InstantForum.NET v2.9.0SQLServerCentralhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/notifications@sqlservercentral.comThu, 24 May 2012 10:40:44 GMT20http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1300291-10-1.aspxJust looking through MCP and on the "earn your next certification" section, it shows that all I need to do to get MCSA is to pass the TS:BI (70-488). Now I'm fairly confident on the majority of SSIS and SSRS, but SSAS is my weak point not had much exposure to that side of the BI stack.Looking through the the learning page for 70-448, SSAS is weighted at 38% of the exam, so its quite a big chunk of the exam which I'm not really confident on so other than the 70-448 self paced kit, what other none NDA infringing resources would people recommend to bump up my SSAS skills.Tue, 15 May 2012 08:28:38 GMTanthony.greenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1298422-10-1.aspxHi.I have been studying for the 70-443 exam for the past 7 months and ready to write it next month but whilst browsing Micosoft's site this morning I see the SQL 2008 exams are only going to be valid to take till July 2013 :crying: my question is will it still be worth it to do the SQL 2008 exams, my plan was after passing 70-433 to do 70-448 and the administration...Fri, 11 May 2012 03:08:12 GMTvilonelhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1294172-10-1.aspxI recently took the 70-432 exam and did not pass. The first time I studied the MS Training Kit book and used the practice exams that came with that and a Transcender exam. After failing I looked at what I missed and started studying BOL. Then I took the test again. That time I had to have missed it by one question. I am kind of stuck as to what / how to study now. I feel like I have a good grasp on the subject matter but cannot transform that into information needed to pass the exam. Any ideas would be appreciated as I feel stuck.ThanksWed, 02 May 2012 13:46:43 GMTtschallenbergerhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1287974-10-1.aspxI thought it was time to push myself again so I have booked 70-450 for 29th May, which should hopefully give me enough time to go through the Transcenders.I know there are no official MS Press books for 70-450, but other than Transcenders and MeasureUp/SelfTestSoftware, what other none rule breaking resources are good to swat up on. If anyone can recommend a book much like the MC:TS book for 70-432 that would be amazing as that helped me on the bits I struggled on when I failed 70-432 for the first time.Also is the pass mark 700 still like it is for 70-432 so I can configure the pass mark on Transcender?Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:57:52 GMTanthony.greenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1120822-10-1.aspxThere's been a lot of debate recently about whether certifications are worth doing and whether they provide you or your employer with any benefits. As somebody who is currently on the long and rocky road to hopeful Microsoft Certified Masterdom (MCM), I was wondering what other people think of this qualification?I've read [url=http://www.brentozar.com/sql-mcm/]Brent Ozar's numerous posts[/url] on the subject and he seems to think it's well worth doing. Also, the fact there were only ten or so SQL Server MCMs in the US outside of Microsoft at the start of the year indicates this is an exclusive qualification and one that is not easy to obtain.I've seen in Steve Jones' editorials that he is currently studying towards this. To pass you need to have passed two developer exams (70-433 and 70-451) and two administrator exams (70-432 and 70-450), then two MCM exams (an exam and a lab).This seems like a great way to learn about SQL Server in-depth and to become a recognised expert on the subject.What does everybody think, and are there any other people on here who are thinking of going down this route?Mike.Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:25:35 GMTmike.mcquillanhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1265444-10-1.aspxI'm looking to get certified in SQL Server. I don't have any Microsoft certs, but my employer has asked me to get certified at the MCITP level. My background is as an Oracle DBA and I've been working with SQL Server for a while now.What is a good plan of attack? I have plenty of lab opportunities so gear to practice with is not a problem.Is there a particular set of books that anyone would care to recommend?Thanks!Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:15:05 GMTraindog308http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1284030-10-1.aspxBeen looking again at the certification and I think this has now changed so that to get MCSA I need 70-461,2,3Then I can go for trying for the 466,467 to get MCSE462 and 463 seem to be more of a DBA focus and while I am going to enjoy the challenge it is going to be a real challenge for me. The MS training kit books on Amazon are not due out till June / July and no e-learning yet. Any suggestions for a good basic book that would help me get a good grounding before the courses and books become available. I have been involved in supporting SQL Server but would never ever think of saying I could do any DBA task. Idiots guide woulod be good to get me going. Tried the 2008 training kit for MCTS DBA and it had me in tears within minutesCheersMark:cool:Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:47:58 GMTEllshttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1286998-10-1.aspxI have gone through database basics and T-SQL as well. But still I feel I am missing the point to be called an "Expert".What certification path and learning sequence to follow to confidently call myself an expert?Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:30:26 GMT@RDBMShttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1285344-10-1.aspxHaven't heard of this one, nor does it show up on my transcript, but I received the following e-mail about half an hour ago. I haven't taken any exams recently, either.[quote]Congratulations on earning your [b]SQL Server 2008 Core certification[/b]! We hope you enjoy the benefits of your certification and of membership in the Microsoft Certified Professional community.WHAT IS NEXT?Visit the MCP member site (www.microsoft.com/mcp) to download your new logo, certificate, view and share your transcript, and access additional MCP resources.KEEP IN TOUCH!Visit the profile center and make sure you are subscribed to the MCP newsletter for updates on exams, training, and program benefits: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/newsletters/default.mspx.Connect with your peers for networking and advice in the Born to Learn blog:http://blogs.technet.com/mslcommunityCongratulations once again,The Microsoft Certification Program Team[/quote]Is this something new, or have they maybe just renamed one of the existing certifications?/edit: Okay, I think I understand. I have both 70-432 and 70-448, which now combines into "MCSA: SQL Server 2008". Saying that it is "core" is probably just a categorization.Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:17:48 GMTSean Terryhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1276685-10-1.aspxHello all, I am planning to write the MSBI certification please sujjest me some good source of material, and they should also help me for my interviews. thanks.Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:05:08 GMTvsqlhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1280675-10-1.aspxI took exam 70-461: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012 last Thursday.I'm not going to mention any details of the exam or how it was structured as I am sworn to a NDA.I finished it, hit the submit button and waited while the screen went blank and the client communicated with a server somewhere, my heart beating. After what seemed like a long time (probably only 20 seconds) a message flashed up reading something like:Thank you for completing the beta version of exam 70-461. You should receive your score report by mail before the live version of this exam is released. Score reports are usually sent eight weeks after the beta period ends. However, the processing of some beta exams might require additional time.This was a bit of an anti-climax since I was expecting to see a PASS or FAIL. Was this a surprise to anyone else taking these beta exams?Also does anyone have any experience of completing beta exams and have any idea of when Microsoft usually release the results, eight weeks after seems like a long time.Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:11:26 GMTrichard.woodwardhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic862043-10-1.aspxHi folks, please does anyone have any free materials on 70-450 exams....pdfs....book....etc.I've to write the exams in less than 2weeks and is still cant seem to find any materials on the exam.Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:38:51 GMTpzcobo263http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic726910-10-1.aspxI passed the 70-448 exam for the [url=http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-448.mspx]MCTS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance [/url]certification this weekend. According to the [url=http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certified.mspx]MCP numbers[/url], I’m now around person #334 certified for this exam. I hope this information helps anyone else preparing for certification.Exam basics: 50 questions, 120 minutes, 700 passing scoreThis exam covers Integration Services (SSIS), Analysis Services (SSAS) and Reporting Services (SSRS)On my exam, all questions were either multiple choice or select the best two answers. I didn’t have any questions that required ordering steps in a process or “select all the correct answers”.Background: I have 13 years experience in IT and earned my MCDBA on SQL Server 2000 five years ago. I skipped the SQL 2005 certifications, but wanted to add a fresh SQL 2008 certification to my resume now that SQL 2000 is looking pretty old. I’ve worked with SQL Server 2008 since February on a data warehousing team.Preparation resources: I primarily used the [url=http://www.amazon.com/MCTS-Self-Paced-Training-Exam-70-448/dp/0735626367/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242738527&sr=8-1]Microsoft Self-Paced Training Kit book[/url] along with installing the evaluation edition of SQL Server 2008 on my home PC. The Training Kit book is like other Microsoft Press certification