recent times, there has been a notable shift towards recognizing the importance of data management. Consequently, the role of data engineers has gradually emerged as pivotal.
Watch the video below to gain insights into the identity of a Data Engineer, their pivotal roles and responsibilities, and the essential skill set required to embark on the journey to becoming one.
What Does a Data Engineer Do?
Data engineers are necessary to ensure that data is collected, stored, and made accessible for analysis. They are the architects behind the scenes, responsible for building, maintaining, and organizing the infrastructure that enables organizations to leverage data effectively. In essence, data engineers bridge the gap between raw data and actionable insights, making them a crucial asset in data-driven decision-making.
Become a Data Science & Business Analytics Professional
- 28%Annual Job Growth By 2026
- 11.5 MExpected New Jobs For Data Science By 2026
Professional Certificate Program in Data Engineering
- Program completion certificate from Purdue University Online and Simplilearn
- Access to Purdue’s Alumni Association membership on program completion
32 weeks months
View Program
Big Data Engineer
- Live interaction with IBM leadership
- 8X higher live interaction in live online classes by industry experts
11 Months months
View Program
Here's what learners are saying regarding our programs:
Craig Wilding
Data Administrator, Seminole County Democratic Party
My instructor was experienced and knowledgeable with broad industry exposure. He delivered content in a way which is easy to consume. Thank you!
Joseph (Zhiyu) Jiang
I completed Simplilearn's Post-Graduate Program in Data Engineering, with Purdue University. I gained knowledge on critical topics like the Hadoop framework, Data Processing using Spark, Data Pipelines with Kafka, Big Data and more. The live sessions, industry projects, masterclasses, and IBM hackathons were very useful.
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Data Engineer Roles and Responsibilities
1. Data Collection and Integration
Data engineers collect data from various sources, including databases, APIs, external data providers, and streaming sources. They must design and implement efficient data pipelines to ensure a smooth flow of information into the data warehouse or storage system.
2. Data Storage and Management
Once the data is collected, data engineers are responsible for its storage and management. This involves choosing appropriate database systems, optimizing data schemas, and ensuring data quality and integrity. They also must consider scalability and performance to handle large volumes of data.
3. ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) Processes
ETL is a fundamental process in data engineering. Data engineers design ETL pipelines to transform raw data into a format suitable for analysis. This involves data cleansing, aggregation, and enrichment, ensuring the data is usable for data scientists and analysts.
4. Big Data Technologies
In today's data landscape, dealing with big data is the norm rather than the exception. Data engineers work with big data technologies such as Hadoop and Spark to efficiently process and analyze massive datasets.
5. NoSQL Databases
In addition to traditional relational databases, data engineers often work with NoSQL databases like MongoDB and Cassandra, which are well-suited for handling unstructured or semi-structured data.
6. Cloud Computing
Cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have become the backbone of modern data infrastructure. Data engineers leverage these platforms to build scalable and cost-effective data solutions.
7. Distributed Systems
Data engineering often involves distributed systems architecture to handle huge data volumes and ensure fault tolerance. Understanding how distributed systems work is essential for data engineers.
8. Streaming Data
Real-time data processing is crucial in many industries. Data engineers work with streaming technologies like Apache Kafka to handle and analyze data as it flows in.
Skills Required to Become a Data Engineer
1. Programming
A data engineer skills include strong programming knowledge, with expertise in Python, Java, Scala, or other programming languages. These languages are used to build data pipelines, implement data transformations, and automate data workflows.
2. Databases
A deep understanding of relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra) is crucial. Data engineers must choose the right database systems for specific use cases and design efficient data schemas.
3. Big Data
Data engineers must be familiar with big data technologies like Hadoop, Spark, and Hive. These tools enable the efficient analysis of large datasets.
4. ETL Tools
ETL tools like Apache Nifi, Talend, and Apache Airflow are essential for building data pipelines. Data engineers need to know how to design and manage these processes effectively.
5. NoSQL
Knowledge of NoSQL databases is essential, as they are often used to handle unstructured or semi-structured data. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of various NoSQL databases is crucial.
6. Cloud Computing
Proficiency in cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud is necessary for data engineers. They should know how to deploy and manage data solutions in the cloud.
7. Distributed Systems
Data engineers need a solid grasp of distributed systems concepts to design scalable and fault-tolerant data architectures.
8. Hadoop
Hadoop is a fundamental technology in the big data landscape. Data engineers should be proficient in Hadoop and its ecosystem components like HDFS and MapReduce.
9. Kafka
Streaming data is becoming increasingly important. To handle real-time data processing, data engineers should have expertise in technologies like Apache Kafka.
10. Python
Python is a versatile language widely used in data engineering tasks. Data engineers should be comfortable with Python for scripting, data manipulation, and automation.
11. SQL
SQL is the fundamental skill set for data engineers. You cannot manage an RDBMS (relational database management system) without mastering SQL. To do this, you will need to go through an extensive list of queries. Learning SQL is not just about memorizing a query. You must learn how to issue optimized queries.
