July 9, 2014 at 12:44 pm
Hi All,
I'm hoping I can get some valuable input from people in the field. My current and past jobs have been junior developer roles, working with MS SQL Server some .Net (although I wouldn't say I'm a programmer by any means), and SSIS/SSAS under the supervision of senior developers.I've been interested in working more with databases and am wondering how I can break into a data warehouse management position? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
July 9, 2014 at 4:51 pm
If your current position has you supporting data warehouses and gives you opportunity to develop SSIS jobs, do as many as you can, dotting the i's and crossing the t's (by adding features like error handling/reporting that might be skipped by novices or in rush jobs).
You might also study for Microsoft Exam 70-463. Passing it would be a powerful reason for someone to hire you for this job.
July 10, 2014 at 6:55 am
You could also do work for yourself on the side to learn the tools. I've had several candidates for an open position tell me they are interested in BI, but they haven't done anything with the tools. I broke into programming and database work by doing things on my own time to learn how the tools work. I started data warehousing as a work requirement, but I'd expect someone who told me they wanted to break in what they have been doing on their own and why they find it so intereting.
July 10, 2014 at 7:10 am
Thanks, Dan. Unfortunately my current position doesn't afford me the opportunity to do the things you've mentioned, but my previous position did. I will definitely look into the exam you referenced. Thanks!
July 10, 2014 at 7:14 am
Thanks, Ron. Are there any data warehousing tools you can suggest I can look into? I agree with what you're saying and I'd like to familiarize myself with such tools on my own time, if that's what it takes.
July 10, 2014 at 7:43 am
The MS stack is available in the developer's edition. It's very inexpensive as an investment in your career. Read Ralph's Kimballs data warehouse books and start learning.
July 15, 2014 at 1:53 pm
Hi Ron,
Thanks again for the input. By the MS stack, are you referring to the MS SSIS/SSAS/SSRS tools? If so, would the Express Edition suffice for learning?
July 15, 2014 at 2:09 pm
Yes, that's what I'm refering to, and no, the Express edition will not suffice. That is a very scaled down version of SQL Server.
July 15, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Express will not work. In fact, if you install SQL Server Express 2012 on a workstation, you WILL NOT be able to properly install SQL Server Data Tools, which are required to develop SSIS jobs!
Fortunately, you can get the developer edition for a modest price. It looks like DVDs for 2012 Developer are no longer available from Microsoft, but you can get the 2014 Developer Edition
July 16, 2014 at 10:26 am
Thanks, Ron and Dan. I happen to have th SQL Server Management Studio R2 2008 installed which I obtained via the MS Alliance with Universities, as I'm in school. I'm wondering how different 2008 is from 2012 and if it'll be adequate for practice/study purposes.
Also, what are your thoughts on obtaining certifications? I was looking at the MCSE line of certs, but am not sure if I should go the Data Platform or BI route. Do any of you have or plan on earning these?
July 16, 2014 at 10:34 am
Thanks, Ron. I happen to have th SQL Server Management Studio R2 2008 installed which I obtained via the MS Alliance with Universities, as I'm in school. I'm wondering how different 2008 is from 2012 and if it'll be adequate for practice/study purposes.
July 16, 2014 at 11:09 am
I don't know how different the two versions are. As for certifications, they help to break in inasmuch as they show you're willing to put in the time. That would distinguish you from most candidates that I see.
July 16, 2014 at 11:48 am
If the back-end you're working on is SQL 2008 R2, then that version of Management Studio is just fine. It will also work on the SQL 2012 back-end for functionality that was included in SQL2008 R2.
The 2012 version of Management studio allows you to have different script tabs in separate windows, which can be useful if you have two monitors on your computer. I tend to click between tabs a lot when using the 2008 version. Just be careful which window is active when you click Execute.
If your goal is to pass Certification exams, I would recommend obtaining SQL Server 2014 and Management Tools however you are legally able to do that. As time goes on I would expect Microsoft to add 2014-specific questions to the exams.
July 16, 2014 at 2:41 pm
Thanks, Ron and Dan for your valuable feedback. 🙂
July 28, 2014 at 9:29 am
Odd that this hasn't been said yet?
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse includes Hadoop to help with management of unrelated data.
The Microsoft Analytics Platform System is your turnkey big data analytics appliance combining a high performance MPP SQL Server data warehouse with Hadoop into a single solution that offers seamless integration for of all of your data.
Apache Hadoop to Windows - http://hortonworks.com/partner/microsoft/[/url]
That being said, I don't know how common it's being used, but it is apart of their Microsoft Data Warehouse Appliance. It's also free to download last I checked directly from Hortonworks.
For me, Kimball's book has been great and I would highly recommend it.
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