Microsoft Learning:

Exam 70-433:

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Database Development

Published:December 10, 2008
Language(s):English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified)
Audience(s):Developers
Technology:Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Type:Proctored Exam
Preparing for an Exam
This exam has been updated for SQL Server 2008 R2.
 
The Microsoft Certification website and this preparation guide contain a variety of resources to help you prepare for an exam. Preparing for and Taking an Exam — FAQ provides answers to frequently asked questions about exam registration ,preparation ,scoring ,and policies , including:
  • The most effective way to prepare to take an exam.
  • The relationship between Microsoft training materials and exam content.
  • Microsoft policy concerning the incorporation of service pack and revision updates into exam content.
  • Exam question types and formats.
  • Exam time limits and number of questions asked.
We recommend that you review this preparation guide in its entirety and familiarize yourself with the FAQs and resources on the Microsoft Certification website before you schedule your exam.
 
Audience Profile
Candidates should have one to two years of experience using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or two to three years of experience using a previous version of SQL Server. Candidates for this exam are IT professionals who work in jobs in which database development is their main area of responsibility, or they work in environments in which databases are central to their primary job roles. These job roles include the following:
  • IT generalists who work in environments in which SQL Server 2008 R2 is part of an overall solution
  • IT professionals who manage systems that run SQL Server 2008 R2
  • Developers who build applications that use SQL Server 2008 R2
  • IT professionals who work with third-party applications that are built on SQL Server 2008 R2
Credit Toward CertificationWhen you pass Exam 70-433: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Database Development, you complete the requirements for the following certification(s):
Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.
Skills Being MeasuredThis exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below.The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam.

The information after “This objective may include but is not limited to” is intended to further define or scope the objective by describing the types of skills and topics that may be tested for the objective. However, it is not an exhaustive list of skills and topics that could be included on the exam for a given skill area. You may be tested on other skills and topics related to the objective that are not explicitly listed here.
Implementing Tables and Views (14 percent)
  • Create and alter tables.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: computed and persisted columns; schemas; scripts to deploy changes to multiple environments, for example, dev, test, production; manage permissions (GRANT, DENY, REVOKE)
  • Create and alter views.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: WITH ENCRYPTION; WITH SCHEMABINDING; WITH CHECK OPTION; manage permissions (GRANT, DENY, REVOKE)
  • Create and alter indexes.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: filtered, included columns, unique, clustered, non-clustered, FILL FACTOR; CREATE STATISTICS; indexing views, compression
  • Create and modify constraints.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN KEY, UNIQUE, CHECK, cascading referential integrity, enabling/disabling, NOCHECK; SET IDENTITY_INSERT
  • Implement data types.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: FILESTREAM; spatial, structured, and semi-structured; collations
  • Implement partitioning solutions.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: partitioned tables and indexes (constraints, partition functions, partition schemes, MERGE, SPLIT, SWITCH); distributed partitioned views (constraints, linked servers)
Implementing Programming Objects (16 percent)
  • Create and alter stored procedures.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: table-valued parameters (TVPs), EXECUTE AS, RECOMPILE, parameter direction (output); WITH ENCRYPTION; manage permissions (GRANT, DENY, REVOKE)
  • Create and alter user-defined functions (UDFs).

    This objective may include but is not limited to: WITH SCHEMABINDING, EXECUTE AS; manage permissions (GRANT, DENY, REVOKE)
  • Create and alter DML triggers.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: INSERTED, DELETED, INSTEAD OF, EXECUTE AS
  • Create and alter DDL triggers.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: enabling/disabling; return event data
  • Create and deploy CLR-based objects.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: permission sets (SAFE, UNSAFE, EXTERNAL_ACCESS), SET TRUSTWORTHY
  • Implement error handling.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: TRY/CATCH, RAISERROR, retrieving error information, custom error messages, @@ERROR
  • Manage transactions.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: BEGIN TRANSACTION, COMMIT, ROLLBACK, SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL, named transactions
Working with Query Fundamentals (21 percent)
  • Query data by using SELECT statements.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: LIKE, WHERE, ORDER BY, INTO
  • Modify data by using INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: row constructors, DELETE FROM, UPDATE FROM, TRUNCATE TABLE
  • Return data by using the OUTPUT clause.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: INSERTED, DELETED, INTO
  • Modify data by using MERGE statements.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: INSERTED, DELETED, OUTPUT
  • Implement aggregate queries.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: built-in aggregate functions, GROUPING SETS, GROUP BY, HAVING
  • Combine datasets.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: CROSS APPLY, OUTER APPLY, all join types; UNION, UNION ALL, INTERSECT, EXCEPT
  • Apply built-in scalar functions.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: CAST and CONVERT; REPLACE; LEN and DATALENGTH; PATINDEX and CHARINDEX
Applying Additional Query Techniques (15 percent)
  • Implement subqueries.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: simple, correlated, scalar, list, table valued
  • Implement CTE (common table expression) queries.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: recursive, non-recursive
  • Apply ranking functions.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: RANK, PARTITION BY, DENSE_RANK, OVER, ROW_NUMBER, NTILE
  • Control execution plans.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: table hints, query hints
  • Manage international considerations.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: collations, defining custom errors, filtering data, sort order, nvarchar, database collation, column collation
Working with Additional SQL Server Components (11 percent)
  • Integrate Database Mail.
  • Implement full-text search.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: CONTAINS, CONTAINSTABLE, FREETEXT, FREETEXTTABLE, STOPLIST
  • Implement scripts by using Windows PowerShell and SQL Server Management Objects (SMOs).

    This objective may include but is not limited to: cmdlets
  • Implement Service Broker solutions.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: services, queues, messages, message types, message validation, contracts, activation procedures, routes
  • Track data changes.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: change tracking; database audit specification; CHANGETABLE, Change Data capture
Working with XML Data (12 percent)
  • Retrieve relational data as XML.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: FOR XML
  • Transform XML data into relational data.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: OPENXML, sp_xml_preparedocument, sp_xml_removedocument
  • Query XML data.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: XQUERY, XPATH
  • Manage XML data.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: XML datatype, XML indexes, XML schema collections
Gathering Performance Information (11 percent)
  • Capture execution plans.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: graphical execution plans; SHOWPLAN, index details in Query Plans
  • Gather trace information by using the SQL Server Profiler.
  • Collect output from the Database Engine Tuning Advisor.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: prepare a workload
  • Collect information from system metadata.

    This objective may include but is not limited to: Dynamic Management Views (DMVs), catalog views
Preparation Tools and ResourcesTo help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills Measured" tab.
Learning Plans and Classroom Training
Microsoft E-Learning
Microsoft Press Books
Practice Tests
Microsoft Online Resources
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 – Learning Portal: Find special offers and information on training and certification.
  • Product information: Visit the SQL Server 2008 Web site for detailed product information.
  • Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.
  • TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.
  • MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.
Have Questions? For advice about training and certification, connect with peers: For questions about a specific certification, chat with a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP): To find out about recommended blogs, Web sites, and upcoming Live Meetings on popular topics, visit our community site: