Sunday, April 8, 2012

SQL Server 2012 exams and certifications

The changes arrived with SQL Server 2012 are reflected in the related exams and certifications as well.
The most important change is that two MCITP-level certifications will be introduced: the Data Platform and the Business Intelligence certifications. Yeah, the administrator and the developer certifications had been merged.

As the official MS Learning site writes, you'll have to pass five exams to achieve a Professional level (MCITP) certification. Nothing had been shared yet regarding the Technology Specialist level. If you already hold an MCITP certification for SQL Server 2008, it will be enough to pass three of them only, as an upgrade. More details will be provided in mid-April. But if you're planning to clear an MCITP exam on SQL Server 2008 - holding an MCTS SQL Server 2008 certification already -, you can save the fee of one exam by choosing the version upgrade path from MCITP 2008 to MCITP 2012.

It's just a guess from me, but since three of five exams are the same on the Data Platform and on the BI track, I presume these 3 will be needed for the MCTS level.

The common exams for both tracks will be:
70-461: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012
70-462: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases
70-463: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

The MCITP level Data Platform exams will be:
70-464: Developing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases
70-465: Designing Database Solutions for Microsoft SQL Server 2012

The MCITP level exams for Business Intelligence will be:
70-466: Implementing Data Models and Reports with Microsoft SQL Server 2012
70-467: Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

There are some seats announced for a beta exam program, but these are filling up. The exam codes start with 71 in this case.

Good luck!

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