Get complete coverage of all three Microsoft Certified IT Professional database administration exams for SQL Server 2005 in this comprehensive volume. Written by a SQL Server expert and MCITP, this definitive exam guide features learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter, exam tips, practice questions, and in-depth explanations. Detailed and authoritative, the book serves as both a complete certification study guide and an essential on-the-job reference.
Get full details on all exam topics including how to:
Install and configure SQL Server 2005
Use Transact-SQL
Manage server infrastructure design
Optimize databases
Secure databases and servers
Ensure high availability
Implement backup and recovery strategies
Maximize the built-in administration tools
Use Business Intelligence tools, including SSIS and SSRS
Manage concurrency
The CD-ROM features:
Six full practice exams--two for each exam: 70-431, 70-443, and 70-444
Scripts from the step-by-step exercises in the book
Excellent Resource for 70-447 Upgrade Exam I used this book as my primary study/refresher resource to prepare for (and pass) the 70-447 upgrade exam. If you are an MCDBA on SQL 2000, and looking for a resource to for the MCDBA upgrade exam, this is the perfect resource! Very clear, concise coverage of all the exam topics. Each chapter has a bullet list listing the topics covered in each exam. Although the 70-447 exam isn't specifically targeted, you can approximate it by combining the 70-443 and 70-444 topics.
Excellent guide This book was well organized and helped me pass the 431 exam within a month of receiving this book.
Fantastic Resource! This is a great book! It is very well written and the material presented in a consitent and logical manner.
Some of the material I knew before picking up this book. Since this would be my first MS cert, I read every section of the book. For the topics I already knew, I was impressed by how well Darril boiled the material down to the essence, the central point that you needed to learn. I was hoping that he'd do the same for the areas I did not know. I passed all three tests and this book was the reason.
Read every page. Do every hands-on example. Review the exam tips and you'll not only pass the test but actually be able to do the work.
It delivers what it promises. PREMISE: I am not yet over the obstacles (certification), I am just studying on this book, so I cannot say whether the book has helped me pass the exams or not.
HOWEVER, judging from other certifications I achieved and the relative study books, this one will work, because it seems pretty comprehensive and detailed.
It is a well-organized book, the pace is just right (and makes me think why one would want to read other books totaling 2000 pages or more to reach the same goal) and it gives tips and hints that I am sure will be valuable.
The plus is that you can read it to learn about SQL Server 2005. It gives you a very good overview, and you feel that you are spending your time learning something.
As a reference book it is quite superficial, i.e. it does not really expand much in any topic. This is fine though, if you are thinking of buying this book as a reference think again. That is not what is advertised.
Four out of five stars in my opinion is be the best rating for a certification study guide: you cannot really make a certification guide something "special", so this type of books hardly ever gets five stars.
However, there are two drawbacks that made me throttle back to three stars:
Firstly, some of the answers to the end-of-chapter questions are wrong. They are easy to spot though, typically they start with "Correct Answer: C" (wrong) then they go on explaining why B is the correct answer.
Secondly, the writing style is not exceedingly good. At the beginning it was just a little awkward to see the way some sentences are put together. Now that I am past the first half it is becoming somewhat annoying, and in some instances a little confusing.
I do not blame the author: I think he did a very good job (nobody expects a SQL Server expert to write beautiful English prose, and lots of it). However, another pass at editing could have made this book much more enjoyable.
Great Books for Testing or Reference This is the book I've been waiting for. Not only does the book have good explanations about many of the testable concepts, but the exercises have been great in showing me exactly how things work. As an example, I didn't really understand database mirroring, but the high availability strategies chapter included exercises where I was able to implement and configure a database mirror. After completing these exercises, I really understood database mirroring.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
