MCSE - Business Intelligence Thread

A little background.

Failed 70-461 2 times already however I strictly went with the book the first 2 times, not a good idea, at least for me.

See below my history so far on studying for the 3rd time.

I am using CBT Nuggets and the book, more Nuggets.

I've been back at it for 3 days and I am through chapter 5, not all chapters align with the training kit, but I look at the training kit more as a knowledge filler. Hopefully I can deliver the full MCSE BI. I am feeling it this time and have full buy in from my family.

I'll keep this thread updated and I will bring home a passing score for 70-461.

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Completed chapter 3 views. Discussed schemabinding and view_metadata while creating the view. The lesson covered query execution plans and indexes.

I'll try to swing to chapter 4 today, with full lab. It should start to get me prepared for the exam. I'd like to get through once more before I schedule the exam.

Disregard - This is a tips and trick segament nothing to do with the exam, skipping this one and moving onto creating and modifying constraints (Chapter 5). Out of the 20 nuggets there are about 2 maybe 3 that you can skip if all you want to do is pass the exam. Hands raised!

Skipped 4 and went to 5 (a required nugget covering indexes and constraints. Covered a lot of good information, Unique, Check, Primary, Foreign, Default. Also covered creating them at the table level and on columns with naming conventions. Also adding expressions to the constraint itself. Went over some additional information such as creating a ERD and how to save it and reference it. Overall a good nugget, even if for only learning. Either way I am feeling it today, kind of weird it's my off day and I am feeling energized.

Going to have to pry myself a way, kids are getting up and school is back in mid August so I want to get out and do something. Besides to much SQL can get OLD!

I might be on later to go over DML triggers. I'll lab this one as well.

Exhausted. Completed the XML nugget again using full lab. Wow tired..... It was a good session, 3 nuggets completed today, they are all ~45 minutes long along with labbing add another 30 minutes to each at least.

Lunch is prepared I'll work through an easier nugget tomorrow, something where I will most likely not lab just watch and review. Maybe Cursors or Triggers..... However, there are some questions about Triggers I remember that from the exam previously.

Registered for the exam August 17th 9am cst. Bought the booster pack so brute force might be an option if required. Busy today, but will review again tonight and work through some practice exams. It's go time.

Remember when answering the questions make sure you pick the "MS" answer not the right one. I was going to use ISNULL, it clearly stated easier which IMO it is, but they went with Coalesce, which should of been the no brain answer but I let my arrogance and experience win out. Ugh.....

Just ran through the Kaplin exam, 8 questions, 2-2 on the create objects, optimization 1-2, the data querying 0 - 2 lol. Good times!

Made it through 30 minutes out of 45 in the CBT nugget series, covering Triggers. I'm going to finish up the last 15 (it drives me nuts leaving things incomplete) and then hitting the flash cards for a while, at least 1 hour.

Been hitting it hard since last Thursday. Reviewing the Kaplin/ Transcender exam flashcard training. I've gone through those quit a bit. Feel like I need additional review over XML, (Always need that) Stored Procedures, Functions and Optimizing. Went through the lab on Stored Procs this morning. I have the mobile CBT so I'll review that today as well, probably hit the flash cards again and review the test questions from transcenders.

I'll have to hit Triggers one more time as well. Best case I can get 2 more modules done today, functions and triggers (hopefully). Weds at 9 am cst is my test so...... I did get the booster pack though so 5 total takes should be enough.

Awesome progress man. I can't hope to get some free time so i can continue my MCSE path.

Thanks! Back at it again, reviewing note cards from transender.

Hit it again for ~ 3 hours tonight, drank a cup of coffee around 8:50 pm and I am still up 12:17 am. Finally starting to fade. Still sucking on parts of the practice exam, hoping the stars are aligned when I take this Wednesday. It will be my 3rd attempt.

Tomorrow is the day at 9 am. Boss is cool with me taking off the AM, no vaca required. I'm done with the videos and books it's been flashcards for the last 2 days and today is no different.

Today is the day. Went through ~ 20 flash cards going to hit ~90 - 100 then run off to the testing center, I'll follow up pass or fail. I'm relaxed I have 4 other retakes besides this one lol.

DatabaseHead wrote: »

Today is the day. Went through ~ 20 flash cards going to hit ~90 - 100 then run off to the testing center, I'll follow up pass or fail. I'm relaxed I have 4 other retakes besides this one lol.

