Recently I found out that I passed the BETA exam for Azure Database Administrator Associate qualification. I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the exam and if you would like to take the test, how best to prepare. Candidate profile for this exam is as follows:
“Candidates for this exam are database administrators and data management specialists that manage on-premises and cloud relational databases built on top of Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Azure data services.”
You can read about all the new role based qualifications from Microsoft here – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/certification-overview.aspx
You should never stop learning, especially within the IT industry. There are many fields to move into nowadays within the data space, you still have your classic / cloud DBA roles (crossing over to roles such as data engineer) and development roles too. Looking at the industry I see things like Big Data and Data Science becoming more popular. This led me to the Microsoft Professional Program where I spent my time completing the Big Data track – unfortunately it will be retired by Microsoft.
It is always a dark art trying to suss out why he/she is an MVP? Do they deserve it? What does it take? Why can’t I get it?
When learning new technologies many people will go towards training courses (in person or online) but many also go for certifications such as MCSA / MCSE, which I no longer pursue for many reasons.
Microsoft now have this idea of Professional Programs (https://academy.microsoft.com/en-us/professional-program/) with the aim of gaining technical job-ready skills and get real-world experience through online courses, hands-on labs, and expert instruction within a 3 month class period. They offer:
What? Is probably the most common reply out there and if it is then that is how I felt when I read the message early Thursday morning.
My ultimate goal in my professional life was to work for Microsoft, you can read about my failed attempt here https://blobeater.blog/2016/09/29/my-application-to-microsoft/ but since then I decided to put a lot of my energy into work outside of my day to day job.
What a great topic for this month’s T-SQL Tuesday hosted by Kendra Little https://littlekendra.com/2017/08/01/tsql-tuesday-93-interviewing-patterns-anti-patterns/
The topic being: Interviewing Patterns and Anti-Patterns. I have had MANY (50 +) interviews over time with a lot of failures, so what have I learnt?
I am passionate about using Cloud Technology.
So any questions/ feedback – please Get In Touch
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I have never been to SQLBits (https://sqlbits.com/) before (due to budgets) but I am really looking forward to attending which is just over a week away. The Data Platform has evolved so much and this is the chance to get some quality training under my belt especially in areas I know I need a “refresh” in.
A non-technical post but something I have been asked about few times so I thought that I would put pen to paper and tell you about my journey on becoming a senior DBA. You might find it fun to read.
All About Data 