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Become a Data Architect
Nanodegree Program
Learn how to plan, design and implement enterprise data infrastructure solutions and create the blueprints for your organization’s data success.
Estimated time
4 Months
At 5-10 hours/week
Enroll by
June 7, 2023
Get access to the classroom immediately upon enrollment
Skills acquired
Data Architecture Fluency, Big Data Fluency, Data Quality Assessment
What you will learn
Data Architect
Estimated 4 months to completeIn this program, you’ll plan, design and implement enterprise data infrastructure solutions and create the blueprints for an organization’s data management system. You’ll create a relational database with PostGreSQL, design an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) data model to build a cloud based data warehouse, and design scalable data lake architecture that meets the needs of Big Data. Finally, you’ll learn how to apply the principles of data governance to an organization’s data management system.
Prerequisite knowledge
Intermediate Python and SQL skills, and basic familiarity with ETL/Data Pipelines.
Data Architecture Foundations
Learn about the principles of data architecture. You will begin by learning the characteristics of good data architecture and how to apply them. Next you will move on to data modeling. You will learn to design a data model, normalize data, and create a professional ERD. Finally, you will take everything you learned and create a physical database using PostGreSQL.
Designing Data Systems
Learn to design enterprise data architecture. You will build a cloud based data warehouse with Snowflake. You will evaluate various data assets of an organization and characteristics of these data sources, design a staging area for ingesting varieties of data coming from source systems, and design an Operational Data Store (ODS). Finally, you will learn to design OLAP dimensional data models, design ELT data processing that is capable of moving data from an ODS to a data warehouse, and write SQL queries for the purpose of building reports.
Big Data Systems
Learn about how to help organizations with massive amounts of data, including identification of Big Data problems and how to design Big Data solutions. You will learn about the internal architecture of many of the Big Data tools such as HDFS, MapReduce, Hive and Spark, and how these tools work internally to provide distributed storage, distributed processing capabilities, fault tolerance and scalability. Next you will learn how to evaluate NoSQL databases, their use cases and dive deep into creating and updating a NOSQL database with Amazon DynamoDB. Finally, you will learn how to implement Data Lake design patterns and how to enable transactional capabilities in a Data Lake.
Data Governance
Learn how to design a data governance solution that meets your company’s needs. First, you will learn about the different types of metadata, and how to build a Metadata Management System, Enterprise Data Model, and Enterprise Data Catalog. Next you will learn how to perform data profiling using various techniques including data quality dimensions, how to identify remediation options for data quality issues, and how to measure and monitor data quality using data quality scores, thresholds, dashboards, exception and trend reports. Finally, you will learn the concepts of Master Data and golden record, different types of Master Data Management Architectures, as well as the golden record creation and master data governance processes.
All our programs include
Real-time support
On demand help. Receive instant help with your learning directly in the classroom. Stay on track and get unstuck.
Career services
You’ll have access to Github portfolio review and LinkedIn profile optimization to help you advance your career and land a high-paying role.
Flexible learning program
Tailor a learning plan that fits your busy life. Learn at your own pace and reach your personal goals on the schedule that works best for you.
Program offerings
Class content
- Real-world projects
- Project reviews
- Project feedback from experienced reviewers
Student services
- Student community
- Real-time support
Career services
- Github review
- LinkedIn profile optimization
Succeed with personalized services.
We provide services customized for your needs at every step of your learning journey to ensure your success.
- Experienced Project Reviewers
- Real-Time Support
Get timely feedback on your projects.
- Personalized feedback
- Unlimited submissions and feedback loops
- Practical tips and industry best practices
- Additional suggested resources to improve
1,400+ project reviewers
2.7M projects reviewed
88/100 reviewer rating
1.1 hours avg project review turnaround time
Learn with the best.
Learn with the best.
Ben Larson
Data Architect / Analytics ConsultantBenjamin has over 15 years of experience working as a data professional in fields including medicine, telecomm, and finance, in roles ranging from data architect to data scientist and analytics consultant. He holds a Ph.D. in Decision Sciences, where his research was focused on rare event detection.
Shankar Korrapolu
CEO at OK2Shankar Korrapolu is the co-founder and CEO of startup OK2, a cross-platform mobile gaming engine that builds games cheaper and faster without compromising quality. For over 30 years he has offered his data processing services to organizations in investment banking, pharma, government and education sectors.
