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MCDBA Resources
Studying for the MCSD, MCDBA and MCSE certifications? Here are a number
of free and low cost resources that may help for the exams. A number of these
resources with the MCDBA discussion list and the following is an updated version
of a resource list for the MCDBA and MCSE certifications.
MCDBA Sites
- If you haven’t already, check out the many discussion lists for
Microsoft certifications, you’ll find excellent discussions of many useful
topics all over. Here are some good links:
- There are a number of websites with free online testing; here are some of
the ones we came across during our studies:
- Companies that sell practice exams often have demos of their product
available. By downloading their demos you get a free set of questions to
help you practice. Plus, you will find out which testing interface works
best for you, that way you can purchase only the products that you like
most.
Sample tests are available to download from the following websites:
- There are online certification websites that allow you to take an exam
similar in function to the MS exams but with completely different set of
questions/topics. Two things I like about these sites are that they give you
an electronic certification to show your hard earned knowledge and by taking
these exams you are expanding the question set that you are exposed to which
helps with your MCSE/MCDBA studies. If you take one of these exams and
notice you have a problem with some of the questions, you should then have
an idea of what topics you need more work in.
Both of the following websites currently provide free online
certification exams:
- The following is a list of a couple of web sites that have good links and
study guides for the different MCSE exams...
- There are lots of good books out there to help with your studies. I
personally liked the practice exams and simulations that come with the New
Riders Training Guides. I really like the interface for their practice
exams. Their simulations force you to know the user interface of the
products you're studying, not just remember answers to questions that you
read.
I also really enjoyed the Sybex Exam Notes series, the Osborne/Syngress
Study Guides and the MCSE Readiness Review. Having many different books
available will help more than trying to just use one. Check out your local
library to see if the have an updated technical library. Also, some
companies have their own technical libraries or will reimburse you for books
you purchase for your certification.
- TestOut! had a demo CD available on their web site, http://www.testout.com,
but removed the free CD link. You might try contacting them to see if they
will send you their demo CD, it had a full set of NT4 simulation exams
including practice tests for the core MCSE and some of the electives. I
really liked the interface for their practice exams and wish they hadn't
taken the demo CD off their web site. It also had practice exams for the CNE
and A+ certifications.
(UPDATE) TestOut! is now offering this exam
CD for $29.95, check out: http://www.testout.com/promo/examsim.html.
- Read thru as many books and articles as you can on the topic you are
studying for. Check out free online sources like:
- Different ways of practicing work for different people. One of the ways
that has worked most effectively for me is to use the testing interfaces
that allow you to grade yourself as you go. This way you get immediate
feedback and can go back to the sections that you need to study more
quickly. Not all practice exams are setup to do this by default. Check the
options for the practice exam you are using to see if it has some kind of
Grade Now option. Another option I found handy is being able to go thru one
section at a time, this allowed me to first figure out which sections I
needed the most work on, then to go back later and do more than one section
at a time when I understood the material better to see what I remembered.
- Keep an eye out for vendors that provide practice exams or training,
sometimes you'll be able to use their beta products in return for your
feedback on the product. This is a good way to get training on a new exam
before there are lots of resources available. Personally, I have had good
luck with both Transcender’s beta products and DigitalThink’s products
using their beta program.
- Hands on training is one of the best methods of learning that I've found.
If you are able to set up your own personal lab using the software that
you're studying it will help because you'll be able to practice to see what
works and what doesn't. Microsoft has 120-day demos of many of their
products, check out their web site for more details.
- For understanding the OSI model, check out the OSI Protocol Solitaire game
at: http://www.decodes.com/solitaire/solitaire.html
- Get a group of friends together as a study group and quiz each other on
the material you’ve been studying. This is especially helpful when you
have different resources because you may find that someone else’s book has
a better explanation for something you’ve been trying to understand. When
you try forming your own questions you’ll find that you have to think
harder about what you’re studying in order to ask a question that is not
to easy, but not to hard either…
- If you haven’t already, sign up for your free subscription to Tech
Republic. This website has too many features to list here, so check out: http://www.techrepublic.com
you won’t be sorry you did.
- If you’ve already taken a Microsoft Exam and passed it and got your MCP
welcome kit, make sure you sign up for your free subscription to MCP
magazine. Go directly to the http://www.mcpmag.com
website and click on the subscribe link. Once you’ve done that, you’ll
want to get your higher access to the MCP magazine web site by logging into
the MCP website (https://partnering.one.microsoft.com/mcp)
and click on the “MCP Magazine Online” link. If you have one of the
premium certifications, you’ll want to click on this link from the
“Premier Benefits page” instead, because you get even better access to
the MCP Magazine website.
More SQL Server Sites
- SQL Server script library
Swynk.com's incredible collection of free, downloadable scripts submitted by SQL Server 6.5, 7.x, and 2000 users. Categories include Maintenance and Management, Mail, Lock and Connection Management, Index Management, Replication, Data Warehouse, Backup & Restore, and TSQL Aids. This site is a must see: No other SQL Server resource comes close!
URL: http://www.swynk.com/sqlhome/scriptlibrary.asp
- Umachandar's SQL Server scripts
A superb collection of dozens of free, original scripts that solve common SQL Server (versions 6.5, 7.0, and 2000) and T-SQL problems. The site also contains a smattering of FoxPro, Windows NT, and Visual Basic scripts. An excellent resource from Umachandar Jayachandran, a very active participant in various technical newsgroups since 1998.
URL: http://www.umachandar.com/resources.htm
- Planet SourceCode
Over three hundred free code snippets, examples, and articles for VB/ADO database developers using Access or SQL Server are available on this very popular site. All the code has been user-submitted, reviewed, and rated according to difficulty. A very useful, albeit slow-loading, resource.
URL: http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb/scripts/BrowseCategoryOrSearchResults.asp?blnResetAllVariables=TRUE&txtMaxNumberOfEntriesPerPage=10&cmOk=Ok&grpCategories=6&chkCodeTypeZip=on&chkCodeTypeText=on&optSort=DateDescending&lngWId=1
- Free SQL Server scripts
A nice collection of a dozen or so scripts written by well-known SQL Server guru Michael R. Hotek. Topics include defragmentation, security, updates, statistics, and more. The site also contains many useful articles about T-SQL, replication, backup, certification, standards, and high availability.
URL: http://www.mssqlserver.com/scripts/default.asp
- Microsoft's SQL Server code libraries
Microsoft continues to put out one of the highest-quality web sites of any major vendor: it's well-organized and extensive, with detailed articles that are now rated by readers. Amidst the gigabytes of information lies several excellent collections of sample applications and functional blocks of code for SQL Server. There are also dozens of technical articles that contain code snippets.
Try these links for starters:
URL: http://msdn.microsoft.com/code/default.asp?URL=/code/topic.asp?URL=/msdn-files/028/000/073/topic.xml
URL: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?URL=/library/techart/sqlanchor.htm
URL: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sql/downld.asp
- For more technical information, don't forget the "Best SQL Server Web Links" section of searchDatabase.com, packed with dozens of tips, tutorials, FAQs, reviews, and more:
http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/searchDatabase_Editors_Picks_Page/0,281922,282894,00.html
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