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Preparation Guide for Exam 70-452

PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Updated: June 17, 2008
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Exam newsExam news
Audience profileAudience profile
Credit toward certificationCredit toward certification
Preparation tools and resourcesPreparation tools and resources
Skills measuredSkills measured

Exam news

This Microsoft Certified Professional (PRO) exam, Exam 70-452: PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008, is in development. It is expected to be released in November 2008.

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Audience profile

Candidates for this exam are IT professionals who design and plan business intelligence (BI) solutions by using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 BI tools. The qualified candidate for this exam typically has two to three years of experience in the following:

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Working with SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

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Using the SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS)

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Designing both relational and multidimensional database schemas

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Writing both relational and multidimensional queries

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Designing and building cubes

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Designing and creating reports

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Applying data mining algorithms to business problem domains

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Aggregating data from multiple sources into a data warehouse in a heterogeneous data environment

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Designing and managing enterprise-level solutions for multidimensional databases

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Collecting and interpreting business requirements

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Credit toward certification

When you pass Exam 70-452: PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008, you earn credit toward the following certification:

•Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Business Intelligence Developer 2008

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Preparation tools and resources

To 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" section.

Classroom trainingMicrosoft E-LearningMicrosoft Press booksPractice tests

There is no classroom training currently available. Please revisit this page closer to the exam release date for updated information.

There is no Microsoft E-Learning training currently available. Please revisit this page closer to the exam release date for updated information.

There are no Microsoft Press books currently available. Please revisit this page closer to the exam release date for updated information.

There are no practice tests currently available. Please revisit this page closer to the exam release date for updated information.

Microsoft online resources

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Microsoft SQL Server 2008 – Learning Portal: Find special offers and information on training and certification.

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Product information: Visit the SQL Server 2008 Web site for detailed product information.

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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.

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TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.

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MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.

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Skills measured

This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed in the following table. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.

Skills measured by Exam 70-452
Designing and Managing Reports (20 percent)

Design report architecture.
This objective may include but is not limited to: linked reports, drill-down reports, drill-through reports, migration strategies, access report services API, sub reports, Code-Behind strategies

Design a data acquisition strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: data query parameters, creating appropriate SQL queries for an application (MDX queries), managing data rights and security, extracting data from Analysis Services, balancing query-based processing vs. filter-based processing, managing data sets through the use of stored procedures

Define a report parameter strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: report cache parameters, expressions, Code-Behind

Design a report layout.
This objective may include but is not limited to: selecting report components (crosstab report, TABLIX, design chart), report templates (Report Definition Language), Report Designer, generating report template RDL, adding third-party controls, Visual Studio Report and Development platform

Design reports by using Report Builder.
This objective may include but is not limited to: designing a Report Builder model, using Report Builder templates

Manage a report environment.
This objective may include but is not limited to: specifying users and roles, subscriptions strategy, designing data sources, designing a deployment plan for completed reports, integrating Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

Designing Data Mining Models (10 percent)

Design a mining model and structure.
This objective may include but is not limited to: assigning a data source, specifying filter properties, reconciling heterogeneous data sources, selecting a refresh strategy (partial or full)

Design strategies for staging data for mining.
This objective may include but is not limited to: selecting a method for cleaning data (closed-loop process), specifying partitioning of data into testing and training sets

Select a strategy for visualizing data mining results.
This objective may include but is not limited to: DMX queries (drill-through queries, structured and unstructured columns, column aliasing), data mining Microsoft Office Excel add-in, designing a report by using reporting services

Select data mining algorithms.
This objective may include but is not limited to: sequence, clustering, time series, neural net, association, classification, decision tree

Refine testing models.
This objective may include but is not limited to: applying predictions, analyzing results, performing cross-validation

Administering a BI Solution (15 percent)

Maintain server health.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Resource Governor, performance counters, Analysis Server dynamic management views (DMV)

Select a subscription strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: data-driven rights management

Manage integration services.
This objective may include but is not limited to: loading and scheduling an SSIS package to run, SSIS storage solutions, migration of packages

Design a backup strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: offsite backup, setting up SSAS backup, Reporting Services backup (databases and keys)

Plan and manage upgrades.
This objective may include but is not limited to: data migration, code migration, data security, parallel systems

Plan and manage reporting services configuration.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Reporting Services Configuration Manager, SSL management, encryption key management, mail management, Web service interface management, configuration files

Designing the BI Architecture (21 percent)

Design integration between data visualization components.
This objective may include but is not limited to: MOSS, SSRS, SSAS, designing Excel PivotTable reports, application architecture (Microsoft ASP.NET, Web Service, MicrosoftReportViewer Windows Forms control), Windows Mobile, other data visualization tools (Microsoft ProClarity, Microsoft PerformancePoint)

Design the data warehouse.
This objective may include but is not limited to: datamarts, integrating legacy data, creating a dimensional model (star schema, snowflake, matrix bridge, conformed dimensions), utilizing upsert in design (TSQL-merge)

Plan for scalability.
This objective may include but is not limited to: selecting the appropriate edition of SQL server, selecting the right hardware topology (service distribution), designing the caching strategy (report snapshots, on-demand reports, on-demand-from-cache reports), managing historical data (report history, archiving), selecting the appropriate service host, designing resource utilization of the SSIS package, Read-Only Analysis Server scale-out

Plan for performance.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Resource Governor, Proactive Cache, selecting the appropriate storage settings (ROLAP, MOLAP, partition)

Manage team development issues.
This objective may include but is not limited to: integrating Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, TFS, VSTS for database pro, selecting BI entry points (SSIS, reporting services), online or offline cube deployment (synchronization)

Plan the configuration of a primary data source.
This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring CDC in a server, insert over DML

Design a security strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: cube, project, reports (security roles, folders, field-level security), encryption keys, SQL services accounts management, encrypted data transmission, SSIS vs. SQL server authentication issues (derail Trojan attacks)

Designing and Deploying SSIS Packages (16 percent)

Design control flow.
This objective may include but is not limited to: tasks and precedence constraints, fuzzy logic control, maintenance tasks, accessing remote data (Web services, FTP), using appropriate variables, data profile

Design data flow.
This objective may include but is not limited to: data transformation, blocking transformations (lookup task), extractions (design constraints), designing the load process, creating a package to load facts, creating an SSIS package to load dimension (SCD2), using capture CDC to locate changed data for SSIS

Plan the deployment of SSIS packages.
This objective may include but is not limited to: design the structure of packages, troubleshoot and design form problems with package, create a package that reports any errors to a log

Design the configuration file for an SSIS package.
This objective may include but is not limited to: enabling configurable values to be consumed by a package

Design a logging and auditing strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: exception handling, data flow exceptions

Designing an Analysis Services Database (18 percent)

Design cube architecture.
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating and populating a cube, creating KPIs, actions, calculated members, drillthrough, designing SSAS aggregation, creating and manipulating dimensions (Ragged hierarchy, Flexible, Rigid, Semi-additive, Periodicity, Fact Relationships), selecting a processing mode

Design for international implementation.
This objective may include but is not limited to: currency conversion, translation, localization

Design a data source view.
This objective may include but is not limited to: named queries, denormalization strategy

Design perspectives.
This objective may include but is not limited to: enhancing usability through the use of perspectives

Design and create business-driven Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) calculations.
This objective may include but is not limited to: calculated measures, creating a named set in MDX

Analyze cube performance.
This objective may include but is not limited to: optimizing SSAS aggregation, query cube design

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.

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