Bob Duffy's Blobby Blog : Ranger

Last Exam to Go on SQL Ranger 04!!

boduff — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:48:26 GMT

Out last written exam tomorrow!!! There was definitely a sense of the end of a long journey when we finished the last class today (VLDB scenario). I don't think people will be jumping for the pub on Friday as everyone will be flopping down in bed ;-)

The SQL ranger team and centre of Excellence folk really put in some hard work here in Redmond. I doubt there was a single person on the course, organiser or student who has got a good nights sleep in 4 weeks.

Now all we have is the Qualification Lab and the Review Board next week.

Ahh I can almost smell home: the kiddies demanding wrestles, playing chase and some quality chill time with my wife who has probably sacrificed more than me these past few weeks...

SQL Ranger Class goes Carting

boduff — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:15:47 GMT

After the third exam, we only had a few sessions today and then carting for the first down time some people have had in a while. Ken the Instructor and veteran SQL ranger from rotation 01 kicked some butt on the track. I was in his slipstream (err if 1/4 a lap behind counts as slipstream) for most of the race about to get some payback, but alas a few too many pies to make that last bend.

The flag dudes took offence to me flattening a few fences, driving straight into someone else and hit me with the dreaded Penalty Button that cripples your cart down to 5mph and I was out of there ;-)

Ernest (Hong Kong), Bob (Ireland) and Dirk (Belgium)

Ken, not content with kicking our butts for three weeks with mind blowing questions and scenarios on every aspect of SQL Server, lays the pain down at carting...

The Pressure of the MCA/Ranger Course

boduff — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:31:18 GMT

Exam #3 at the SQL Ranger course is tomorrow and a few of the candidates and Instructors have spoken about the huge pressure on Candidates.

Most people come from a community where they ARE the SQL experts and highest authority. Their managers, co-workers and love ones think it inconceivable that they won't pass the full programme and Dreaded Review Board. Boy does that create the peer pressure from hell.

On the plus side if you pass the exams, Qual lab and then fail the review board (which is quite common) you are still granted the "Ranger Apprentice of MCA Apprentice" title so you can resit the review board and have credit for passing the toughest SQL Server exams on the planet.

Like a lot of technical Candidates and Consultants I suffer from problems talking far too much about technology and solutions, when the board is looking for Leadership, Organisational Dynamics, Strategy and tactics and Communication.... time to brush up on those soft skills and stop being so nerdy folks ;-)

Mid Way Through Ranger 03

boduff — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:30:00 GMT

I've just survived week 3 of the SQL Ranger Rotation 04 here in Redmond. Whats its been like: a break neck sprint through level 300-500 content on SQL nearly every aspect of SQL. Man I thought I was good on SQL Server until Paul Randal started explaining low level on Disk Structures - or Gert Drapers explained the finer points of UMS and and worker scheduling - My head hurts!!!

This must be as HARD CORE as training gets in SQL Server. We have class room sessions 8:30 till 6pm with members of the product team and heavy hitting speakers, and then go back to a hotel room ro study each night till 1am, get up at 7am, back to school, Study Group at Weekends, and Sunday is catchup. Then we sit the toughest exams I have ever seen in my life. Dont event think of getting 50% if you don't know intimately how PFS, GAM, SGAM, and IAM work togethor is, what PMM stands for, or actually get excited by learning hidden trace files, and undocumented DBCC commands.Coming here is as a so called SQL expert is like being a big fish in a small Pond and swimming into the sea. Everyones knows something you don't about SQL Server, and you begin to question what the hell you've been doing for your life - working as a SQL professional or reading the dummys guide to SQL...This might be basic stuff for a Dev on the SQL team but for an external consultant its a stretch sometimes.

My advice for anyone doing the programme. See those pre-requisites on the MCA:Database site? READ THEM. No don't skim through them on the weekend before the course READ THEM. A Week in and you'll be really regretting not putting the extra effort in...

Off to Ranger/MCA Training

boduff — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:56:34 GMT

I'll be off to the states for the four week MCA:Database training. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/database/default.mspx

Speaking to people who have been on the course before this is really exciting. We get to spend four weeks in training with folks from the product team, and some pretty heavy hitting SQL folk. It sounds a bit like a four week boot camp so internally at Microsoft it's know as the "SQL Ranger" course.

Sounds much cooler than "architect" which is currently among not so favourite words as its so overused. Everyone's an architect we have technical architects, solution architects, business architects, design architects, infrastructure architects, consulting architects, associate architects, data architects, exchange architects and sanitation architects. No longer do we "design" solutions we ahem "architect" them.

OK I know where the architect roles lie, and as software and infrastructure is getting more complex its a key role - but the term/role is still wayyy overused.

I had an interesting conversation with a friend who said they knew someone who worked as an architect after just leaving college on a course involving computers and design. I was like "err surely that's not possible!" before realizing that the course was on building and interior design using CAD and other tools. Whoops.