Level path

Data Architecture Practitioner

Data Architect

Own features and services with solid implementation judgment across neighboring layers.

Total concepts210

Curated for this specific career level.

Specific to this level5

Concepts explicitly listed in this level.

Knowledge tracks6

Concepts span multiple tracks and layers.

Job description signalsTypical responsibilities

Define data models, platform boundaries, integration patterns, governance, and lifecycle standards.
Align analytical and operational data architecture with quality, privacy, security, and business needs.
Guide data platform evolution, interoperability, ownership, discovery, and migration decisions.
Own features end to end from design through implementation, testing, release, and support.
Make local technical tradeoffs and explain them clearly to teammates.
Improve reliability, maintainability, and observability of the systems you touch.
Collaborate with product, design, QA, operations, and adjacent engineering teams.

Cumulative view includes

Dev / Junior DevSE / Junior SEDE / Junior DEData Architecture / Junior Data ArchitectDev / DevSE / Mid SEDE / DE

Specific to this level 5Cumulative 210

Track / layer masteryConcept coverage by layer

DATA

Data

4 concepts

Data Engineering3 Data Platforms1

{}

Software

1 concepts

Security1

{}

Software

129 concepts

Software Design32 Programming23 Programming Languages14 Algorithms & Data Structures12 System Design12 Databases11 Computer Networks9 Security6 Software Architecture3 Distributed Systems3 Quality Assurance3 Operating Systems1

DATA

Data

39 concepts

Data Platforms18 Data Engineering12 Data Foundations9

MGT

Management

17 concepts

Business Foundations10 Requirements & Planning5 Delivery Methodologies1 Team Leadership1

OPS

Operations

14 concepts

Observability6 Build & Packaging5 Local Development1 Continuous Integration1 Deployment1

Product

8 concepts

Developer Tools4 API Products3 Web Applications1

Theory

3 concepts

Algorithmic Analysis3

Learning scopeConcepts by learning area

Specific to this level

Concepts introduced by this level

Level concepts

Data Platform Architecture

Design integrated warehouse, lake, lakehouse, and serving layers.

Data LakehouseData · Data Platformsnew

Level concepts

Data Governance

Establish ownership, discovery, quality, and controlled use of data assets.

Data GovernanceData · Data Engineeringnew Data CatalogData · Data Engineeringnew MDMData · Data Engineeringnew Access ControlSoftware · Securitynew

Cumulative level expectation

All concepts expected at this level

Inherited path

Coding Foundations

Developers begin by learning to translate requirements into working, readable code.

Inherited path

Developer Tooling

Daily development depends on version control, language tooling, static checks, and repeatable local workflows.

GitProduct · Developer Toolsawareness CompilerSoftware · Programming Languagesawareness InterpreterSoftware · Programming Languages Package ManagerOperations · Build & Packaging LintingOperations · Build & Packaging Code EditorProduct · Developer Tools CLISoftware · Operating Systems Version ControlProduct · Developer Tools DependencyOperations · Build & Packaging ArtifactOperations · Build & Packaging Development EnvironmentOperations · Local Development Software EcosystemSoftware · Programming

Inherited path

Testing & Debugging

A developer owns not only writing code, but proving that it behaves as intended.

Unit TestSoftware · quality-assuranceawareness DebuggerProduct · Developer Toolsawareness Error HandlingSoftware · Programming Code DocumentationSoftware · Software Design

Inherited path

Employment Basics

Technical candidates benefit from understanding who employs them, how they are paid, and which terms govern the working relationship.

EmployeeManagement · business-foundationsawareness ContractorManagement · business-foundationsawareness EORManagement · business-foundations Offer LetterManagement · business-foundations Employment ContractManagement · business-foundations CompensationManagement · business-foundations Employee BenefitsManagement · business-foundations Equity CompensationManagement · business-foundations PayrollManagement · business-foundations Statement of WorkManagement · business-foundations

Inherited path

Programming Foundations

Learn the basic building blocks used to express behavior in code.

Graph Data StructureSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structuresawareness Big O NotationTheory · Algorithmic Analysisawareness Requirements EngineeringManagement · Requirements & Planning Time ComplexityTheory · Algorithmic Analysis Space ComplexityTheory · Algorithmic Analysis TreeSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures HeapSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures Breadth-First SearchSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures Depth-First SearchSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures ConcurrencySoftware · Programmingworking

Inherited path

Software Design

Structure code so it remains readable, testable, and maintainable as it grows.

Inherited path

Data & Persistence

Understand how applications store, retrieve, and protect durable state.

Relational DatabaseSoftware · Databasesawareness SQLSoftware · Databasesawareness Database IndexSoftware · Databases TransactionSoftware · Databases ACIDSoftware · Databases QueryData · Data Foundations Data ModelData · Data Foundations B-TreeSoftware · Databasesworking Database NormalizationSoftware · Databasesworking NoSQLSoftware · Databases

Inherited path

Architecture & Systems

Design systems that handle growth, latency, failure, and multiple communicating components.