Good Luck Bro!

FINALLY - PASSED THE EXAM. 713 out of 1000, with the cut off at 700. Crazy, barely passed it.

It was an internal struggle several times I had wanted to quit and all the questions except maybe 15 out of 54 were CHALLENGING. I scored nearly a 100% on querying and under 50% for the rest, Troubleshooting and Optimizing, Modifying Data and Creating Database Objects. Those were all around 48% if I had to guestimate from the primative graph.

I have a ton of work staring me at in the face with all these problems, but passing this certification isn't one of them anymore. RELIEVED!

Congrats!
Besides the CBTnuggets, what other materials and resources did you use?

I just passed my CCNA and I am looking into either MCSA Desktop or Server.

@Ling with the CBT nuggets comes the Kaplan/Transcender test with flash card mode I found that helpful. (If I had to guess I would say because of that I could answer 3 - 5 more questions. Which in my case was the difference between passing and failing. I also read the Training Kit about 2 years ago........

Sources

Youtube, searching for specific skills related to the exam, example functions.
Training Kit, never read the whole things, but I did go over several chapters several times, some of the chapters I went over 10 times. XML is a good example of that. I had to throw the book away in fact I used it so much on CERTAIN chapters, the pages became unglued from the binding.
CBT Nuggets was decent, but by itself it isn't enough to pass
Transcender / Kaplan exam was helpful

For me it was like scratching and clawing to pass the exam. You may get one piece of knowledge from the youtube video but then the next question you are recalling info from the practice exam or flashcards. They did a really good job of weeding out the pretenders, I almost got wacked.

Reviewing the next cert and determining which one I want to do, leaning towards any test that focuses on SSAS, SSIS or SSRS. Administration will be last....

The engine has been started, moving on to 70-463. This should be easier, I HOPE, honestly no clue. I do set up a lot of packages including building OLAP cubes and mining structures, even started building tabular models on the new BI edition of SQL server. I'll keep a running total of my efforts to get through this exam.

Hoping to get through the first two modules, intro and building dimensions. ~1.5 hours worth of viewing.

Going to sift through dimensions and facts, total review. As I begin to look at this material it's becomes increasingly apparent that this won't take as long or be as hard to pass. 70-462 I think will be the one that takes a while. I'm going to get aggressive with this one, get a 5 shot booster pack and brute force this one.

I'm going to run through the CBT's twice, one followed by the same one until I complete. I'll review the first one and then lab the second time through. After that I will go with the flashcards and then practice exams. I'm going to have to get the training kit as well for reference. What I ended up doing for 461 was reading the chapters that made sense to me and continually read them. The ones that didn't do it for me I just skipped all together and filled my knowledge in regards to those chapters through youtube etc.....

Just wanted to map out my strategy.

Starting up again, working through data flow design and implementation. Just as I thought since I have more experience working with this tool these modules are "sticking" in my mind a lot faster. Looking at spending ~ 2 hours maybe more going through the modules. Hopefully I can get these done in 2 weeks, that's my time line. Then spend another 2 weeks flash cards and practice exams. I'm not 100% sure but I think you have to buy the booster pack before september so I am going to go ahead and buy another booster for 463. Not sure about 462, haven't looked at the material yet and I honestly dont want to. I find myself easily getting side tracked so laser focus on 463.

Things are going a little slower than I thought, a lot of info I am picking up just through the first couple of modules. I plan on watching dimensions and facts again before moving on. Trying not to microwave this, I can see myself doing that barely getting through and not having enough for the most challenging one (I think) 462...... So slowing it down and being really thorough.

Hit dimensions again.

Recommendation, I would install SQL server on your own OS and download the practice scripts from the virtual nugget lab, the VM is terrible to be honest. Also when you are installing the database files I usually just download the BAK file from MS and just do a backup. One thing you'll need to go into the database and make sure you set the Owner to sa or you won't be able to launch the diagrams which you'll want when you are going through the training modules. At least with CBT nuggets.

So far went through these modules, however I had the speed set to 2.0, so I dropped it to 1.0 and started over and made it through 2. Dimensions. No need to go over 1. again. I'm still up in the air, I think I may go through 3. again tonight at 1.0 speed and call it a night. I am trying to make it through 22 nuggets/modules in 2 weeks, now less than.

