Since revamping the SQL Server certification song in 2006, Microsoft has refined the path for IT experts to expand their technical information and boost their careers. But the true cost of IT certifications in today’s job market is frequently unclear, as are the necessities for obtaining them.
For SQL Server professionals, new gadget releases translate to new certs. Microsoft updated its certification track with the discharge of SQL Server 2008, causing earlier certs to look more dated with every passing year. Still, the selection to upgrade could rely on how plenty weight certifications nonetheless carry on a resume – a topic of discussion among many in the IT community.
Certifications provide 3 items of value: the capability to assess your ability set, an exposure to the capabilities that Microsoft thinks are vital with the intention to know, [and] proof that you have a goal and some interest in accomplishing that purpose,” stated Hilary Cotter, a SQL Server MVP and director of textual content mining with N.Y.-based Relevant Noise. Read more from SQL Server dba Online Training
Microsoft’s website states that 63% of hiring managers view directors who preserve a certification as more dynamic than those without. It additionally says that 55% of hiring managers deem certifications a vital consideration at some stage in the hiring process.
“If you study surveys of the leading or most coveted certifications, SQL Server generally registers somewhere on that radar,” said Ed Tittel, a freelance technology creator, and representative out of Austin, Texas. “Ten years ago it becomes always in the pinnacle 10. These days it’s no longer guaranteed that it’s going to be in the pinnacle 10, but for sure it’s still inside the pinnacle 20.”
Although the fee of certification is debatable, Tittel said that it can nevertheless have a positive effect on activity prospects associated with SQL Server -- if directors look within the right place.
“As long as you’re willing to restrict your job search to organizations that use SQL Server for the database part of their IT infrastructure, there’s plenty of opportunity for people even to this day,” Tittel said.
Tracking the SQL Server certification path
SQL Server experts presently have four cert levels available to them: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and -- for the most skilled SQL gurus -- the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) and Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA).
These up to date credentials are revisions of the old Microsoft Certified DBA certification that became famous at some point in the Windows NT 4 days and before 2005. In 2006, Microsoft developed numerous improve checks to assist DBAs advantage recognition for their skills with the ultra-modern SQL Server technologies.
Following the SQL Server certification music can be confusing, however, when IT pros attempt to decipher between past certs and up to date ones. While several adjustments were made over the past 10 years, they may no longer be important to database pros who're new to the certification realm.
Stepping stones to certification
Climbing the SQL Server certification ladder entails finishing an array of exams and requirements, starting with the MCTS, which is primarily based on the technical specialist degree with a focal point on key SQL Server technologies. With talents perfected through the MCTS, IT professionals can then earn the MCITP certification, which hones in on SQL Server abilities related to unique task functions. To gain the MCITP, they should whole organizational and design-oriented tests that prepare them for even extra advanced certifications.
At the MCTS and MCITP degree, the game is pretty a good deal the same, even though the assessments have changed,” Tittel said. “The exams are loads greater hands-on and include plenty more case studies and scenarios amongst their questions, with much less of the learning type of stuff that they used to do returned inside the ’90s.”
Currently, the MCDBA certifies directors for SQL Server 2000 only. The improve path involves passing two exams to earn the MCTS for SQL Server 2005. Opportunities on the MCTS degree additionally include 3 certifications for SQL Server 2008 -- implementation and maintenance, database development and commercial enterprise intelligence improvement and maintenance.
The MCTS certification is a prerequisite for obtaining the MCITP Database Administrator cert to be had for SQL Server 2005 and 2008. Database specialists have a few alternatives to this degree. Depending on the MCTS certification they keep, they also can pursue the Database Developer or Business Intelligence Developer music for either system. Both certs contain one exam a piece. The advanced MCITP certifications also are stipulations for the Microsoft Certified Master cert.
Becoming a master
The MCM certification for senior-stage IT pros involves a severe three-week schooling route for SQL Server 2008 on everything from T-SQL and XML to safety and virtualization. Designed for troubleshooting the most complicated SQL-associated issues, the MCM program is also one in all the maximum reputable certs supplied with the aid of Microsoft.
“Microsoft certifies that these people know what they are supposed to know, plus they recognize how to plan, enforce and troubleshoot the product, consisting of its edge features,” stated Brent Ozar, a SQL Server expert with Quest Software who obtained MCM status in early 2010. “It requires years of hands-on experience, weeks of seriously advanced education from individuals who realize SQL Server intimately, and the capability to work under pressure.”
Ozar added that those trying to pursue the MCM need to have extensive experience operating with all aspects of SQL Server and must no longer just be seeking out a ticket to IT stardom.
“The high-quality applicants for the MCM will be people who are used to having the CIO tapping them on the shoulder asking, ‘What's incorrect with the SQL Server and how fast can you've got it again up? Is it prepared yet?’” said Ozar. “Those people might be used to the pressure, they'll be comfortable planning very hard work in quick turnaround instances and they'll be triumphant at the MCM lab exams.”
The highest level of certification to be had for SQL Server is the Microsoft Certified Architect. According to Tittel, the cert is good for IT experts with 8 to ten years of enjoying with database architecture. Similar to the MCM, the architect cert is based on-field revel in but also places special importance on verbal interview skills and inspiration writing.
“I assume we’re starting to see a bit greater emphasis from Microsoft on having IT professionals develop some soft capabilities, in particular as they relate to written and verbal communication, for you to reveal their viability as members of an organization, as well as person technical contributors,” stated Tittel.
Regardless of how ways up the ladder a database expert decides to climb, Tittel said that it’s the potential to keep up with the contemporary SQL Server merchandise and trends, as well as develop real-world skills that define a DBA’s capacity at the certification song.
