Over the past couple weeks now I’ve been studying to upgrade my MCITP certification in SQL Server 2005 to 2008. I was surprised to find that there are basically no books/study materials out there for this.
Now I know that most DBAs taking this exam live and breathe SQL Server every day and for them it’s only a matter of taking a look at the skills measured page for the exam and brushing up. However, I am not primarily a DBA and I don’t touch SSMS or SQL Server on a daily basis. On any given day I could find myself doing ASP.NET MVC, building additions to Java based apps, or working with Linux so a review on a few topics is called for.
What I needed is a good brush up book and I found: SQL Server 2008 Administration (Real-World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond) by Tom Carpenter. So far it’s been more of a basic read than I had hoped for, as I think this book is intended more for the un-intiated. But I will say there have been a few nuggets here and there. Hopefully it starts to go deeper in later chapters.
I hope to be taking this exam as soon as I finish the book, read the pertinent items in the BOL, and can schedule the time. Overall this exam will be good in that it’s always good to get back to (and brush up on) the basics.
Wish me luck!
