Being in the "DBA" role means different things to different people. Some companies have Data Architects that all they do is design systems. In these companies, DBA's typically perform more of an administrative role. In other companies, DBA's are the guy who knows the most about Oracle but still writes code like anybody else. Others still, the DBA is an intergal piece of the development team that helps with the architecture and implementation. It all depends on the kind of organization you are with.