Guide to MCITP: SQL Server 2008 BI Developer

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item Guide to MCITP: SQL Server 2008 BI Developer

  • Great article! I will use it as a reference for colleagues who still want to do the MCITP.

    Need an answer? No, you need a question
    My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
    MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

  • Thanks, I'm due to take the first exam some time soon and this has been very helpful, especially flagging up some of the areas I'll need to cover that I don't deal with in day to day work.

    Barney

  • I agree, this is an excellent article - I could have done with it before I took MCTS/MCITP in the last couple of months (although I did pass).

    I think that the MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-448): Microsoft SQL Server 2008 - Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance book is worth mentioning though. Like you I found MCITP easier because I had some experience of all three BI strands. The MCTS exam is more 'nuts and bolts', e.g. knowing the syntax of dtutil. This book is geared to the exam, and also has MeasureUp self-test exam questions included on a CD. It also has an excellent chapter on Data Mining (one area I don't yet use in my current job), which in my opinion is enough to cover the DM subject matter for both exams. I would certainly not got through MCTS without it, despite 6 years of MS BI experience.

    I'd also like to mention (no, I don't work for Microsoft!) the book Reporting Services 2008 Step-by-step. I have more SSRS experience than SSIS/SSAS, but this still taught me the extra 10% I needed, particularly as I am a developer so my administration skills and experience are at a lower level.

    I used Kaplan's self-test software (mentioned in the article) to prepare for the MCITP - there appears still to be nothing offered by Microsoft to prepare you. The course 50399A is constantly promised but deadlines come and go without it being published. The self-test was very useful, and did help me answer several questions, particularly on the infrastructure side. My personal belief though is that it was too infrastructure biased and also includes a lot of pure SQL Server-related questions compared with the exam, but that may be just my experience.

    Last point - I use SSIS now more than the other two, yet performed worst on the SSIS sections. I think the moral is you have got to know SSIS in detail, particularly what each task/component does, and the bits that maybe you don't use day-to-day like logging and checkpoints. It's frustrating that features many people discredit (such as SSIS logging and SSAS Proactive Caching) and hence may not feature in your day-to-day work you still need to know well to pass!

    Brian Healy

  • brian.healy (5/11/2012)


    I think the moral is you have got to know SSIS in detail, particularly what each task/component does, and the bits that maybe you don't use day-to-day like logging and checkpoints. It's frustrating that features many people discredit (such as SSIS logging and SSAS Proactive Caching) and hence may not feature in your day-to-day work you still need to know well to pass!

    Euh, you don't use the logging?

    You should.

    And it's a certification exam. The purpose is that you can show "I know the bits and pieces of that software product", not "I have only worked with features A and B in the past, so I only know those two".

    Need an answer? No, you need a question
    My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
    MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

  • Let me clarify that . What I mean is I don't use SSIS integrated logging because it is unwieldy and unflexible - I use custom logging.

  • brian.healy (5/11/2012)


    Let me clarify that . What I mean is I don't use SSIS integrated logging because it is unwieldy and unflexible - I use custom logging.

    That makes more sense 🙂

    I use a combination of the build-in logging and custom logging.

    Need an answer? No, you need a question
    My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
    MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

  • Great article, interesting to know that you had an easier time with 70-452. I got my MCTS a year ago and have been thinking about going to do the MCITP since then.

    I agree, there are some things covered on the test that no one actually uses, but I also got some useful information from studying for the test. I definately think the process of studying for the test made me a better BI developer.

  • Quick question: Books Online

    I have SQL server 2008 R2 installed, and have the books online menu option. How does one get an updated or newer copy?

  • Books online or BOL are just the MSDN documentation pages.

    Example for SQL Server 2012:

    Books Online for SQL Server 2012

    Need an answer? No, you need a question
    My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
    MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

  • 🙂 Thanks, much.

  • Hi everybody

    Thanks for reading the article, and thanks for the kind words.

    I definitely did find 70-452 the easier of the exams - I suspect I could have passed it without any further study had I taken it the day after the 70-448 exam, although I would have struggled with the Data Mining questions. Other than that it was straightforward.

    I fully agree with turtleemu - studying and taking these exams has undoubtedly made me a better and more rounded BI developer, not to mention SQL developer; it's useful to know the various options available for different jobs.

    I'm hoping to post a few development articles over the next few months. Any feedback is appreciated.

    Cheers,

    Mike.

  • Hello everybody!

    This is really a nice article, very well written and I am really, really sorry about the info I will bring below:

    Microsoft is changing all the SQL Server certifications: the MCTS and MCITP are going to disappear very soon.

    The new certification, more or less corresponding to MCITP will be called MCSE (with a new meaning of "Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert"). For those who already earn the MCTIP Business Intelligence 2008 certification, it will take not less than 3 (three!) transition exams to get a MCSE Business Intelligence 2012! The others will have a 3 exams MCSA path, plus two exams to become MCSE. These exams will be available starting from June to August 2012.

    Please check these useful links to get more info on this:

    Brentozar blog article "Breaking News: Changes to Microsoft SQL Server Certifications[/url]"

    Microsoft Business Intelligence MCSE 2012 page

    So, again, I apologize for giving news that might be interpreted as if I wanted to say that Mike's article is of no use: sure this is not what I think, I only wanted to warn those that are going to study for a certification that there is more to know and that the path will be different.

    MCITP Database administrator 2008
    MCTS SQL Server 2008 Implementation and maintenance
    MCTS Sharepoint configuration
    MCP Designing Deploying and Managing a Network Solution for the Small and Medium-sized Business
    ITIL V3 Foundation
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