I am taking my certifications in SQL Server 2008 R2: Database Developer soon. I've been studying for the past week and I thought I would toss some tidbits for ya.

I had no prior database experience like you. My boss gave me a shot simple because I worked in software development for the past 8 years. I was only supposed to find and manage the work on the database, not actually do it. I ended up taking on the work instead because it came very natural to me due to all my experience in working around databases and object-oriented languages.

For me, I have company resources that provide me with a free video course on the exam and a practice test. For you, you only have books and free courses that you can find. However, the tactics are still the same.

My tactic is very traditional. I've been covering a lot of material and taking notes in question form from everything that I've been consuming.

What is a distributed partitioned view?

How do you create a partition table?

What is a federation server?

Etc.

I've been storing my notes in Evernote, which is a free online tool and application that is available for every device. Every piece of information I consume goes in that tool and it's been helping me study for all the exams on top of live training in SQL Server. The best part is that Evernote works on all my devices. I have it on my PC, cellphone and tablet. I'm pretty much always reviewing and studying everywhere I go now.

I think it's a good way to cram if it was me.