Shrinath Parikh
Senior Data ArchitectShrinath is an entrepreneur and Data Architect passionate about helping enterprise companies transform and engineer their big data analytics applications on Cloud. He has worked with AWS, Google and Microsoft cloud platforms, has over 15 certifications and an MS in Computer Science from The University Of Texas at Dallas.
Vijaya Nelavelli
Founder & Principal Data ArchitectVijaya is the Founder and Principal Data Architect for Great View Data Corp., which provides Data Architecture consulting and implementation services. Vijaya has extensive experience with creating architecture strategy and roadmaps, establishing frameworks and best practices, and Data Management.
Rostislav Rabotnik
Principal Data ArchitectRostislav is an Enterprise Data Architect and Data Management Leader whose expertise covers data governance, architecture, and integration practices across a diverse range of technologies. He has worked at companies of all sizes and in various industries. His musings can be found at learndataarchitecture.com
Nicholas DeGiacomo
Data ScientistNick has built and managed teams of scientists and engineers for political campaigns, social media, and supply chain companies. With experiences ranging from startups to Amazon, he balances speed and scale. In his free time, Nick enjoys teaching graduate statistics courses at both Columbia and Yeshiva Universities.
Become a Data Architect
Get started today
Learn
Plan, design and implement enterprise data infrastructure solutions.
Average Time
On average, successful students take 4 months to complete this program.
Benefits include
- Real-world projects from industry experts
- Real-time classroom support
- Career services
Program details
Program overview: Why should I take this program?
Why should I enroll?
This program was designed to help you take advantage of the growing need for skilled data talent. Companies are struggling to find the people they need to build data infrastructure and organize massive inflows of data, thus presenting you with a big opportunity to land a high-paying role designing cutting edge data infrastructure solutions. By the time you graduate, you'll be prepared to create the data infrastructure for an entire organization -- all the data management, infrastructure, systems, models, implementation and requirements for data engineers.
What jobs will this program prepare me for?
The goal of the Data Architect Nanodegree program is to prepare learners for advanced data professional roles, primarily as Data Architects. These senior level roles design blueprints for an organization's overall data management system including database structure, systems, models and other components and oversee the integration, centralization, maintenance and protection of data sources. These Data Architect skills can also be transferrable to other data and engineering roles at any company looking to manage or scale their data infrastructure.
How do I know if this program is right for me?
This is a more advanced program that is intended for data and engineering professionals who already have experience with core programming and data engineering skills and concepts and are looking to further advance their career into data architecture.
Enrollment and admission
Do I need to apply? What are the admission criteria?
No. This Nanodegree program accepts all applicants regardless of experience and specific background.
What are the prerequisites for enrollment?
The Data Architect Nanodegree program is designed for students with intermediate Python and SQL skills, and basics of ETL/Data Pipelines including:
- Familiarity with Relational Database Management Systems or foundational database skills
- Intermediate Python
- Intermediate SQL
- Familiarity with batch processing and stream processing frameworks
- Operating systems, including UNIX, Linux, and MS Windows
- Basics of ETL/Data Pipelines
If I do not meet the requirements to enroll, what should I do?
Depending on what skills you need to develop, Udacity has a range of courses and Nanodegree programs to help you prepare for the Data Architect Nanodegree program. We recommend our Data Engineer Nanodegree Program as one such option, but encourage you to browse the catalog for specific programs that meet your needs.
Tuition and term of program
How is this Nanodegree program structured?
The Data Architect Nanodegree program is comprised of content and curriculum to support four projects. We estimate that students can complete the program in four months, working five to ten hours per week.
Each project will be reviewed by the Udacity reviewer network. Feedback will be provided, and if you do not pass the project, you will be asked to resubmit the project until it passes.
How long is this Nanodegree program?
You will have access to this Nanodegree program for as long as your subscription remains active. The estimated time to complete this program can be found on the webpage and in the syllabus, and is based on the average amount of time we project that it takes a student to complete the projects and coursework. See the Terms of Use and FAQs for other policies regarding the terms of access to our Nanodegree programs.
Can I switch my start date? Can I get a refund?
Please see the Udacity Program FAQs for policies on enrollment in our programs.
Software and hardware: What do I need for this program?
What software and versions will I need in this program?
There are no software and version requirements to complete this Nanodegree program. All coursework and projects can be completed via Student Workspaces in the Udacity online classroom.