In today’s competitive market, data management requirements are more complex and diverse than ever before. Transactional and business intelligence data must be managed efficiently while providing enhanced security, availability, reliability, manageability, integration, performance, and data integrity. The investment in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 provides a more secure, reliable, and scalable platform for storing mission-critical information and delivering the right information to users, while reducing the time and cost of managing data. An organization that wants to make the most of its data should have a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 on staff.
The MCM program on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is designed to provide the most experienced and talented IT professionals worldwide with validation and recognition of their in-depth technical expertise in Microsoft SQL Server.
A Microsoft Certified Master for SQL Server 2008 is the highest level of SQL Server technical certification offered by Microsoft and can be achieved by passing these two exams in the following sequence:
- Exam 88-970: SQL Server 2008 Microsoft Certified Master: Knowledge Exam
- Exam 88-971: SQL Server 2008 Microsoft Certified Master: Lab Exam
Test your technical skills for today’s complex data management requirements and tomorrow’s challenges. Designed by experts for experts, these challenging exams test your in-depth technical knowledge and help validate your ability to make effective design, deployment, and operational decisions when using SQL Server 2008.
Certified individuals prove their technical mastery
To obtain an MCM on SQL Server 2008 certification, you must prove your mastery in a virtual lab environment that emulates an enterprise infrastructure of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 platform. You are tasked to troubleshoot and diagnose configuration and performance issues, and demonstrate and deploy the detailed knowledge and skills that are required to successfully design, operate, and manage an enterprise-class SQL Server 2008 infrastructure.
To obtain an MCM on SQL Server 2008 certification, you must prove your mastery in a virtual lab environment that emulates an enterprise infrastructure of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 platform. You are tasked to troubleshoot and diagnose configuration and performance issues, and demonstrate and deploy the detailed knowledge and skills that are required to successfully design, operate, and manage an enterprise-class SQL Server 2008 infrastructure.
Organizations looking for large, complex, or highly available SQL Server solutions benefit from the expertise of a MCM on SQL Server. These experts work with customers to successfully design, implement, troubleshoot, and support SQL Server 2008 solutions, in a number of scenarios, including:
- Public-facing websites that serve millions of customers
- Enterprise intranet solutions that serve global organizations with hundreds of thousands of users
- Consolidation platforms that host terabytes of content for large organizations
- SQL Server 2008 consolidation scenarios, multi-tenancy, enterprise data warehousing, and business intelligence
- Highly available solutions that require constant uptime
- High transaction volume systems that require optimally configured solutions to ensure maximum throughput
The enterprise infrastructure of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 platform
Preparing for the required exams
Although the most effective preparation is real-world, hands-on experience, there are a number of training resources that can help prepare you for the Knowledge and Lab Exams.
Although the most effective preparation is real-world, hands-on experience, there are a number of training resources that can help prepare you for the Knowledge and Lab Exams.
Accelerated Exam Preparation program for Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
The SQL MCM Accelerated Exam Preparation program is designed to prepare SQL Server MCM candidates to take the Knowledge Exam and/or the Lab Exam for the SQL Server 2008 Microsoft Certified Master program. Candidates may participate in a scheduled series of live online sessions, subscribe to practice labs, or choose a bundle of both offerings.
The SQL MCM Accelerated Exam Preparation program is designed to prepare SQL Server MCM candidates to take the Knowledge Exam and/or the Lab Exam for the SQL Server 2008 Microsoft Certified Master program. Candidates may participate in a scheduled series of live online sessions, subscribe to practice labs, or choose a bundle of both offerings.
a) SQL MCM Sessions: starting March 6, 2012
Take a scheduled series of seven weeks of live online sessions with a presenter, who is a SQL MCM, including a review of an exam topic and open Q&A time. Two sessions of two hours each will be delivered weekly, with each week focusing on one of the seven exam topic areas.
Take a scheduled series of seven weeks of live online sessions with a presenter, who is a SQL MCM, including a review of an exam topic and open Q&A time. Two sessions of two hours each will be delivered weekly, with each week focusing on one of the seven exam topic areas.
b) SQL MCM labs
Get a two month subscription for practicing with 20 SQL MCM-level labs in a hosted SQL Server VM environment. The labs will be associated with the weekly exam topics. This is an easy to use, anytime access lab environment to practice the skills you need.
Get a two month subscription for practicing with 20 SQL MCM-level labs in a hosted SQL Server VM environment. The labs will be associated with the weekly exam topics. This is an easy to use, anytime access lab environment to practice the skills you need.
Practice labs for SQL Server MCM
If you want to access practice labs, but without the two-month commitment required by the Accelerated Exam Preparation program, the same labs are also available right now in one week or one month increments. The labs cover advanced SQL Server topics geared to helping you prepare for Master level certification. The goal of these hands-on lab materials is to give you an understanding of the features of SQL Server 2008 that a Microsoft Certified Master may use when designing and implementing solutions for business requirements.
If you want to access practice labs, but without the two-month commitment required by the Accelerated Exam Preparation program, the same labs are also available right now in one week or one month increments. The labs cover advanced SQL Server topics geared to helping you prepare for Master level certification. The goal of these hands-on lab materials is to give you an understanding of the features of SQL Server 2008 that a Microsoft Certified Master may use when designing and implementing solutions for business requirements.
Recommended skills and experience
Individuals interested in pursuing a Microsoft Certified Master on SQL Server 2008 certification typically have five or more years of hands-on SQL Server experience in mission-critical environments, with competencies that include:
Individuals interested in pursuing a Microsoft Certified Master on SQL Server 2008 certification typically have five or more years of hands-on SQL Server experience in mission-critical environments, with competencies that include:
- Designing and implementing high-performance, scalable, and secure enterprise environments
- Troubleshooting the most challenging SQL Server issues
- Managing multiple instances of SQL Server, including the use of a variety of features and tasks, with a thorough understanding of SQL Server design and architecture.
- A thorough understanding of SQL Server core engine components and dependencies, such as online transaction processing (OLTP), high availability, disaster recovery, performance tuning and optimization, the SQL Server operating system (SQLOS), the storage engine, the relational engine, security, manageability, and data distribution.