I recently decided to study for an MCTS in SQL Server 2008 and have looked at a number of books to decide which certification to go for and which book seemed to be best placed to help. Here is a brief summary of my research:-
Exam 70-432 – SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance
“Microsoft SQL Server 2008 – Implementation and Maintenance Self-Paced Training Kit” by Mike Hotek. This is the official MS Press certification book which I’ve read cover-to-cover. There is inconsistency in the presentation of the material and a large number of typos. Others have already commented that there are many mistakes, particularly in the early chapters. I found it to be somewhat lacking too. The 2005 equivalent was better, and that wasn’t exceptional either. However, as with all the MS Press Training Kits, it comes with a 15% off exam voucher, practice tests on CD, 180 day trial version of SQL Server 2008 and the whole book in Adobe Acrobat format.
“The Real MCTS SQL Server 2008 Exam 70-432 Prep Kit” by Mark Horninger. Although I’ve got a copy of this book, I haven’t read it completely yet. Based on the ToC and other people’s comments, it is superior to the MS Press book, covering all the topics in adequate detail. The main gripe is that it is a prep book as opposed to a prep kit as there is no CD of questions etcetera. However, it does have 20 questions at the end of each chapter, and more detailed answers for the questions are available from the companion website.
Exam 70-433 – SQL Server 2008 Database Development
“Microsoft SQL Server 2008 – Database Development Self-Paced Training Kit” by Tobias Thermstrom, Ann Weber, Mike Hotek, and GrandMasters. Apparently difficult to get hold of in the UK, I don’t have a copy of it. However, a number of people have reported that similar to the 70-432 book, it contains a lot of errors.
“The Real MCTS SQL Server 2008 Exam 70-433 Prep Kit” by Mark Horninger. I’ve read this cover-to-cover and have to say I’m impressed with it. It contains detailed information on all the relevent topics. Again, it doesn’t have a companion CD, so it’s a prep book, not a prep kit. My main gripe is that the last chapter on it, which details Database Mail, SMO, Full Text searching, Service Broker and LINQ is on the companion site as a 136 page Adobe Acrobat document. And it’s probably the chapter that I most need to read.
Exam 70-448 – SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance
“Microsoft SQL Server 2008 – Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance Self Paced Training Kit” by Erik Veerman, Teo Lachev and Dejan Sarka of Solid Quality Mentors. I bought a copy of this and have yet to make any significant inroads in to it. It seems to be very technical, right from the start. Not an easy thing to get into. Unfortunately, this is the only certification book currently available for the 70-448 exam.
Conclusion
After reading the 70-433 Prep Kit, I decided to go with that certification and that book to start studying with. The reason being is that it was the easiest to read and I already have a fair grasp of much of it’s content. I still see it as a hard exam to take though.
Tags: certification, microsoft, SQL, SQL Server 2008