Best way to prepare for SQL Server exams as a complete noob?

over9000

The title says it all! I have access to free skillport books from my job and I want to become a developer in the future, so I'm hoping some certs will help me get my foot in the door. However, I have absolutely zero SQL Server experience. I want to take 432, 433, and 448 since the positions at my job ask for SSAS,SSRS, and SSIS

Should I use step by step books to get the basics down and then use MS Press books, or should I jump straight into the MS Press books and start studying for the exams?

RobertKaucher

I have just started using the Step-by-Step books for SSAS and SSRS and I love them. My suggestion, though, is that you start from the basics:

1. REad this post: http://www.techexams.net/forums/sql-server-exams/52826-mcitp-dba-2008-resources.html Buy the Real World Skills book for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action and study them. These will really help prepare you for the 432 exam. You should also pick up Teach Yourself T-SQL in 10 Minutes (Amazon.com: Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL in 10 Minutes (9780672328671): Ben… ), which will give you some good foundational T-SQL knowledge. You should do a ton of lab work in preparation for the 432.

For someone who is a noob I would highly suggest taking your time on this and really, really master the material for the 432 as it will be foundational for anything else you do. Then go on to the Step-by-Step guides.

savior faire

I would suggest springing for the cost of the Developer's Edition of SQL Server, it goes for about $60. I bought this version one year ago.
There are numerous web sites that offer free training, articles and videos.

Welcome to SQLShare has daily, short video "lessons" on very focused topics on SQL Serve and BI that run from about 90 seconds to about 12 minutes. They are excellent and I have used much of this knowledge to answer job interview questions. You just have to register with a login ID, it is free.

Another site is BI Developer Network Community. Again, free, just set up a login. Top notch articles from highly qualified and knowledgable experts, on all aspects of SQL Server, but concentrating on BI(SSAS, SSRS, SSIS).

A good site(in my opinion) for Analysis Services(SSAS) is Analysis Services 2005/2008 MDX FAQs,papers,tools,webcasts,blogs,articles,scripts-SSAS. Full dedication to SSAS.

In the past I have acquired the Microsoft Press Training Kit books. Personally, I would lean more towards other publishers, like WROX, and there is another publisher whose name escapes me at the moment.
I studied a WROX text on SQL Server 2008 BI with MDX. The book covered the entire life cycle of building a cube from data warehouse to finished product. Other areas were also touched on. Excellent text, and well worth the price.

I also recently bought a subscription to the AppDev online training video library. I am very pleased with this training resource.

RobertKaucher

Excellent resources!

savior faire

Thanks Robert. Good to know that I am sourcing solid resources. I am essentially on my own, other than posting on various web forums.

MAPL

Bumping this thread. I'm on the exact same boat as OP.

Thanks for the great info so far. Anymore recommendations? Also for a newbie, do you guys recommend me mastering T-SQL first, or should I dive right into the administration/developer books?

dave330i

I'm curious as well, since I need to learn SQL.

certhelp

dave330i wrote: »

I'm curious as well, since I need to learn SQL.

Just learning SQL has nothing to do with MS SQL Server certifications. If you want to learn and master SQL, study from good books. Though MS SQL Server developer certifications do require T-SQL knowledge, it goes much beyond SQL (several other SQL Server features) - stored procedures and triggers, MS SQL specific T-SQL, CLR and programability, XML, manageability, full text search, service broker.

If you are new to SQL and databases in general, learning and mastering SQL is a better starting point. For MS SQL Server specific T-SQL, Inside MS SQL Server T-SQL series books aren't bad.

erpadmin

certhelp wrote: »

Just learning SQL has nothing to do with MS SQL Server certifications. If you want to learn and master SQL, study from good books. Though MS SQL Server developer certifications do require T-SQL knowledge, it goes much beyond SQL (several other SQL Server features) - stored procedures and triggers, MS SQL specific T-SQL, CLR and programability, XML, manageability, full text search, service broker.

If you are new to SQL and databases in general, learning and mastering SQL is a better starting point. For MS SQL Server specific T-SQL, Inside MS SQL Server T-SQL series books aren't bad.

Even if you have to learn T-SQL (as opposed to just regular SQL), it's not necessarily a bad thing. You will still be able to work in other databases such as Oracle, mySQL, etc. (The syntax difference is so minute....)

