Sorry for the late responses this past week. I was on vacation last week and my wife told me there was to be no computer time related to work at all. Of course, with doing home study for ground school for a private pilot certificate takes up a fair bit of time at home so it wasn't much of a stretch.
So a quick update as to what's up in the certification world at Microsoft. Today, we just completed the item selection and standard setting for 70-432, the SQL 2008 DBA exam and tomorrow, we will complete the same session for the BI exam, 70-448.
For those of you who took the exams, I'd like to inform you that you all failed. Not really. I do want to thank you for the comments and the detail in them however. The SMEs we had in the room were in agreement on most of them and as a result, we reached consensus on the questions that needed to be removed. Some will have small wording changes made to reflect your suggestions, where the changes will not impact the question outcome or score.
I will be attending two trade shows this fall and hope to meet up with some of you that may be in attendance at either PDC in LA in October and TechEd EMEA in Barcelona in November. Obviously for TechEd, I will be there during dev week. If you're there, please stop by the Microsoft Learning booths for a chat and introduce yourself.
Gerry
We are working with MediaTec Publishing, publishers of Certification Magazine, and several industry partners to prepare an in-depth salary survey to gauge the financial impact of certification and experience on IT professionals. Litchfield Research, an independent research firm, is collecting the data. You’re invited to take part in this confidential survey, which will be an annual effort to track your financial success. We'd like you to take a few minutes and complete the survey questionnaire at http://66.179.50.166/s.aspx?sm=YNBxYFZ5AgxH56qcEter_2fg_3d_3d. The questionnaire must be completed prior to Sept. 19, 2008. Your confidential response will be compiled and the aggregate results reported in the December 2008 issue of Certification Magazine. All IT professionals who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for American Express gift certificates awarded by MediaTec Publishing.
It should not take more than a few minutes of your time to complete the survey questionnaire. Your input will be important as we work to accurately track IT salaries and the resulting data should be invaluable to you as your career progresses.
That URL once again is http://66.179.50.166/s.aspx?sm=YNBxYFZ5AgxH56qcEter_2fg_3d_3d . Thank you,
Our Second Shot offer, which gives you a free second chance to pass your IT professional, developer, or Microsoft Dynamics exam, is available again to help you show off your industry-leading IT skills with less stress. Second Shot helps you get certified. We are pleased to make it available to you once again with the help of our worldwide test delivery partner, Prometric. Follow these steps to certify your skills on Microsoft's latest technologies--the Visual Studio 2008 development system, the Windows Server 2008 operating system, or the Windows Vista operating system, for example--with a free second chance to pass your exam if you need it.
Visit the offer landing page for details and answers to your frequently asked questions.
Find a target exam: browse certifications on Microsoft.com.
You are invited to take beta exam 71-450: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Administrative Solution. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The results will not appear on your transcript until several weeks after the final form of the exam is released. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.
71-450: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Administrative Solution counts as credit towards the following certification(s).
· Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Database Administrator 2008. In order to earn this certification you must also pass exam 70-432: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance.
Find exam preparation information here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-450.mspx
Availability
Registration begins: August 15, 2008
Beta exam period runs: August 18, 2008– September 16, 2008
Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately. Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.
Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.
Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China
Registration Information
Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: 239F4 You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
To register in North America, please call:
· Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)
Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:
· Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp
Test Information and Support
You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge. You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly.
You are invited to take beta exam 71-452: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The results will not appear on your transcript until several weeks after the final form of the exam is released. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.
71-452: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 counts as credit towards the following certification(s).
· Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Business Intelligence Developer 2008. In order to earn this certification you must also pass exam 70-448: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance.
Find exam preparation information: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-452.mspx
Registration begins: August 8, 2008
Beta exam period runs: August 13, 2008– September 10, 2008
Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: 3568C
You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
I know there are a lot of people wondering about these and other training for the new 3.5 certifications. Our Training Kit Product Planner was nice enough to provide me with a summary of the planned Training Kits and their current expected release dates.
There's quite a few new exams for Visual Studio 2008. Though we'd like to support each one with a Microsoft Press Training Kit, we're only able to cover a subset due to business considerations. Here's a list of the new Training Kits in the plan, along with ISBNs and expected availability dates (dates are subject to change, and if we can come out any earlier with a book, we certainly will):
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-502): Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5—Windows® Presentation Foundation ISBN: 9780735625662
Availability: now
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-503): Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5—Windows® Communication Foundation
ISBN: 9780735625655
Availability: September 2008
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-505): Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5—Windows® Forms Application Development
ISBN: 9780735626379
Availability: January 2009
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-561): Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 - ADO.NET Application Development
ISBN: 9780735625631
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-562): Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 - ASP.NET Application Development
ISBN: 9780735625624
Availability: April 2009
MCPD Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-564): Designing and Developing ASP.NET Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
ISBN: 9780735626560
Availability: May 2009
SQL 2008
We're supporting all three SQL Server 2008 MCTS exams with Microsoft Press Training Kit, and one of the MCITP exams (for the Database Administration certification path). Here's a list of the new Training Kits in the plan, along with ISBNs and expected availability dates (dates are subject to change, and we also like to publish earlier if possible):
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-432): Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 - Implementation and Maintenance ISBN: 9780735626058
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 - Database Development
ISBN: 9780735626393
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-448): Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 - Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance
ISBN: 9780735626362
MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-450): Designing, Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Server Infrastructure Using Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008
ISBN: 9780735626577
You are invited to take beta exam 71-654: TS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuring. You were specifically chosen to participate in this beta because of your current Microsoft Certification status or previous participation with Microsoft Learning. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration. By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.