12. Data Warehousing
Get a grasp of building and working with a data warehouse; it is an essential skill. Data warehousing assists data engineers in aggregating unstructured data collected from multiple sources. It is then compared and assessed to improve the efficiency of business operations.
13. Data Architecture
Data engineers must have the knowledge to build complex business database systems. Their knowledge is associated with operations that tackle data in motion, data at rest, datasets, and the relationship between data-dependent processes and applications.
14. Coding
To link your database and work with all types of applications – web, mobile, desktop, IoT – you must improve your programming skills. For this purpose, learn an enterprise language like Java or C#. The former is useful in open-source tech stacks, while the latter can help you with data engineering in a Microsoft-based stack. However, the most necessary ones are Python and R. An advanced level of Python knowledge is beneficial in various data-related operations.
15. Operating System
You must become well-versed in operating systems like UNIX, Linux, Solaris, and Windows.
Become a Data Science & Business Analytics Professional
- 28%Annual Job Growth By 2026
- 11.5 MExpected New Jobs For Data Science By 2026
Professional Certificate Program in Data Engineering
- Program completion certificate from Purdue University Online and Simplilearn
- Access to Purdue’s Alumni Association membership on program completion
32 weeks months
View Program
Big Data Engineer
- Live interaction with IBM leadership
- 8X higher live interaction in live online classes by industry experts
11 Months months
View Program
prevNext
Here's what learners are saying regarding our programs:
Craig Wilding
Data Administrator, Seminole County Democratic Party
My instructor was experienced and knowledgeable with broad industry exposure. He delivered content in a way which is easy to consume. Thank you!
Joseph (Zhiyu) Jiang
I completed Simplilearn's Post-Graduate Program in Data Engineering, with Purdue University. I gained knowledge on critical topics like the Hadoop framework, Data Processing using Spark, Data Pipelines with Kafka, Big Data and more. The live sessions, industry projects, masterclasses, and IBM hackathons were very useful.
prevNext
Not sure what you’re looking for?View all Related Programs
16. Apache Hadoop-Based Analytics
Apache Hadoop is an open-source platform that is used to compute distributed processing and storage against datasets. They assist in a wide range of operations, such as data processing, access, storage, governance, security, and operations. You can further your skill sets with Hadoop, HBase, and MapReduce.
17. Machine Learning
Machine learning is mostly linked to data science. However, knowing how data can be used for statistical analysis and modeling will serve you well during your job as a data engineer.
How Do Data Engineers Bring Value to Organizations?
Data engineers are the architects of data pipelines. They are in charge of collecting, storing, and delivering data to various stakeholders within an organization. Here's how they bring value:
- Data Pipeline Construction: Data engineers design and build data pipelines, ensuring a smooth data flow from multiple sources to data warehouses or lakes. These pipelines enable organizations to make data-driven decisions by providing a unified and reliable data source.
- Data Quality Assurance: They implement data cleaning and validation processes to enhance data accuracy and consistency, addressing one of the key challenges data analysts face.
- Scalability: Data engineers design systems that can handle large volumes of data, ensuring that as an organization grows, its data infrastructure can scale accordingly.
- Algorithmic Bias Mitigation: Data engineers mitigate algorithmic biases by ensuring that data pipelines are designed with fairness and transparency, a critical concern in data analysis and machine learning.
- ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) Processes: They perform ETL operations to transform raw data into a structured format that analysts and data scientists can use for modeling and analysis.
- Data Security: Data engineers implement security measures to protect sensitive data, essential for maintaining trust and compliance with data privacy regulations.
How to Become a Data Engineer?
- Educational Background: Start with a strong foundation in CS, SE, or a related field. A bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement.
- Programming Skills: Learn programming languages commonly used in data engineering, such as Python, Java, or Scala. Proficiency in SQL is crucial for database management.
- Database Management: Gain expertise in relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra).
- Big Data Technologies: Familiarize yourself with big data technologies like Hadoop, Spark, and Apache Kafka, as they are integral to data engineering.
- ETL Tools: Learn ETL tools such as Apache Nifi or Apache Airflow, which help automate data pipeline processes.
- Cloud Platforms: Understand cloud computing platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, as organizations often use these for data storage and processing.
- Version Control: Use tools like Git to manage code and collaborate effectively.
- Data Warehousing: Explore data warehousing solutions like Amazon Redshift or Google BigQuery.
Data Engineer Career Path
- Junior Data Engineer: Entry-level position focusing on learning the basics of data engineering.
- Data Engineer: Responsible for building and maintaining data pipelines.
- Senior Data Engineer: Involves more complex pipeline architecture and mentoring junior engineers.
- Data Engineering Manager: Overseeing a team of data engineers and managing larger-scale projects.
- Solution Architect: Designing an organization's overall data infrastructure and architecture.
Data Engineer Salary
Data engineers are in high demand, and salaries vary based on diverse factors.
- Entry-level or Junior Data Engineer: $60,000 to $100,000 per year.
- Mid-Level Data Engineer: $90,000 to $130,000 per year.
- Senior Data Engineer: $120,000 to $180,000 or more per year.