Tag SQL

Retiring Exams, Get your Trika for 40% off!

by Christopher Kusek (PKGuild) Certification, Christopher Kusek, Informational, Microsoft, SQL, Trika!

You heard it here! A number of exams which are retiring (March 31, 2009) are being offered at a 40% reduction! by my math that looks to be $50.00 off!

All the details can be found here –

Price reduction on retiring exams (and VS/SQL upgrade exams)

But for those who don’t want to click and link off, I’ll copy the best bits!

Here are the exams with reduced price:

So, check it out especially if your certification happens to align with skill-set.

And if not – give a shout out to Trika over at her blog!

SQL City! 2 More 2008 Beta Exams (71-450) (71-452)

by Christopher Kusek (PKGuild) Baltimization, Certification, Christopher Kusek, Informational, Microsoft, SQL

I know you’re tired of all of these MCTS SQL Beta Exams

Which means now it is time for the PRO SQL 2008 Beta Exams!

SQL Server 2008 Exam Beta: 71-450: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Administrative Solution

Registration begins: August 15, 2008
Beta exam period runs: August 18, 2008– September 16, 2008
Promo Code: 239F4

SQL Server 2008 Beta Exam: 71-452: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Registration begins: August 8, 2008
Beta exam period runs: August 13, 2008– September 10, 2008
Promo Code: 3568C

Registration Information
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

So, get down with your fairly straight-forward self, get out there:

sign up, register and test! test! test!

Special thanks to our good friends at the Certification Beta Blog for these postings.

Study Tips for SQL 2008 and BI Beta Exams (71-432, 71-448)

by Christopher Kusek (PKGuild) Baltimization, Certification, Informational, Microsoft, SQL

So, you’re planning to take the beta exams, but you want to have a LITTLE more hands-on to prepare yourself!

Well, look no further! (Well, do look further, but check this out as well)

Books! Read Read Read away!

SQL Server 2008 Books Online Release Candidate (RC0)

Virtual Labs – These are a wealth of information, labs and “live” systems to play with!
TechNet Virtual Labs: SQL Server 2008
TechNet Virtual Labs: Business Intelligence

Hopefully this gives you that headstart you’re looking for, outside of what you already know!

Microsoft SQL 2008 Beta Exams (Free Promotion Codes) – for SQL2008 Implementation/Maint, and SQL2008 BI Dev/Maint

by Christopher Kusek (PKGuild) Baltimization, Certification, Informational, Microsoft, SQL

Fairly straight to the point – SQL 2008 Beta exams until July 31st!
These beta exams are for 71-432 (70-432) and 71-448 (70-448)

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-432.mspx

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-448.mspx

71-432 – Promotion code: 943F6
71-448 – Promotion Code: B6543

Beta available until July 31st

Thanks GerryO!

NetApp supports Server 2008 and Hyper-V instances!

by Christopher Kusek (PKGuild) Baltimization, Exchange, Hyper-V, Microsoft, SQL, Storage, Windows Server

 

So, as seen here NetApp Expands Storage and Data Management Solutions Supporting Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Physical and Virtual Environments this can mean a lot for environments which want high resiliency, modern systems (Server 2008, Hyper-V) and helping to further consolidate Server sprawl as well as Storage sprawl.

But what does this mean for you or I?

Oh, this is where the fun gets started!

It’s one thing to have supported SnapManager products on the latest Apps:

  • Windows Server 2008
  • SQL Server 2008
  • Exchange Server 2007

But to also be able to support them instanced within Hyper-V, I have to add ‘coolerific’ to the equation.    What this means is that even I in my lab/sandbox/testbed/Laptop ;) will be able to actually simulate any of these environments as well!

My testbed happens to be a Lenovo T61P, 4gb of ram, running Server 2008 (Enterprise), Hyper-V enabled, Also running the NetApp Data ONTAP Simulator for local-side simulated (yet real) storage!

I’ll be able to run rig with all scenarios of apps, dependencies and then replicated it back to my actual real filers, along with the older apps (while not mentioned, but not less important) such as MOSS, Exchange 2003, SQL 2005, and beyond!

Yea, I think it’s pretty damn cool that the support is there, and gives me something even *I* can take advantage of, let alone large scale enterprises!