71-654: TS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuring counts as credit towards the following certification(s).
· MCTS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuration
Registration began: July 22, 2008
Beta exam period runs: July 22, 2008– August 12, 2008
Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately. Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered. However, the beta dates may be extended to meet the requisite number of candidates.
You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam. Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: EBS08 Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately.
•
Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)
Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp
You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge. You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly. Find exam preparation information: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-654.mspx Please Note: the Prep Guide may not yet be posted.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) help and information, you may log in to the MCP Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/or contact your Regional Service Center: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/support/worldsites.asp.
What is a beta exam?
Where can I learn more about the registration process?
Where can I learn more about the beta exam invitation process?
Where can I learn more about the new structure of Microsoft Certification?
Who do I contact for help with this beta exam or other MCP questions?
If you are an MCAD, and are working with Visual Studio 2005, we have news for you. We have created two new paths to help you earn a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credential so you can prove to employers and customers you have the skills they can rely on to develop .NET 2.0 applications.
If you are focusing on:
* Windows application development then exam 70-558 is the one for you. MCADs who pass this exam will earn an MCTS: .NET 2.0 Windows Applications certification. Visit the Preparation Guide for 70-558 to learn more about the exam.
* Web application development then you should check out exam 70-559. MCADs who pass this exam will earn an MCTS: .NET 2.0 Web Applications certification. Visit the Preparation Guide for 70-559 to learn more about the exam.
Why did we create these two new exams?
Previously the paths for transitioning from MCAD to a .NET 2.0 certification were geared toward those wishing to earn a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) credential. We created these two new paths because we know there are a lot of you out there that would rather make the jump to MCTS first, and then work on your MCPD later if that is your ultimate goal. One of the best things about updating your certification to MCTS on .NET 2.0 is that you’ll only have to take a single exam to earn an MCTS credential on the new .NET 3.5 tracks.
· Visit the Visual Studio 2008 certification overview page to learn more about the .NET 3.5 tracks.
So, does this mean that exams 70-551 and 70-552 are going away? Absolutely not. If you are an MCAD and you want to attempt these exams, by all means feel free to do so. We recommend that MCSD candidates take these exams but that MCAD candidates concentrate on the 70-558 or 70-559 exams.
Part of the reason for this change is to help make these certifications a little more clear. The original upgrade story appeared to be a somewhat limiting. Also, keep in mind that the MCAD and MCSD certifications will have their requisite exams retired in March of 2009. That means you will no longer be able to acquire the MCAD or MCSD credential. If you don’t have it already, or maybe you are part way there but ready to give up and just go the “start my 2.0/3.5 from scratch” route, reconsider that and look at these upgrade exams. This could help shorten your certification path.
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.
Below, you will find two beta exams invitations for SQL Server 2008 DBA 71-432 and SQL Server 2008 BI 71-448.
These exams will be available until July 31, 2008.
You are invited to take beta exam 71-432: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance. You were specifically chosen to participate in this beta because of your current Microsoft Certification status or previous participation with Microsoft Learning. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration. By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.
71-432: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance counts as credit towards the following certification(s).
· Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance
Registration begins: June 5, 2008
Beta exam period runs: June 9, 2008– July 31, 2008
You are invited to take beta exam 71-448: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance. You were specifically chosen to participate in this beta because of your current Microsoft Certification status or previous participation with Microsoft Learning. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration. By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.
71-448: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance counts as credit towards the following certification(s).
· Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance
Registration begins: June 15, 2008
Beta exam period runs: June 16, 2008– July 31, 2008
You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam. Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: 943F6 Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately.
You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge. You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly. Find exam preparation information: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-432.mspx
Much better than I could possibly do, Per has posted over on Trika’s blog about the Master Certification program. Check it out.
I struggle some days for topics to blog about, that’s how exciting my life is. :-) Usually Trika comes to the rescue as she did again here. She forwarded a question on to me the other day where somebody asked the question that is the title of this posting. I thought it was a great question, I answered his email, but then Trika mentioned it would make a good post to my blog so, here it is.
The reason we don’t have an entry level cert for developers, ie one that certifies a person with less than 1 or 2 years of experience, is that it creates a difficult scenario to certify. Let me explain why.