books I’ve read. It’s lacking in details but gives a good overview of the topics. To fill in the details, I used SQL Server Books Online (BOL) along with these reference books:[url=http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Microsoft-Integration-Services-Programmer/dp/0470247959/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242738632&sr=1-3]Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services[/url][url=http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-Analysis-Services-Unleashed/dp/0672330016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242738715&sr=1-1]SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services Unleashed[/url][url=http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-2008-Reporting-Services/dp/0071548084/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242738784&sr=1-4]SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services[/url]The Microsoft Training Kit also included a practice exam with 201 questions from MeasureUp on the CD that was in the book. This practice exam was OK, but neither the Training Kit book nor the included practice exam prepared me enough to pass the exam. I purchased a 30-day online subscription to the [url=http://www.transcender.com/product.aspx?product_id=Cert-70-448&dept_id=102209]Transcender practice exams[/url] for this certification and the flashcards and three practice exams from Transcender were excellent. However, because this is a low-volume exam, it seems they recycled some material from the SQL 2005 practice exams. The Transcender exams allowed me to focus on the details that were important for the exam and their explanations and references for each question were outstanding as always.I prepared for about 5 weeks before taking the exam, but I could have used another week to study SSAS which was my weakest subject.The exam started out very difficult but seemed to get easier as I progressed through the questions. I marked five questions for review and after reviewing those questions I still had 30 minutes to go back and double-check every question on the exam before my two hours was up. I didn’t have any “new format” questions like ordering steps or completing a dialog box but there were quite a few questions where I had to study an exhibit to answer the question. The questions jumped around from SSAS to SSIS to SSRS instead of ordering the questions in blocks with SSIS first, SSAS second and SSRS third. Sometimes this required me to re-read the question a few times to be sure I was focused on the right topic (was that a SSIS role or a SSRS role?). The exam really seemed to hammer on a few topics and I began to double-guess myself when it seemed like three SSRS questions in a row all should be answered with the same config file name. In the end I passed with an 842 so I am happy to be certifiable. (pun intended) Once my transcript gets updated I plan to order the new certificate for my wall and download the new logo for my resume.Now I’m going to take some time off and enjoy the summer! Maybe I’ll tackle an Oracle 11g certification in the fall. Good luck to all those preparing for certification…Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:46:42 GMTcppwizhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1275962-10-1.aspxI'm taking a Practice Test that comes with Microsoft's 70-432 Training Kit.One of the questions I missed contains a "correct" answer that does not look correct to me. The question is: "You are the database administrator on call for City Power & Light. You receive a call at 3 A.M. that the GridControl database is offline due to a disk failure where the data files were stored. The backup drive attached to the machine is accessible and contains the most recent full backup along with all the differential and transaction log backups taken since the last full backup. You need to get the database back online before 8 A.M., when the utility has power consumption peak. You need to recover the database with minimal loss of data."What is the first step that you need to perform to recover the GridControl database?"I selected: Restore a full backup.The "correct" answer: Back up the tail of the log.If the disk where the data files are stored is lost, is it really possible to backup the tail of the log? If the MDF file is gone but you have the LDF file on a different disk, is it still possible to do a tail of the log backup?Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:15:36 GMTdan-572483http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1258895-10-1.aspxJust started to look at the certs for 2012 and it looks like this needs to be taken before you really get going. Cant seem to find any resources on web to assist. Any idea when the beta tests will be out for this or what you need to do to get on one.Might leave this for a bit and try and squeeze in SQL 2008 BI certs firstM:-DTue, 28 Feb 2012 07:40:53 GMTEllshttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1271877-10-1.aspxHi allI Am based in the UK and I have been looking at getting some certification's and was interested in doing the 70-432 exam, I have the Microsoft self study guide but was wondering whether I should also attend the 5 day classroom session including exam (with QA) or do an