Certification Galore - SQL Server MCP

Certification Galore > MCSE
Microsoft SQL Server MCP

The following are elective exams for the MCSE:

Exam 70-027, Implementing a Database Design on Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 OR
Exam 70-029, Implementing a Database Design on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0

Exam 70-026, System Administration for Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 OR
Exam 70-028, System Administration for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0

SQL Server 7.0 makes giant strides in performance, reliability, and scalability, giving your organization many opportunities to create intelligent, real-world business solutions. By voicing a need for more simplified and cost-saving features, organizations inspired the following innovations in SQL Server 7.0:

	Scalable from laptop to multiprocessor cluster
	Dynamic row-level locking
	Dynamic Self-Management
	Wide array of replication options
	SQL Server Desktop
	Integrated OLAP Services
	Data Transformation Services
	Microsoft English Query
	Microsoft Repository
	Integration with Microsoft Office 2000

These innovations, plus many more changes, make SQL Server 7.0 highly scalable and excellent for data warehousing. In addition, organizations that also run Office 2000 can take advantages of new ways that Office and SQL Server work together. For a shorter look at the new features in SQL Server 7.0, keep reading. Or, download the full-length SQL Server 7.0 Features Guide.

Scalable Business Solutions
SQL Server scales from laptop databases and small business servers all the way up to terabyte-size databases. It integrates well with existing applications, and it provides a cost-effective environment for customizing and building new applications that meet unique requirements.

Scalability
SQL Server 7.0 is designed to accommodate more data, transactions, and users with ease.

	Scalable from laptop to multiprocessor cluster. Among the innovations in this release is the capability of SQL Server to scale to the needs of your organization. With SQL Server 7.0, the applications your organization relies on can stretch to accommodate terabytes of data and thousands of users.
	Query processor. SQL Server 7.0 also comes with a redesigned query processor that provides powerful support for large databases and complex queries.
	Dynamic row-level locking. SQL Server 7.0 now supports dynamic row-level locking, making it the best choice for high-end online transaction processing (OLTP) and data warehousing systems. The lock manager dynamically adjusts the resources it uses for larger databases. This means you no longer need to adjust the locks server configuration manually.

Ease of Use
From the beginning, Microsoft designed SQL Server to make it easy for database administrators to build, manage, and deploy business applications. This latest version automates standard database administration operations. Plus, sophisticated new tools simplify managing complex operations.

	Dynamic Self-Management. In SQL Server 7.0, this key feature automates many routine tasks. Memory and lock resources are adjusted dynamically, file sizes grow and shrink automatically, and auto-tuning features adjust resources dynamically for changing workloads.
	Profiling and tuning tools. These tools simplify the process of finding and fixing database problems by enabling you to capture and replay server activity. Also, a new graphical query analyzer helps you evaluate queries more easily and thoroughly, and the new Index Tuning Wizard assists with the index-tuning process.
	Multiple-site management. Experience more power and flexibility in managing multiple servers. Using the SQL Server Enterprise Manager, you can designate a master server that communicates and distributes jobs, alerts, and event messages to targeted servers. Also in this release, you can make changes across groups of servers using drag-and-drop operations and single commands.
	Wide array of replication options. With SQL Server 7.0, replication is easy to set up, administer, monitor, and troubleshoot. The merge replication model in the new release makes it possible for users to work with data freely and independently. Online or offline, users can modify distributed copies of a database, with their work later combined and synchronized into a single uniform result. Another outstanding new feature for advanced SQL Server use is update replication, in which data replicated by SQL Server 7.0 can be modified at multiple sites.

Internet, Intranet, and Commerce
Cutting-edge features and seamless integration with Microsoft Windows NTŽ and Microsoft BackOfficeŽ make SQL Server 7.0 a vital factor in your Internet, intranet, and electronic commerce strategy.

	Full-text search. With SQL Server 7.0, you no longer need expensive add-ons to handle full-text database searches. This new release supports linguistic search, allowing you to create special indexes of pertinent words and phrases in selected columns of selected tables.
	Web Assistant. A wizard and formatting option in this release enhances the SQL Server Web Assistant, so you can easily generate HTML files from SQL Server data.
	Internet replication. Replication across the Internet is easier than ever with anonymous subscriptions and built-in support for Internet distribution. SQL Server 7.0 now supports programs using Active Server Pages (ASP).

Desktop, Mobile, and Distributed Systems
Microsoft designed SQL Server 7.0 so organizations can give employees and customers the ability to work with data reliably from the office, over the Internet, or on the road.

SQL Server Desktop. With SQL Server 7.0 for Microsoft WindowsŽ 95, Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, you can count on a fully featured relational database management system (RDBMS) that performs well across workstation and mobile applications. A single code base for all platforms—from a laptop running Windows 95 to clustered systems running Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition—provides 100-percent application compatibility.

Data Warehousing
Thanks to the increasing sophistication of SQL Server 7.0, information at all levels of an organization can flow smoothly and inexpensively. Enterprises of all sizes make huge investments in data. That's why Microsoft took a comprehensive approach to data warehousing in planning SQL Server 7.0.

Integrated OLAP Server
Using the online analytical processing (OLAP) services, you can develop a variety of enterprise solutions, such as corporate reporting and analysis as well as data modeling and decision support. With support for full multidimensional, relational, and hybrid OLAP implementations, you can handpick the data model that best suits your application. OLAP Services also offers intelligent aggregations, resulting in smaller databases, improved performance, and shorter initial and incremental load times.

Data Transformation Services
Data Transformation Services (DTS) makes it easy to import, export, and transform heterogeneous data using OLE DB, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), or text-only files. DTS also eliminates the need for user intervention by allowing you to import or transform data automatically on a regularly scheduled basis.

Microsoft English Query
With English Query, you can create applications that accept natural language queries (questions written in plain English) instead of complex SQL queries. All editions of SQL Server 7.0 now include English Query.

Repository Integration
SQL Server 7.0 includes Microsoft Repository and the Open Information Model, which together help you integrate and share meta data about SQL Server databases, OLAP Services, Data Transformation Services, and English Query.

Integration
SQL Server 7.0 brings out the best in your organization's skill set and maximizes your investment in Windows, BackOffice, and Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office 2000
SQL Server 7.0 adds Microsoft Office 2000 to its already strong line of integrated products, such as Windows NT Server, BackOffice, and Microsoft Office 97. Making Office 2000 the front-end for your enterprise-level database is a smart choice. You can give customers and employees more ways to access data from any location, using the desktop applications they already know. They can also share reports and easily view and analyze data over the Internet using Office Web Components. Web Components are new in Office 2000, and they offer online, dynamic views of data through spreadsheet, chart, and PivotTableŽ features.

Microsoft Visual Studio
Strong integration between SQL Server 7.0 and Microsoft Visual StudioŽ enhances your organization's potential in building scalable business solutions. Simplified SQL language programming introduces the ability to debug stored procedures remotely.