Tips for database management as a back end developer

Backend developers are the skeletal framework architects who allow databases and applications to communicate with each other. They control and maintain the technology we often don’t see, such as databases, servers, and apps.

As a backend developer, you need to be proficient with databases. You must understand SQL, automated frameworks, security, and performance related to database management. We asked engineers at several companies working on databases about tips that the backend developers must follow.

Here’s what they told us.

Learn to make applications data storage-agnostic 

Modern applications handle a large amount of data. Backend developers must ensure that they are not making data storage rigid by specifying a certain way.

Many backend developers fail to do so. It is easy to understand why.

Applications that use a specified format to store data are easier to write, deploy, and update. As you need to structure the data like configuration files and access credentials in a specific way, it improves coherency, but it has several downsides.

It is hard to manage data that needs storage in a certain way. It might also be cost-effective to store such data, making it challenging to utilize the most cost-efficient storage options.

Backend developers must allow support for multiple storage types and formats. You can significantly simplify data management if you can make your application storage-agnostic.

Store data only when it serves a purpose 

It is easier to lose sight of how much data it should produce under an ideal operating environment when working on an application. The applications that spew out data with no justified requirement are a headache for database management.

Remember, you are responsible for storing and managing all the data securely that your application will produce. You have to think of data storage and server cost too. Strategically plan what information your application must create. For instance, if there is no good reason to save a particular event or log file, don’t do it. Data decay is a real problem in database management. Learn to optimize your applications to produce data that serves a valuable purpose.

Include data security at the application level 

Database security is an essential requirement. Backend developers are responsible for data security. Often, most data security issues arise within the applications rather than external sources.

A typical data security breach is related to Identity and Access Management (IAM). Backend developers create IAM rules that allow public access to the data stored in the cloud. Improper or no encryption is another issue that can lead to a data breach.

For a more secured database management, handle data security at the application level. You can mitigate most of the impact of data security breaches.

For example, you can enable data encryption for sensitive data at the application level by default. Don’t leave encryption for data engineers to handle. Such security feature inclusion is accessible and serves well in the long run.

Include data controls in applications

It is not efficient to allow all the data management operations to be carried on the databases directly. To improve database management and keep data secure, you can insert more controls in the application. In doing so, you will allow users to customize how data is produced and processed.

Inserting data controls in the application makes it easier for users to manage data operations, such as the type of data, structured, and stored. For example, if you allow users to remove their personal information before inserting it into the database, you save the cost of DB operation to anonymize the data later. Furthermore, it makes it easier to secure data at the application level.

Algorithmic improvements

At least one more person will look at the code you write to find any significant issues in many companies. The code is there to perform its function if everything looks reasonable. With databases, it might not be that easy to optimize things.

You can improve the performance of a database by adding indices and query optimization. Indices allow the database to find relevant rows faster using an efficient data structure as a binary tree. Query optimization is done at the user level as there are several ways to write a query. You can learn more about this technique here.

Conclusion

It is essential to think about how applications you are creating manage data. Database management might not be your primary role as a backend developer, but you can learn the best practices that lay the foundation for optimal data management. The tips shared above will help you anticipate where your application fits within broader data management workflows.

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