In order to certify a person for entry level, it would require certification on core programming concepts such as data structures, decisions, looping, OOP etc. These topics are valid across multiple development languages and are not tied to VB, C#, C++, Java or most other development languages.
As a result, they are core knowledge that a person needs before they consider what to develop on for platforms and in what languages. As a result, this becomes more of an industry certification that is vendor neutral. That is something that Microsoft does not currently certify people on. We leave these types of certifications to independent organizations such as CompTIA and IEEE. They provide a better environment for testing on these concepts and it removes any interpretations around Microsoft certifying people on the “Microsoft way of doing things”.
Microsoft certifications are designed to show knowledge and skills with Microsoft products and technologies. You apply the core concepts learned in entry level programming across these technologies such ASP.NET or Windows Forms. As a result of this, there is a requirement that a person meets a minimum level of knowledge prior to taking these certifications.
Not the golf tournament, but the certification track. So, do you have what it takes to become a Microsoft Certified Master?
A lot of people have been asking for some time if there was a step between the MCPD or MCITP and the MCA program. We were saying, hold off, just wait, it’s coming. Well now it’s here. You can get certified as a Master in Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008.
If you think you are qualified and you want to achieve the next level in your certification path on Microsoft Technologies, visit the site, and watch for registration to start in July of this year. Classes will start in the 3rd quarter of 2008 so you have lots of time to get your skills honed to an edge and be ready for the program.
And for use developer types, we’re just to darn complex to have a Masters path for us just yet, but it is on the horizon.
Yes, the question was asked, I answered it, but I thought others might want to know just what we were thinking when we created an exam for Windows Forms on .NET 3.5.
I mean, wasn’t WPF supposed to be the replacement technology for developing Windows applications in 3.0 and onward of the .NET Framework? Well, wasn’t it? In my humble opinion, no.
Let’s face it, at this time in the corporate world, not every PC is capable of running Vista and not every PC is capable of running WPF apps. Silverlight yes, WPF no. Also, how many of you develop apps for servers and not the client? Are these all service based applications with no UI? Not likely. Do server apps need to have WPF content? Not on my servers they don’t.
So, Windows Forms technologies still exist and applications are still being written using that technology. For those of you who are already certified, would you upgrade to Windows Forms 3.5? Maybe not. Some will, some won’t. But, what about the new developer or new to certification developer who seeks to prove their development skills with a certification? They want to be certified on the latest version. Wouldn’t you? Of course you would.
So, imagine being that person and looking on the Microsoft certification web site and finding out that Windows Forms certification is only offered for version 2.0 of the .NET Framework. How would you feel? Left out? Upset? Turned away?
Now perhaps, you can understand my rationale and thought process.
Will this be the same for .NET 4.0 and the next version of Visual Studio? I don’t have those answers yet but I can tell you that the landscape will change somewhat. Even internally to Microsoft, I don’t have all the feature sets and directions for v.next down yet. There is a lot to consider and that is part of our planning process. Getting to know the product features, what’s new and how it will impact the industry.
We will be working hand-in-hand with the folks in Visual Studio and the .NET Framework to hammer out the details and lay down a plan based on target audiences and product features. As always, we intend our certifications to be real world relevant in the coverage so we will be coming back to you, the developer community for help in the exam designs and development.
By the way, does anyone know of any good code samples for creating a sandbox to host Visual Studio in? I’m also working, in my own mind at this time, on the next generation of developer certifications using performance based testing. More on this in tomorrow’s posting.
As always, comments and questions are welcome.
There was a question posted over on Trika’s blog about the new .NET 3.5 pro exams based on the Prep guides.
Michael basically asked,
“In .net 2.0, Pro exams there was a heavy focus on testing, design and the theoretical part of software development. When I check the prep-guide for the .net 3.5 pro exams, I don't find any of those in there.
Did MS completely remove those aspects of the pro certification in .net 2.0?”
Well, technically, the pro level exams never did include content for software testing nor did they really cover the SDLC. What you see on these exam prep guides is the result of your peers, sitting in a focus group/design session, and determining what is important for testing candidates on in the real world in relation to that technology.
Keep in mind that these exams are not the equivalent of 70-300 nor are they intended to be. The Pro level exams are intended to test a candidate’s ability to make technology decisions for a specific product implementation or software application project. They need to understand the technology from a hands-on perspective prior to taking these exams. The Po level exams are designed to test the when, where and why style of decisions and questions.
We are already working on plans for an exam(s) aimed at software testing, security for developers and MSFv4. As a result, you will not see those topics covered or to any great length at least, on the MCPD exams.
Thats right, this Live Meeting is taking place tomorrow, Wednesday May 22, 2008.
Tune in to hear more about the certification paths for MCTS and MCPD on .NET 3.5. Pester us with questions, throw eggs, whatever you’re in the mood for. :-)