on-line course (with SkillsSoft) excluding examBoth of these involve a fair bit of money (QA will cost approx £1000, Skill Soft £645) so I want to make sure I invest it wisely. Has anyone used either of these providers and have they been helpful? Or What other training providers do people recommend?ThanksFri, 23 Mar 2012 10:51:19 GMTandrew.hill-1032831http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1257945-10-1.aspxDecided to take things a step further, so I bought the books fort the 448 certification. Is there any video course material available that you could recommend?HenkSun, 26 Feb 2012 08:38:14 GMTHenk de Whttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1274942-10-1.aspxHi Guys,Could you all please help to identify the Certification I should go for as I did 70-431 MCTS(on SQL Server 2005) in the year 2010. Kindly recommend as per the mandatory certifications I need to give in order to move on to SQL Server 2008.Thanks DeveshThu, 29 Mar 2012 03:11:43 GMTDevesh_Srivastavahttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1272348-10-1.aspxHey all, I'm preparing for this exam as I want to take it as soon as it drops. I'm having a tough time understanding what MS means in the outline for a few things... would you guys be so kind to help me out here? Everything makes perfect sense everywhere in the [url=http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?id=70-461#tab2]outline[/url].. i'm just not 100% sure about what they are expecting for the [b]bolded[/b] items in the below section. Maybe i'm overthinking it but any help would be greatly appreciated!•Query data by using SELECT statements. This objective may include but is not limited to: use the ranking function to select top(X) rows for multiple categories in a single query; write and perform queries efficiently using the new code items such as synonyms and joins (except, intersect); [b]implement logic which uses dynamic SQL and system metadata[/b]; write efficient, technically complex SQL queries, including all types of joins versus the use of derived tables; [b]determine what code may or may not execute based on the tables provided[/b]; [b]given a table with constraints, determine which statement set would load a table[/b]; [b]use and understand different data access technologies[/b]; CASE versus ISNULL versus COALESCESun, 25 Mar 2012 08:30:52 GMTdontlickthesoaphttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1264935-10-1.aspxi was wondering, whats the typical hours worked for a dba and a developer?Also please include your years of experience.thanksSun, 11 Mar 2012 15:50:30 GMTkareemkinghttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1255051-10-1.aspxHi AllWhile browsing for a few training courses I'm wishing to attend I found this on QA.com[url]http://www.qa.com/media/3046986/microsoft_sql_server_2012_certification_and_course_roadmap.pdf[/url]Its the none finalised version of the certification paths to give you a bit of an idea as to how MS certs are going to work for 2012.One thing I noticed is there is now a pre-req to get MCTS which is 70-461 TS: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012 before you can do TS in Admin or Development, and there is now two exams to get TS in BI.Not found any upgrade paths as yet but if I do I will repost a link.Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:25:56 GMTanthony.greenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1260340-10-1.aspxThis is probably a dumb question but I am looking for a link that will provide different scenarios that I can setup. I have three virtual servers setup and now I am looking for different labs I can use for testing to get ready for my 70-432. I ask because I am not very good at coming up with my own labs and scenarios for testing. I have a copy of 2008 r2 developer so I can pretty much setup any lab.Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:25:08 GMTbsdtuxhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1256259-10-1.aspxWhile i am practising with VCE, I have found it is referencing about 10 sections, but in all the books and forums always talk about 7 sections. What are these 10 sections?Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:31:05 GMTjobair_khanhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1231274-10-1.aspxI failed my 70-668 exam today,only got a score of 532,I studied the online materials but many of questions are outdated,someone said this exam had been changed questions.is that true?who has the latest questions?Thanks!Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:22:17 GMTterrence.2011http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1253073-10-1.aspxAfter a few attempts, I have finally passed the 70-450. Much more difficult than I expected but its done now.Just want to thank the folks on this forum for all the help, in particular GilaMonster and SQLRNNR. Really appreciate all the effort you put into helping folks on these forums.For anyone who would like to know the materials used, they were, in order of usage:1. Books Online (including but not limited to lots of articles from SQLRNNR's post [url=http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/sqlrnnr/2011/06/30/70_2D00_450-study-guide/]here[/url]).2. Practical Experince and doing practical examples where no oppertunity to gain real world experience existed (particularly for things like partitioning, backup/restore, security/encryption).3. Lots of questions to my boss who is a SQL Guru.4. MeasureUp sample exams - really good. Similar experience to the real exams.5. Asking questions here when something just was not clicking and trying it out didnt help.6. MCM Videos located [url=http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/ff977043.aspx]here[/url].7. Trancender - Not particularly useful. Question format and content was quite abit off from that of the real exams. Question wording was not great also, often very ambiguous was much too simple also. Trancender questions for the 432 and 450 are also virtually identical.Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:29:50 GMTwinston Smithhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic841094-10-1.aspxHi all!I was trying to register for the 70-433 exam through promteric using this url [url=http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientProgram.asp]Register[/url]but its asking for Client and Program. Does that mean someone company needs to sponsor me to take the exam. I'm not working right now and wanted to just write the exam so I am well prepared to apply for jobs. Can anyone please clear this confusion.Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:45:06 GMTabhishek-484864http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1055365-10-1.aspxHi, I am planning to appear for Exam 70-448 Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence development and maintenece shortly, I do not have much experience on SSRS and SSAS, should I appear for this exam or not? Will I be able to pass the exam without much of relevant experience and by just reading books and tutorials of the same, with some basic practice?Thanks!Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:47:47 GMTAllaboutSQLhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1250568-10-1.aspxReady to take the dive! After 10 years I want to pursue a Microsoft Certified Master Certification. Just got off the Microsoft site, so confusing. Can anybody tell me, IN ENGLISH, how many/what tests I need to take to get there. I get the last two steps, the KNowledge and Lab exam, but what are the prerequisites to get to that point?Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:18:43 GMTKen Overtonhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1202376-10-1.aspxHi guys Studying for 70-433 exam so like to knowWhich book is good to read ?how many questions they ask in exam ? and whats the length of exam?Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:07:06 GMTlogicinside22http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1245350-10-1.aspxWhy does a company offer a money back guarantee then when you do everything they ask they quit talking to you...This happened to a friend of mine who is new to SQL and only got the training classes because they offer a money back guarantee if you do not pass it on the first try. He did everything they asked and failed the test.. When he emailed the company they told him he was in the queue and it would be 7 business days and he would hear back... and now it has been two weeks and they will not respond to his emails...Sorry for the soap box but don't offer a money back guarantee if you are not going to honor it...Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:46:35 GMTitpcprohttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1243371-10-1.aspxHi All,I'm new to this forum and I hope provide some guidence for the goal I want to achieve.I want to be a SQL data analyst in the healthcare industry. However, I do not have any practical experience in SQL data analysis, but I have been working in the healthcare industry for many years and I do have a BS degree in computer information system.I have experience writing SQL to generate simple queries and reports in Microsoft Access. Many years back, I was able to create my own website using ASP and Access from scratch. I also hosted my own web server in Windows Server 2003 in my home. But the recruiter and employer do not consider these things as professional experience.So I want to obtain a certificate in SQL programming to show that I have strong knowledge in SQL programming even though I do not have any practical experience in the field, I feel the certificate will boost the chance of I am getting hired as a SQL data analyst a bit. I have been looking at the IT certification page of Microsoft website and I didn't find any exams for SQL programming. Can anyone give me some good advice in terms of helping me enter the SQL data analysis field? If there is no certification program for this, are there any good reference books for SQL Data Analysis or advanced SQL reporting and querying?I appreciate all inputs. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:23:43 GMTDiscusmanhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1223850-10-1.aspxI am looking to get 70-432 certified before SQL 2012 comes out. I am not a very fast reader as it would take too long to read a book. What are the best 70-432 Training Videos out on the market for a good price. I was looking at the Trainsignal videos which are $397. This is the best deal I have found so far.Any suggestions?ThanksScottMon, 19 Dec 2011 08:27:20 GMTitpcprohttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1232037-10-1.aspxI recently took the 70-450 exam and failed, gaining a score only of 680 and am sudying to take it again in the next few weeks.Im going through technet articles (and SQLRNNR's excellent [url=tp://jasonbrimhall.info/2011/06/30/70-450-study-guide/ ]study guide[/url]) to study the recommended areas for the 70-450 database admin exam, and im getting a bit overwhelmed. There are 30-40 topics, and depending on the topic, you can go very deep into them. e.g. merge replication. do i need to know the intricate details of how it performs conflict resolution, writing my own conflict resolvers etc, or are questions generally at a higher level, e.g " you have to design a system with these requirements, should you chose merge replication, tran repl" ?If i go down to the deep level on each topic, i will be studying for 6 months and theres no way i will remember all of that information.from folk who have passed this exam or are sql certified masters, how deep does the 70-450 exam go?Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:17:20 GMTwinston Smithhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1235406-10-1.aspxHi,I done MCTS-MS SQL 2005 (Installation and Maintenance) now I want to upgrade mine certificate on MCITP-MS SQL 2008(Database administrator).Will I have to attempt again MCTS-MS SQL 2008 for completing the MCITP-MS SQL 2008(Database Administartor).What is latest certificate offering by Microsoft on MS SQL Database Administrator?Is MS SQL 2008 & MS SQL 2008 R2 have different certificate?ThanksFri, 13 Jan 2012 00:42:35 GMTsharmaamardhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1227480-10-1.aspx[quote]From my understanding your certification is still good after the exams get retired, it's just no one else can sit for that cert.[/quote]I read above on this forum just today. Anyone know for sure? I thought Microsoft certs become inactive when the exam gets retired and you cannot claim that you are certified at that time. I thought doing so would be equivalent to falsifying your education such as saying you have a degree when you do not.Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:03:19 GMTlkokeundahttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1055232-10-1.aspxHi,Finally I managed to convinced my company to give me some time to get prepared for EXAM 70-432. I'll get my MCTS Training Kit in the next days and some other books as well.So far I am more familiar with SQL 2k & 2005, almost 4 years of experience. I also like to install a 2008 at home to prepare for my exam.Which SQL Version is preferable if my focus is on passing the EXAM 70-432.MSSQL 2008 or 2008 R2? Or will there be no difference for my purpose?ThanksFri, 28 Jan 2011 05:25:10 GMTMartySQLhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1231512-10-1.aspxHello,I recently passed the 70-433 exam and now I am looking to do the 70-451 exam, latter half of next year probably. Reading the content of 70-451 it does sound like there is some blurring the distinction between developer and administrator so I looked at the DBA sister to 70-433, 70-432. That's kind of interesting too.As I will have to fund these two myself, and I cannot afford the £1000s to do the class based courses, what self-study materials do people recommend? I can afford the online modules. I looked at the MS 70-432 book but apparently it's bad, I also looked at "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Step by Step" which is also allegedly bad.I'm open to suggestions.Thanks,MarkFri, 06 Jan 2012 08:34:46 GMTle.bytebandithttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1226060-10-1.aspxMy boss got her boss to pay for my one SQL server cert, but is ignoring my request for financially supporting my further cert endeavor (study materials purchase, and test fee). In this kind of situation, I think I should still continue studying, but would you still take the test at your expense? Do companies set limit on supporting employees' cert endeavor to your knowledge?Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:54:03 GMTlkokeundahttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic748098-10-1.aspxGuys, i am looking for 70-433 study materials. All i could find was this:http://www.amazon.co.uk/MCTS-Self-Paced-Training-Exam-70-433/dp/0735626391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246913363&sr=8-1There were no reviews on this?? is it a good book? is there any other book/books that i can follow? Also it would be great help if someone can provide me with some useful links to prepare for 70-433 exam.Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:12:30 GMTss-457805http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1159544-10-1.aspxPRO: Designing, Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Administrative Solution Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008What is the difficulty level for passing the above exam for someone who has recently passed exam 70-432? Recommendation/tips for passing 70-450 will be appreciated as well.Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:42:34 GMTgeuncho6