Whether gunning for the MS certs or not, you can't get away from knowing T-SQL. Anything that can be done in Enterprise Manager/SQL Studio Management Studio, you will need to know how to do that function via a query. (Backing up/restoring a database, shrinking a database, attaching/detaching a database, etc., etc.)

Yes for the MS exams, you will have to know about the SQL Server services outside of T-SQL as well. Two books that I'm (going to be) reading (soon) that will better prepare me for the DBA 2008 exams are:

Amazon.com: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed eBook: Ray Rankins, Chris Gallelli, Alex T. Silverstein, Paul T. Bertucci: Kindle Store ($10.52 with the ETXTBOOK promo code. )

and (via Books 24x7, though I would have bought this as well)

Amazon.com: SQL Server 2008 Administration: Real-World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond (Exams 70-432 and 70-450) eBook: Tom Carpenter: Kindle Store

The latter is more for preparing for certification, but it will give you some decent "real-world" ways of administrating SQL Server 2008. I don't think it's an R2 book, but I can't see that mattering too much. SQL Server 2008 R2 looks and feels so much like SQL Server 2005 (and I only had that existing in a production environment for not even a few months before we went to SS2K8 R2.)

The best way to attack this certification will be like any other MS cert...practice, practice and more practice. It is on my plate to get this done by the end of 2012, but I have no idea when I can even begin this. I'm guessing that I will most likely do this in the summer, as I will take one class for grad school, instead of two, for each summer session. That would allow me to focus more on the DBA 2008 cert.

RobertKaucher

certhelp wrote: »

Just learning SQL has nothing to do with MS SQL Server certifications. If you want to learn and master SQL, study from good books. Though MS SQL Server developer certifications do require T-SQL knowledge, it goes much beyond SQL (several other SQL Server features) - stored procedures and triggers, MS SQL specific T-SQL, CLR and programability, XML, manageability, full text search, service broker.

If you are new to SQL and databases in general, learning and mastering SQL is a better starting point. For MS SQL Server specific T-SQL, Inside MS SQL Server T-SQL series books aren't bad.

I would say you are going to have a rough time with either exam (but especially the dev exam) if you don't have good knowledge of ANSI SQL and T-SQL specific features such as BACKUP and T-SQL specific commands. Saying SQL has nothing to do with these exams is far too extreme. To be good with T-SQL you have to also know the fundamentals of ANSI SQL.

RobertKaucher

erpadmin wrote: »

The best way to attack this certification will be like any other MS cert...practice, practice and more practice. It is on my plate to get this done by the end of 2012, but I have no idea when I can even begin this. I'm guessing that I will most likely do this in the summer, as I will take one class for grad school, instead of two, for each summer session. That would allow me to focus more on the DBA 2008 cert.

Why not just hit the 2012 exams?

erpadmin

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Why not just hit the 2012 exams?

Well, I registered for that SME jazz Microsoft has so that I can take beta exams in the future.....

I'm really hoping there is an upgrade exam or two to 2012.

I know you've probably mentioned the betas a few times. I would like to get at a minimum the DBA 2008 cert since that's current right now. If I'm able to take the 2012 betas, I guess I would give those a shot. Otherwise, I'm thinking maybe I should just upgrade to 2012 once I'm done with 2008. I can tell you that we won't see 2012 in my environment for a very long time. (In truth, when 2008 R2 can no longer be supported by Microsoft even with extended support....the same reason we were on 2000 for so long.)

RobertKaucher

I can understand that. I had that issue with Server 2008. I ran through the MCITP: EA right after I got my MCSE when all of the fundamentals were very fresh in my head but I didn't start working with 2008 on a daily basis until late 2010 and I can say I had forgotten a lot of the new features.

Granted I still knew basically what was available, but I had forgotten many of the details about how to configure and the pre-reqs.

erpadmin

RobertKaucher wrote: »

I can understand that. I had that issue with Server 2008. I ran through the MCITP: EA right after I got my MCSE when all of the fundamentals were very fresh in my head but I didn't start working with 2008 on a daily basis until late 2010 and I can say I had forgotten a lot of the new features.

Granted I still knew basically what was available, but I had forgotten many of the details about how to configure and the pre-reqs.

Thanks to you...I have my first MS beta exam.......71-243...SCCM 2012!! I only looked and worked with SCCM 2007 just for the EA studies, and it wasn't even heavy at that. (For the 643/647.)

The Beta period is all through February and it's on the 19th. LMAO......oy vey... We'll see how it goes, I guess...no way I'm prepping for that bad-boy hard. LOL.