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Free SQL Ranger Training

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When I first heard about "SQL Rangers" I wasn't sure what it was, but I definitely wanted to be one. Just 'cause it sounded so cool. Basically, it was an early name for what later became Microsoft Certified Masters, which was the highest level of certification. Over time, the Master certification program expanded and evolved, and now there's a higher level certification, that of Microsoft Certified Architect. And if you haven't paid attention since the old Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) days, here's the current premier SQL Server certifications, as of July 2011:

  • Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS), which requires one exam.
  • Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP), which requires MCTS plus one exam.
  • Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) (a.k.a. Ranger), which requires MCITP plus one standard exam and one hands-on lab exam.
  • Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), which requires MCM plus a detailed dossier and Review Board interview.

If you're not familiar with these certifications and want to find out more about them, start here for the SQL Server specific versions: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-sql-server.aspx.

Study options for SQL Server MCTS and MCITP include a wide variety of boot camps and other classes, books, practice exams, and articles. The options for preparing for the SQL Ranger exam and lab are more limited, but there are now some great videos and other material, available online for free, from the folks at SqlSkills.com. SqlSkills has some classroom training available, but if you're interested in advanced self-study in one-hour bites, you can really increase your expertise with these videos: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/ff977043.aspx, and this complete set of resources: https://sqlskills.com/mcm.asp .

If you're wondering how these certs relate to working for Microsoft Services, we expect our Premier Field Engineers (PFEs) and Consultants to attain and maintain the MCITP. It helps if you already have MCITP when you're going through the hiring process, but it's not required. If you become a SQL Ranger while working for us, it helps you build your cred with your peers. The only study option used to be a very expensive 6-week in-person boot camp, and the fact that you wouldn't be burning customer-contract hours for those weeks was a major disincentive for managers to support it. Now that I've found this great training online, I'm going to pursue it myself.

Since this is a security-themed blog, I'll tie in the security aspect of certifications here. A person doesn't have to have a cert to have knowledge. And a cert is not proof that a person is competent. However, for a large organization, a policy of requiring job-related I.T. certs increases the likelihood that a person will be competent in their technical role, and competent technicians is a critical requirement for being able to establish, maintain, and improve I.T. security. For that reason, more and more organizations are requiring I.T. certs for their technical staff. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Directive 8570 requires both job-related I.T. certifications and security-related certifications. Which ones depends on your job role. A SQL Server MCTS will meet the I.T. certification requirement for some SQL Server DBAs working for the DoD, but others may have to have SQL Server MCITP.