1. Introduction to 70-463: Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012 (21 min)
2. Designing and Implementing Dimensions (45 min)
3. Designing and Implementing Fact Tables (35 min)
4. Introduction to SSIS and Connection Managers (54 min)
5. Designing Data Flow (35 min)

I'll be hitting it hard tonight, today was crazy. Stalled big time on a large mining structure, using MDX is not "easy", when you start to get into the deeper aspects of it.

Oh well good experience, these topics will be on the MCSE level exams so it will pay off eventually.

Completed going through Facts again, covered Lineage, Indexes (including column stores) and partitions. Actually learned quite a bit with the partitions. I've hit both 2 - 3 Dimension and Facts already I'll be moving into SSIS next time I study. I'm WFH tomorrow so I'll pop on early and go through a module, the next one is 56 minutes long so that will probably be it for tomorrow, but you never know!

Made it through the intro to configuring SSIS, module 4. This one was ~55 minutes, it was LONG, but VERY informative. Lot's of good take away's from this nugget for real world. I build packages from time to time usually deploying SSAS cubes, mining structures or in memory tabular models. However I have set up table updates, drop and reloads etc. This went in depth especially for an intro nugget, very impressed with this one. I've got some work to do, but I am feeling good. I'd like to get one more nugget completed today. Next up nugget 5 Designing Data Flow ~35 minutes long. One thing I did notice it seems as you move through the nuggets they become shorter and shorter, around 20 minutes or a little over. If I am having a good day I could see myself getting through 3 MAYBE 4 which might be a stretch, but aligns with my aggressive goal of getting the nuggets completed by September 2nd.

I'll be purchasing a booster pack for 463 soon, I might have to go ahead and buy one for 462 as well. I believe they are good up to 6 months after purchase even if the promotion expires which I believe it does after August. (I think)........

Not really sure about the MCSE Business Intelligence exams, I believe one is in regards to SSAS which I am excited about, would love to fill the knowledge gaps. Since this is a big part of my project work I get.

Went through Designing Data Flow ~35 minutes, going to have to go through this one again, partially because I was distracted slightly and partial due to all the contents. Very good nuggets from my perspective learned a lot and if I watch it again I learn some more. Covered blocking, semi-blocking no blocking. Along with source, destitnations and transformations, a TON of these. Great stuff and very useful for my position, I am consistently taking data and designing solutions reports etc. Including data from other disparate systems. Either way going through this one again for sure, probably tomorrow AM, before work.

I am staying some what try to form, going through each module back to back then on to another. It seems to help, getting the initial exposure and then following back up again with some practical review.

Side note I am pretty dang sure I am getting both boosters for 462 and this one 463.

According to the dashboard I have 9 hours left and 25% completed.

Watched Designing Data Flow again. Went slow, interrupted a few times nothing to much. Reviewed all the transformations, source and destinations. Covered the limitations of lookups, merges, unions and joining at the SQL level prior to the SSIS process. lookups = no blocking, merges requires sorting which locks / blocks the full transaction and requires a ton of memory depending on how large the process is. It's coming along well, I'm going to hit 6 tonight. This will leave me with 16 modules left.

Side note....... Going through this certification track has just unlocked so many creative ideas for the way we do business.

Projects Right Now

- Setting up a invoice project from SSIS. Pulling the data from a sql task and using a script task with VB to use the provided template to generate individual invoices for over 120 vendors. Executed by a job. Once tested and reviewed I'll add an email transformer to the end and email out the invoices directly to the individuals.

- Catalog update, right now it's MANUAL, i'm talking ad hoc scripts to insert records and then ending records. The idea is creating a STORED PROC with a front end, calling the variables in the front end which in turn will protect the database from slip ups and goofs

-SSAS cube extraction into relational tables using a series of source task along with union all and a few others.

Fired to complete 463

Another module down, done through 6. Implementing Data Flow.

It was a decent module, he did cover a few different items I wasn't aware of. Learning and certing good times. I'm off next monday and the following so I should get some good module review time in. Haven't cracked or even purchased the book, I do have a virtual books on line membership so I'll be able to review for free when that time comes.

I was able to bang out Data Execution in SSIS, module 7. Grinding my way through, I am actually debating hitting two more before the end of the day, I think that will pretty much wipe me out. I've never been able to grind past 3 of these modules, there is a lot of content around them. I am thinking about swinging back to nugget 4, (work related and cert related) and then back to 8.

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