I’ve now passed both Microsoft certification exams for the MCITP: Database Administrator 2008 :
- Exam 70-451: PRO: Designing Database Solutions and Data Access Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008
- Exam 70-432: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Installation and Maintenance
As preparation for the 70-432 exam I got the following books:
- MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-432): Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Implementation And Maintenance Book/CD Package (PRO-Certification)
- The Real MCTS SQL Server 2008 Exam 70-432 Prep Kit: Database Implementation and Maintenance
- SQL Server 2008 Administration: Real-World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond (Exams 70-432 and 70-450)
I read all the MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit and actually enjoyed it (as much as you can enjoy reading a technical book – but it wasn’t as painful as Gallbladder surgery!) – I have to agree with some of the comments on Amazon that there are a few mistakes, but who hasn’t released code/documentation that didn’t need a few tweaks after it was released?
I have to make a special mention of SQL Server 2008 Administration: Real-World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond (Exams 70-432 and 70-450)
After leaving the test centre having passing 70-432 with 960, I thought this exam felt much easier than the 70-433 exam.
I was (quickly) convinced (by my wife – Hello!) that I should just try and take the next exam straight away. The odd thing about the Microsoft exams is you only need to get 700 – it doesn’t matter how well you do, you still get the qualification in this case ‘just enough is good enough’ .
So, just a few days after passing 70-432, I took 70-451 and passed with 929.
I was surprised by how easy the MCITP: Database Administrator 2008 was compared with the MCITP: Database Developer 2008. There were (in total) 84 questions for the Database Administrator and 128 for the Database Developer – a big difference.
It’s not the number of questions, although the more questions, the more sweating you do. It’s the breadth of the content. There was so much to learn and remember. I think Brent Ozar conveyed it really well in his blog post: MCM Prep Week: Microsoft Exams 70-433 and 70-451There is only the MCITP: Business Intelligence Developer 2008 to go, then I’ll have the whole set! :-)
