December 4, 2009 at 9:35 am
I disagree with Jeff (always a dangerous thing given how knowledgable he is at SQL.) Microsoft certifications are very useful. He is right that there is no substitute for knowing your stuff and a certification is not definitive proof that you do. However, certifications, or more accurately, studying for certifications brings a lot of benefits to the student.
One, it gives you a measurable goal. This can be a big motivator for some people. It is easy to put off studying til 'tomorrow'. With a test deadline looming, you have another reason to crack the books.
Two, it gives you a broad range of knowledge. In general, about 30-40% of each test I have taken covers areas of SQL Server that I don't ever use at work. This is good because it forces me to learn how to do tasks I would probably never learn otherwise. Then when a creative solution is needed to a problem, I have more knowledge about all the tools which are available.
Three, it can fill in the blanks where you do have experience. I frequently have 'oh, that would be a good way to improve that task' moments when I am studying.
Four, if you study right, you'll gain a good theoretical underpinning for how things work. This makes future learning easier and helps with troubleshooting too.
Fifth, it just helps you do your job better. The best example for me is when I learned about the RebuildM.exe command one night and the very next day one of our client's sites was down. Turns out they had a corrupt Master database, so I ran RebuildM.exe and that solved the problem. Very satisfying.
As for preparing for the certs, here is my approach. I get the Microsoft Training Kit book for that cert and order the Transcender test. I go through the book, doing the exercises and answering the questions. The tests are divided up by objectives - there are usually 5 or 6. When I get done learning about the topics of the specific objective, I do the practice questions for that objective in the test that comes with the book. When I have worked through the book, I then do the Transcender test, objective by objective.
When working through the book, have Books on Line handy, access to the internet, as well as a copy of SQL Server. You want to stop frequently to research words and concepts you don't know. For example, suppose you come across a phrase like "Isolation Levels". If you have never heard of them before, you'll want to spend 30-90 minutes with BoL or online finding out what Isolation Levels are, what problems they address, etc., etc. This can get tedious. In the middle of it all, I often say to myself, "I'll never finish this frigging book! It took me four hours and three days to get through ten f*ing pages!" However, this is the kind of studying that really pays off in the end. Over time, you'll have that underpinning of good, deep knowledge that makes future learning about SQL much easier.
When taking the practice tests, like in the book, you'll want to extensively research anything you don't know. I answer a question and then immediately look up the right answer in the real test. (I do it immediately when the question is fresh in my mind.) For each question I need to know, Definitively, why each of the mutliple choice answers is right or wrong. There should be no guessing so again, there is a lot of research with BoL, the internet, and SQL Server.
Finally a word about Transcender tests. Some would call it cheating to use them. I disagree. The questions are tough and often different in focus from the training kit. (The Microsoft training kits don't exactly cover what is on the test. Not surprising as the test and the books are written by different people.) The virtue of Transcender is that their answers to the questions are very good. (Many other practice tests are not, including the questions that come with the Training Kit.) Also, Transcender does a good job of recreating the tone of the questions of the real test.
Well, that is my two cents, although given the length of this post, it is more like two dollars.
Rod
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