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Exam 70-451 preparation question
What is the best preparation material for the 70-451 exam? If you look at [
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-451#tab3][1], it seems like there is no preparation material at all, but mr google give you more than a handfull. [1]:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-451#tab3
Besides professional experience, I find it's always nice to take a practice exam to get a feel for the specific material and test layout. I used transcender: [
http://www.transcender.com/practice-exam/microsoft/70-451.kap][1] Books Online in conjunction with the [Skills Measured][2] list from exam homepage you listed gives a great overview, too. Partition switching, merging and the like; query plans, plan guides, etc; CTEs, grouping, cube... [1]:
http://www.transcender.com/practice-exam/microsoft/70-451.kap [2]:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-451#tab2
Thanks! My experience is that even if you have been working with the product since release, there are things you never touch (like service brooker, FTS, etc) and you need to practice. The exam prep I used for 70-433 was a missleading and sometimes even incorrect.
I've had problems with the accuracy and relevance of the practice exams, too, though they do still provide some exposure to some of the things in SQL Server that I don't normally work with. Oddly enough, the Self-Paced exam guides by Microsoft Press are plagued by the same problems as the 3rd party exams - maybe even to a slightly greater extent.
:) You are right, I didn't want to mention the Microsoft Press book.
I know its not dedicated practice for the exam, but I found general reading on SQL like SQL Server Magazine, [
SQLServerCentral.com][1], [and simple-talk][2] to be really helpful when I was prepping for my exams. Similarly, the question of the day on
SQLServerCentral.com was helpful. [1]:
http://sqlserverCentral.com [2]:
http://www.simple-talk.com
I also consider the [Skills Measured page on the Learning site][1], for your particular exam obviously, a valuable resource. Read over that list and indicate the topics that you're not (sufficiently) familiar with. Then read up on those topics through the internet, books, whatever resource you can get your hands on. Experiment on your local SQL Server instance while you're at it, I find that I remember things better when I've tried them out (experience!). In the end you'll know everything you need to know to pass the exam, without a dedicated book for it! [1]:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-451#tab2
