Certification path for the Accidental DBA?

  • Background: I work for a specialty software company. Our backend database is MSSQL, and we are beginning to have great demand for replicated systems. Our software is specific to a certain 24/7 regulated industry where downtime can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a day. Over the last two years I have migrated from 15 years of AS400 development and administration to SQL Server administration. I know and understand that I am woefully uneducated, and have convinced my bosses to provide me with any training that I deem necessary. I have significant knowledge of SQL in general, and I have been working with SQL Server specifically for the last two years, and have picked up a decent amount of general knowledge. I have worked with replication, but I think that this is my week point. Unfortunately, it is the most important aspect of my future duties.

    So my question is this: If you were in my situation, with a significant knowledge of SQL, decent self-taught knowledge of SQL server in general, and dangerous self-taught knowledge surrounding replication, what educational path would you take? Because I know myself and how I work, a boot-camp type of environment would be better for me. It would force me to completely unplug from my normal everyday duties and allow me to focus solely on learning what I need to know. If I try to learn this stuff on my own it'll take forever because I will be juggling the twenty other deliverables I have and the learning will take the rearmost seat.

    Any recommendations for week-long-ish boot camps?

    Thanks in advance for any advice.

  • I don't think certification proves anything at all. I know people who have written books on SQL Server, are MVPs, and don't have a single certification. My certs are old, but I was amazed at the things that were NOT covered.

    if you're doing it to get exposure to the different facets of SQL Server, then I'm still not convinced. Lots of money for nothing. Read some good blogs, answer questions, break things on purpose and fix them... (So you know what those broken things look like and how they mis/behave.)

  • Boot camps aren't about training. They're about cramming enough knowledge to pass the cert exam at the end. Retaining knowledge afterwards is not required.

    If you want week long training courses, I can recommend some very good ones (rather expensive). If you want boot camps to cram for exam stuff, I can't help.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • Let me suggest two alternatives to boot camps:

    PASS Summit 2015

    SQL Cruise[/url]

    Neither of these will directly prepare you for certification, but they will give you a much broader learning opportunity. So the question that only you can answer is why do you want to get certified?

    If it's just to get the acronym to add to your resume/email signature/business card so that people stop pigeon-holing you as an AS400 programmer, then a bootcamp is the quickest way to achieve that objective. However most of us "old-timers" think that bootcamps are "so 1999" so don't be surprised if people dismiss you as a "paper MCSA/E" when they learn about your certification journey.

    If you decide to get certified, either do it quickly (before September 2015) or wait until next year because SQL Server 2016 will be in public beta release this summer. The current generation of SQL Server 2012 certifications that are in the market will begin to look dated once SQL Server 2016 is released.

  • Thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions. I am not necessarily pursuing certification to pad the old resume (though that would be a very acceptable side effect). I am mainly looking for education that will help me do my job better for my current employer and our clients. Getting broad knowledge and certification would be nice, but if you really get down to the bare necessities of what I need, I need some very good training in replication. Other than that, we don't really do anything that wouldn't fall into the category of "basic vanilla SQL Server", which I think I have a pretty good handle on.

    I'm sure that I could read blogs and articles and eventually become as proficient as I need to be, but I don't have until eventually. I also know that the best way for me to learn what I need to know is to attend a focused class. If I try to do it myself in addition to the other things I have going on every day, I'll never get to where I need to be. I need an excuse to completely cut myself off from the office for a while.

  • In that case...

    https://www.sqlskills.com/sql-server-training/ Nothing better.

    No, there isn't a course on replication, but to be honest replication is not that difficult.

    Alternately, negotiate with the boss for a Pluralsight[/url] subscription and ask if you can take study leave to watch some of the courses away from the office

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • cppwiz (5/8/2015)


    Let me suggest two alternatives to boot camps:

    PASS Summit 2015

    SQL Cruise[/url]

    Neither of these will directly prepare you for certification, but they will give you a much broader learning opportunity. So the question that only you can answer is why do you want to get certified?

    If it's just to get the acronym to add to your resume/email signature/business card so that people stop pigeon-holing you as an AS400 programmer, then a bootcamp is the quickest way to achieve that objective. However most of us "old-timers" think that bootcamps are "so 1999" so don't be surprised if people dismiss you as a "paper MCSA/E" when they learn about your certification journey.

    If you decide to get certified, either do it quickly (before September 2015) or wait until next year because SQL Server 2016 will be in public beta release this summer. The current generation of SQL Server 2012 certifications that are in the market will begin to look dated once SQL Server 2016 is released.

    I don't have any recommendations for boot camps; the best advice I have is to reach out to Gail (GilaMonster) as she has offered to refer you to some good week long courses.

    Microsoft used to have an eLearning online course for SQL and they had a online specific class about replication. I used it and it in 2010 and found it helpful. It was like $180 for a year of access to the online course but I don't think it exists anymore (I just spent some searching for it and it appears that Microsoft has scrapped the eLearning as it existed 5 years ago).

    The other suggestion that was made was SQL PASS. SQL PASS is awesome for many reasons and I would highly recommend that you go. Unfortunately it's in November so that won't help you in the near future. When it does come around - go. There will be sessions on Replication I'm sure. Also, you can spend time with the SQL CAT people - they are like the Navy Seals Team of SQL server and you can spend a lot of one-on-one time with them discussing replication. The next best thing to PASS is a SQL Saturday - you can go to that which is like a one-day boot camp.

    "I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

    -- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

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