# Sunday, 16 January 2011
The SQL Server MCM certification is pretty darn serious. In order to be a Microsoft Certified Master, you really need to know your stuff. As Microsoft describes it:

Individuals interested in pursuing a Microsoft Certified Master on SQL Server 2008 certification typically have five or more years of hands-on SQL Server experience in mission-critical environments, with competencies that include:

  • Designing and implementing high-performance, scalable, and secure enterprise environments

  • Troubleshooting the most challenging SQL Server issues

  • Managing multiple instances of SQL Server, including the use of a variety of features and tasks, with a thorough understanding of SQL Server design and architecture.

  • A thorough understanding of SQL Server core engine components and dependencies, such as online transaction processing (OLTP), high availability, disaster recovery, performance tuning and optimization, the SQL Server operating system (SQLOS), the storage engine, the relational engine, security, manageability, and data distribution.

It's the highest level of certification and perhaps 1% of IT Pros can achieve it. Even if you don't want to go for the certification and sit the exams, you might like to improve your knowledge. So 40 hours of free training videos are bound to help, aren't they? The clever folks at SQLskills have put some together, and provided a handy page of links. See how much you can improve your SQL abilities and understanding.

Kate

Sunday, 16 January 2011 09:56:24 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #