How to Become a Data Warehouse Developer

Businesses use data warehouses to store, consolidate, and manage vast amounts of data from a large volume of sources. Professionals use these platforms to perform queries, analyze and report data for business intelligence, and inform business decisions. A data warehouse developer is the professional responsible for designing, building, and maintaining data warehouses.

Discover more about the role of a data warehouse developer and the skills, education, and experience necessary to become one.

What is a data warehouse developer?

A data warehouse developer is an IT professional responsible for designing, building, and implementing data warehouse solutions for businesses and organizations that use data for business intelligence and decision-making. 

Data warehouse developers design storage solutions that allow businesses to analyze, retrieve, and report on the data they collect and store. A large part of their job is maintaining data warehouses and ensuring they meet security and data protection requirements. 

Key responsibilities of a data warehouse developer

The role of a data warehouse developer is technical and involves designing and implementing the data warehouse architecture and structure; managing extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes; using data modeling techniques to support analysis; and ensuring effective data integration and performance. 

Your exact tasks and duties will vary depending on where you work and the data you work with. However, you can expect to have the following responsibilities or similar:

• Designing and developing warehouse systems according to business needs

• Integrating data from a range of sources using ETL processes

• Developing data models representing business processes and workflows

• Ensuring the security of the warehouse and all data within

• Partitioning, indexing, and testing functions to optimize performance

• Working closely with stakeholders and decision-makers to understand the needs of the business

• Writing and rewriting SQL queries for retrieving data 

• Monitoring, refining, and updating data warehouses to ensure maximum efficiency

Key skills required for a data warehouse developer

To work as a data warehouse developer, you need strong technical abilities, including proficiency in SQL, data modeling, ETL tools, and database optimization and management. You also need various workplace skills, including analytical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. 

Proficiency in SQL

SQL is essential for working as a data warehouse developer for data manipulation and querying. You’ll need to write queries using SQL to optimize performance, retrieve data from the warehouse, and write reports for business decisions.

Familiarity with ETL tools

ETL is the process of extracting data from multiple sources, transforming it into something usable, and loading it into the data warehouse. As a data warehouse developer, you’ll use various ETL tools to achieve this, such as Talend, Informatica, and Azure Data Factory.

Understanding of data modeling techniques

Data warehouse developers must have excellent data modeling skills to create models that support scaling, optimize performance, and provide the necessary analytical capabilities. This involves understanding concepts such as normalization and dimensional modeling and implementing efficient database schemas such as the star, snowflake, or starflake schemas that allow businesses to adapt by extracting useful, meaningful data. 

Knowledge of data warehousing solutions

As businesses rely increasingly on cloud computing, knowledge of cloud warehousing solutions has become a key skill for data warehouse developers. Mastering cloud data warehousing solutions such as AWS Redshift and Google BigQuery can save organizations money and increase efficiency. 

Workplace skills

Technical skills are important in this role, but you’ll also need to develop some key workplace skills necessary for working with stakeholders and your wider team, troubleshooting technical problems, and reporting complex data:

• Communication

• Leadership

• Collaboration

• Problem-solving

• Innovation

• Detail oriented 

Steps to becoming a data warehouse developer

Data warehouse developers have solid education, training, experience, and strong technical skills. To work in this role, follow the steps below, starting with a degree and gaining several years of technical experience. 

1. Obtain relevant education.

Data warehouse developers generally need a bachelor’s degree to enter the field. According to Zippia, 68 percent of data warehouse developers have a bachelor’s degree, with a further 25 percent continuing on to earn a master’s degree [1]. The major you choose is also important. Top degree programs include computer science, information technology, computer networks, electrical engineering, and information systems.

2. Gain practical experience.

Experience is necessary before applying for a job in data warehousing. The amount of experience employers require depends on the company, the responsibilities of the role, and the seniority of the position, but the majority of employers look for between two and six years of experience. 

To build your experience, consider completing an internship during your studies to gain industry experience and possibly shadow someone in the position. Once you’ve completed your studies, look for entry-level roles to build experience, such as data analyst or junior database administrator. 

3. Develop technical skills.

You’ll develop your skills through your degree and entry-level roles, but it’s still very important to engage in professional development, learn new trends and technology, and keep up to date with best practices. 

Focus on important job elements, such as SQL, ETL tools, and data modeling techniques, and boost your skills in statistics, data analytics, and business processes. Consider taking online courses, working on personal projects, and attending industry events to build your skills. 

4. Pursue certifications.

Technology moves and evolves fast, and keeping up with new trends, software, and processes is important. You can do this with a certification, which is also helpful for demonstrating your abilities in specific areas to employers. Examples of relevant certifications include:

• Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate

• Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP)

• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)

• Amazon Certified Big Data—Specialty Certification

• Cloudera CDP Certification 

Data warehouse developer salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, data warehouse developers earn an annual base salary of $102,781 [2], higher than the national average. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides job outlook projections for both software developers and data scientists, with job growth expectations of 17 percent and 36 percent, respectively, by 2033 [3,4].

Career advancement

Securing a data warehouse developer job requires years of education and experience. Once you have this on your resume and have worked as a data warehouse developer, you may find other opportunities in related roles. If you’re looking to advance further in your career or slightly change your career direction, you can consider the following options:

• Senior data warehouse engineer: $132,933

• Data architect: $141,499

• Data warehouse consultant: $109,458 

• ETL developer: $95,059

• SQL developer: $97,168

• Data engineer: $106,568

• Business intelligence analyst: $101,535

• Informatica developer: $98,684

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of February 2025 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

Learn more about data warehousing with Coursera

Businesses use data warehousing to store, analyze, and report on big data from various sources. If you’d like to learn more about data warehousing and the role of a data warehouse developer, consider an online course or Professional Certificate on Coursera as a starting point. 

Check out the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate to build your data analysis foundation or the Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence Specialization course by the University of Colorado to advance your data warehousing skills.