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MCTS SQL Server 2005 Implementation & Maintenance Study Guide (Exam 70-431)
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MCTS SQL Server 2005 Implementation & Maintenance Study Guide (Exam 70-431) |
Author: Tom Carpenter
Published: 2007-05-30 |
List price: $49.99
Our price: $31.49
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Usually ships in 24 hours
As of: August 07th, 2008 07:54:04 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Great book, poor practice tests.
I just passed this test at Microsoft TechEd on my first attempt. The book is well organized and covers all the basics of the exam. My test included 47 questions,35 multiple choice and 12 simulations. The practice exams that are included with the book are horrendous and will not prepare you for the test. Do not rely on them. The book will give you all the basics but you will need to know how to apply them to real world examples. It's not enough to know about snapshots and replication, you'll need to know how to implement them in the most effective Microsoft way. I do recommend this book because it will help prepare you for the test but it's not enough on it's own to pass the test. Good luck.
It worked for me
This is my first Microsoft certification so I wasn't 100% sure how to approach preparing for it. My knee-jerk reaction was to buy a book and do all of my learning from just the book. I found myself reading at night and then during the day (while working) I would try and apply what I had read the previous night to what I was working on that day. Without realizing it I was really just using the book to guide my hands-on learning.
Having said that, the book did a very good job of introducing the exam topics, making note of important topics (HINT: This will probably be on the test), and chapter review questions. I felt the review questions were fairly similar in style to the 70-431 multiple choice question. The practice test's simulation questions are a little buggy, I don't think I could ever answer any of them, but it wasn't that big of deal since I use SSMS everyday. I thought the web content was pretty good, videos, and the second practice test but it is very difficult to navigate to the material. I almost gave up looking for it but somehow I did find it.
I beleive that you could pass the test just by using this book (or any other book) but I think that you should really do the majority of your learning with hands on experience. I do reccomend this book to aid your studying, it worked for me.
 Just passed the exam
I used this book as my main study guide for 70-431. In general, this book provided the understanding needed for the test. I also found the videos to be helpful. My only criticisms are
1)The actual test is considerably more difficult than the practice exam that comes with this book. I took the pratice exam in 30 minutes while the real test took 2 hours.
2)The topic of db backups (through SQL and SSMS) seems to carry more weight on the test than in the book, so be prepared.
As a side note, the technical editor of this book (Darril Gibson) wrote a All-In-One study guide for several SQL exams. It's an excellent book and I used it as a side reference while studying. If you plan to take all three tests, you may want to save your money and just buy the Gibson book.
The way to pass the exam
This book was an invaluable resource. I took the official training recommended by Microsoft (Both classes and an E-Learning course). However, if I had taken the exam with only those I surely would have failed. The Microsoft curriculum was presented in a confusing and stale way that failed to demonstrate how the many "features" of SQL could or should be used in the real world. Carpenter's book provided insight that let me know how a feature worked, and what it was supposed to accomplish. Truly a great resource for the exam (which I passed first try), and also for real world application.
My only criticism of the book is that the editor did a very poor job. There were grammatical and spelling mistakes throughout the book. It appears the editor didn't even run a spell check. Mostly these errors were not a problem, however, at least one practice question and answer directly violated the text and a couple of code examples would never have run. While the CD was helpful (the certcam videos were nice), the E-book was incomplete. It did not have the appendixes - and the table appendix would have been nice to print.
Overall a great book that anyone planning on earning this certification should read. The exam is not easy, but with the help of this book you should pass.
Even better than Microsoft's book
Impressive and exciting. This book is perfectly arranged, documented and skilfully done. I don't usually rate the items five stars.
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