November 28, 2004 at 7:45 am
hey all
iam planing to take up a microsoft certification on dot net. in that u need to complete a paper on sqlserver(MCP)........SO any suggestions on how to prepare for that and from where i can get the materials ,would be welcome
thanx
Rajiv.
November 29, 2004 at 2:00 am
You can use transcender material, by the way which sql are you intending to write coz there is 70-228 for sql admin, and 70-229 for sql development.you can also get the material from m$.you will definately need to have a copy of sql server on your machine.refer to the M$ website for more info, its quite comprehensive, you can also look for brain dumps.
November 29, 2004 at 10:35 am
blessing;
"...you can also look for brain dumps. ..."
If you uses this method to get "certified", I guarantee you that I will be able to tell when I'm interviewing you that you don't truly have an understanding of the material, and you will get hammered. Not to mention the fact that these braindump sites are innaccurate in many cases.
What ever happened to actually learning to use the products in a real-world environment, gaining experience, and then demonstrating knowledge of that experience through certification?
TroyK
November 29, 2004 at 11:35 am
hey all
thanx for all ur help.....i think i need a lot of that in future.....hey troyk can u plz elaborate on what u told. r u telling that u need a practical experience before writing this certification?
i have some experience in sql server.....and answering the question of blessing....i think i will write sql development side
thanx
Rajiv.
November 29, 2004 at 12:22 pm
Hi Rajiv;
I know that at this point, many will disagree with me, but here's my opinion anyway, based on having obtained an MCSD certification back in 1998.
Originally, the Microsoft Certification process was intended as a means of demonstrating real-world expertise in the use of the particular products that one tested for. In fact, the testing "prerequisites" included several years of experience using the product in a production environment. In fact, Microsoft originally introduced the "Analyzing Requirements and Defining Solutions Architectures" exams as a means of weeding out those hopefuls who did not have actual experience. (I'm not sure what the current state is of the updated version of this exam... it looks to be more product-specific now).
But even back then, a problem was brewing with the "braindump" sites and, IMHO, the Transcender exams (which to me is just a MS-sanctioned braindump). The ability for someone to "practice" the test beforehand allowed many people to obtain certifications without real-world experience. This, in turn, devalued the certifications. It has become more about the ability to memorize tests and less about demonstrating real-world knowledge.
So, as I was alluding to in my first response, if I interview a candidate that has a certification that seems out of line with their actual experience in the product they're certified for, I will hammer away at that area. I'll ask some certification-type questions to see how much of the "test" they retained (usually not much), and then I'll test their "in-the-trenches" knowledge to see if they really know their stuff. Frankly, I wouldn't be as hard on them had they not professed to be "certified".
At this point, I still go back and forth on whether or not to bother getting my MCDBA. Fewer and fewer companies seem to put any stock in it--with good reason.
Ultimately, I think the best thing for you to do with respect to the 70-229 exam is to review the Preparation Guide. Any area that seems outside your realm of experience is an opportunity for you to try something new. Talk with a more senior developer at your company, if available, and ask about the things you're not familiar with... such as "when would you use this technique?", or "Why don't we use this in our production code? What drawbacks have you found?", etc. This will help build that foundation behind the "test" knowledge that you really need.
HTH,
TroyK
November 29, 2004 at 11:37 pm
Hie Troyk
I believe in all that you have said.i am also actually waiting to get enough experince before embarking on any of the exams, notably 70-300.as i am developing right now i am referring to the preparation guide so that i implement the features that will be asked in the exam, and when you get to interview me i will show you that i know what i am talking about.
to you rajiv i think it is in your best interest to follow troyk's advice, that is if you see development as not a fly by night thing for you.
Blessing
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