Dataarkkitehti

Dataarkkitehti is a professional responsible for designing and governing an organization's data architecture. The role focuses on defining how data is collected, stored, integrated, accessed, and secured to support business objectives and analytics. Dataarkkitehti work across data platforms and business units to create scalable, flexible structures that enable accurate reporting, advanced analytics, and data-driven decision making. In Finnish organizations, the term dataarkkitehti is commonly used for this role.

Key responsibilities include designing data models (conceptual, logical, and physical), creating data dictionaries and metadata, and defining data governance and quality standards. They select appropriate storage and processing technologies (data warehouses, data lakes, cloud services) and oversee data integration pipelines (ETL/ELT) and data security and privacy controls. The data architect also establishes data standards, policies, and reference architectures to ensure consistency and reusability across projects.

Skills and qualifications typically include strong knowledge of data modeling, database technologies (relational, NoSQL, and cloud-native services), data integration tools, and programming or scripting (SQL, Python, Spark). Understanding of data governance frameworks (TOGAF, DAMA-DMBOK) and privacy regulations (such as GDPR) is important. Certifications in data architecture or data management can be beneficial. The role often requires collaboration with data engineers, data scientists, business analysts, DBAs, and application architects.

Role in an organization and career path: dataarkkitehti usually operates within enterprise architecture or data management teams, reporting to a Chief Data Officer or IT director. They work closely with stakeholders across the business to translate requirements into scalable data solutions and may progress from data engineering or database administration into senior architectural positions.