In a typical organization, which set of tasks best describes the core responsibilities of a Database Administrator (DBA)?

Introduction / Context:
A Database Administrator plays a critical role in ensuring that an organization data is safe, available, and well performing. The DBA works with database management systems such as Oracle, SQL Server, or PostgreSQL and is responsible for making sure that databases are correctly installed, configured, monitored, backed up, and secured. This question aims to verify that you can identify the correct set of core responsibilities for a DBA and distinguish them from unrelated business or technical functions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are considering the role of a Database Administrator, not a developer or support agent.
• The DBA is responsible for the database layer of applications.
• Tasks often involve installation, configuration, backup, recovery, tuning, and security.
• Other company roles handle marketing, documentation, and customer service.

Concept / Approach:
The core responsibilities of a Database Administrator include planning and installing database software, creating and configuring databases and instances, managing user accounts and security, setting up backup and recovery strategies, monitoring performance, and tuning queries or server parameters. DBAs also often participate in capacity planning, high availability design, and patch management. While DBAs may work closely with developers and system administrators, their primary focus is always on the health, integrity, and performance of the database management system itself. Accordingly, the correct option must mention these kinds of tasks and not unrelated activities like marketing or call center work.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the typical job description for a Database Administrator in a technology team. Step 2: List the key tasks such as installation, configuration, backup, recovery, performance tuning, and security management. Step 3: Compare this list with the options and look for a match that covers most or all of these responsibilities. Step 4: Identify the option that specifically mentions installing, configuring, backing up, tuning, and securing the database system. Step 5: Eliminate options that describe purely marketing, building maintenance, office documentation, or call center tasks, which are unrelated to DBA duties.

Verification / Alternative check:
Job postings and certification guides for DBAs consistently emphasize tasks such as database installation, configuration, backup and recovery, performance monitoring, and security. Very few mention activities like designing logos or managing building operations, confirming that those are different roles. This provides a strong cross check that the option describing database installation, configuration, backup, tuning, and security is the best match.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is wrong because designing logos and slogans is the work of marketing or design teams, not DBAs. Option C is incorrect because writing documentation for office software does not involve direct database responsibilities. Option D describes facilities management and physical building security, which might indirectly protect servers but are not part of the DBA role. Option E refers to call center activities, which involve customer support, not technical database administration.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may blur the lines between developers and DBAs, assuming that writing application code or user interfaces is a DBA duty. While some roles combine these functions in smaller organizations, exam questions treat them as distinct. Another pitfall is focusing only on backup and recovery and forgetting that DBAs also manage performance, security, and configuration. Remember that a Database Administrator is a specialized role dedicated to managing the database platform as a critical infrastructure component.

Final Answer:
The best description of a Database Administrator responsibilities is installing, configuring, backing up, tuning, and securing the database system to keep data safe, available, and efficient.