Clean ArchitectureSoftware · Software Architectureawareness Client-Server ArchitectureProduct · Web Applicationsawareness Functional RequirementSoftware · System Design APIProduct · API Productsworking HTTPSoftware · Computer Networksworking RESTProduct · API Products OpenAPIProduct · API Products HTTPSSoftware · Security AuthenticationSoftware · Security AuthorizationSoftware · Security Network ProtocolSoftware · Computer Networks DDDSoftware · Software Design Event-Driven ArchitectureSoftware · Distributed Systems Message QueueSoftware · System Design CacheSoftware · System Design Load BalancerSoftware · System Design OSI ModelSoftware · Computer Networks TCP/IP ModelSoftware · Computer Networks DNSSoftware · Computer Networks IPSoftware · Computer Networks TCPSoftware · Computer Networks UDPSoftware · Computer Networks SocketSoftware · Computer Networks ProxySoftware · System Design Reverse ProxySoftware · System Design Publish-SubscribeSoftware · Distributed Systems Layered ArchitectureSoftware · Software Architecture Monolithic ArchitectureSoftware · Software Architecture

Inherited path

Production Awareness

Know how software is built, deployed, observed, and recovered in production.

CI/CD PipelineOperations · Continuous Integrationawareness Integration TestSoftware · quality-assuranceawareness System ObservabilityOperations · Observability MonitoringOperations · Observabilityworking Input ValidationSoftware · Securityworking RetrySoftware · System Design Circuit BreakerSoftware · System Design Rate LimitingSoftware · System Design TracingOperations · Observability

Inherited path

Data foundations

Understand datasets, schemas, quality, SQL, and analytical storage basics.

DatasetData · Data Foundations Data PipelineData · Data Engineering Data StorageData · Data Platforms AnalyticsData · Data Foundations Data QualityData · Data Foundations BIData · Data Platforms Data VisualizationData · Data Platforms KPIManagement · Requirements & Planning OLTPData · Data Foundations JoinSoftware · Databases Write-Ahead LogSoftware · Databases ETLData · Data Engineering ELTData · Data Engineering Data WarehouseData · Data Platforms Data LakeData · Data Platforms Materialized ViewData · Data Platforms

Inherited path

Pipeline orchestration

Build and operate data movement and transformation workflows at scale.

PythonSoftware · Programming Languages Data IngestionData · Data Engineering Data TransformationData · Data Engineering Batch ProcessingSoftware · System Design Stream ProcessingSoftware · Distributed Systems AirflowData · Data Engineering Workflow OrchestrationData · Data Engineering Data MigrationData · Data Engineering TTLSoftware · System Design

Inherited path

Data platform production

Make data platforms reliable, discoverable, observable, and ready for analytics and ML consumers.

LoggingOperations · Observability ERDData · Data Foundations MetricsOperations · Observability ThroughputSoftware · System Design Data LineageData · Data Platforms Data EncryptionSoftware · Security

Inherited path

Data Modeling

Define consistent models, schemas, ownership, and data semantics.

Data ArchitectureData · Data Engineering Schema EvolutionSoftware · Databases

Inherited path

Analytical Foundations

Understand the core structures used for analytical data.

Dimensional ModelingData · Data Platforms Star SchemaData · Data Platforms OLAPData · Data Platforms LDMData · Data Foundations PDMData · Data Foundations

Inherited path

Application Design

Mid-level developers own complete features and make local design choices inside an established architecture.

AbstractionSoftware · Software Design EncapsulationSoftware · Software Design InheritanceSoftware · Software Design PolymorphismSoftware · Software Design ClosureSoftware · Programming ImmutabilitySoftware · Programming Side EffectSoftware · Programming Higher-Order FunctionSoftware · Programming Generic ProgrammingSoftware · Programming Inversion of ControlSoftware · Software Design YAGNISoftware · Software Design Code ComplexitySoftware · Software Design Cyclomatic ComplexitySoftware · Software Design Cognitive ComplexitySoftware · Software Design

Inherited path

Runtime & Data

Feature ownership requires practical knowledge of runtimes, memory management, and relational persistence.

RuntimeSoftware · Programming Languagesworking Garbage CollectionSoftware · Programming Languagesworking Call StackSoftware · Programming Heap MemorySoftware · Programming Event LoopSoftware · Programming SerializationSoftware · Programming Abstract Syntax TreeSoftware · Programming Languages LexerSoftware · Programming Languages ParserSoftware · Programming Languages BytecodeSoftware · Programming Languages

Inherited path

Delivery & Collaboration

Professional development includes the complete implementation loop, not only editing source files.

Code ReviewManagement · Team Leadershipworking Contract TestingSoftware · quality-assuranceworking Software DeploymentOperations · Deployment MockSoftware · Software Design Semantic VersioningOperations · Build & Packaging PRDManagement · Requirements & Planning TSDSoftware · Software Design Product BacklogManagement · Requirements & Planning Backlog RefinementManagement · Requirements & Planning SprintManagement · Delivery Methodologies

Inherited path

Data Platforms

Build the capabilities needed for this area.

Columnar DatabaseData · Data Platforms Data MartData · Data Platforms Semantic LayerData · Data Platforms MPPData · Data Platforms Lambda ArchitectureData · Data Platforms Reporting SystemData · Data Platforms Analytics ApplicationData · Data Platforms Storage MetricsOperations · Observability

Path concepts

Data Platform Architecture

Design integrated warehouse, lake, lakehouse, and serving layers.

Data LakehouseData · Data Platformsnew

Path concepts

Data Governance

Establish ownership, discovery, quality, and controlled use of data assets.

Data GovernanceData · Data Engineeringnew Data CatalogData · Data Engineeringnew MDMData · Data Engineeringnew Access ControlSoftware · Securitynew