Customer Reviews

MCSE Exam Notes: SQL Server 7 Administration

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This book is the condensed version of the big hardcover SQL 7.0 Administration Study Guide also published by Sybex. As a matter of fact, at least half the content was lifted word for word from the big book, moreso than in other Exam Notes books I've used.

This book was helpful as a supplement to the MOC but if you already have the big book from Sybex, you can skip this one.

The book does a good job of covering each exam objective as put forth by Microsoft and is fairly well readable.

Practice questions were too easy and too few in number. Sybex has a lot of good study guides out there but this is not one of them. A better subject review can be found in the back of the excellent full sized study guide "SQL Server 7 Administration," by Christopher Wille et al., New Riders, 1999, ISBN 0735700036.

While I'm at it I'd also recommend the following texts for the 70-028 exam:

"Teach Yourself SQL Server 7.0 in 21 Days," by Richard Waymire and Rick Sawtell, Sam Publishing, 1999, ISBN 0672312905; and,

"Transact-SQL Programming," by Kevin Kline et al., O'Reilly & Assoc., 1999, ISBN 1565924010.

Both of these texts will also help with the 70-029 exam should you volunteer for the punishment.

I was both disappointed and pleasantly suprised when I finished reading this book.

As a study guide for exam 70-028, it doesn't go into enough detail all the time. In some parts it's very general, giving a high-level overview and in other parts it goes into great detail, telling you the exact menu selection (Tools - Replication - Configure ....) You need to have some experience with SQL Server to get the most out of this book. As I said, it will certainly supplement another more detailed study guide.

However, I believe this books strength is that it WILL be used as a reference guide to working with SQL Server. The chapters are well laid out and topics are easy to locate. I use this book in the "real world" quite a bit.

All in all, a very good book to have, but not the best source when you're studying for the exam

This product helped me pass the SQL Server 7 exams, some of the more difficult Microsoft exams, and I got certified. Right away, I'm going to confess that after going through all the trouble of getting certified, and it was a lot of trouble, I never worked with databases again. Changes in the economy favored my working in another direction as I am a CPA and a CISA, among other things.

Although this item helped me to get certified, I did not find that the materials were actually covered in the database administration or database design and implementation exams. This item was marketed well, leading me to believe that actual questions and answers from it would be included in the exam, but none were. Still, it was great although arduous preparation. I wouldn't do it again.

My only complaint, other than the promotion that didn't live up to the expectations it created, was that there were numerous errors in this product. As I studied using this item, I discovered errors, and this helped me to maintain a "professional skepticism" that allowed me to eventually answer problems on the exam using my own judgment. That's what pulled me through those tough exams. In defense of the authors, the actual Microsoft exams also had errors. That really knocked the stars from my eyes. I came to realize that passing exams and getting certified were not as important as I had originally believed.

I've read this book twice in addition to Microsoft Books and Online help, with good SQL hands-on experience, and passed the exam with a good score. As usual, Sybex publications still one of the best material for certification from any company or organization (e.g. A+, Network+, MCSE, etc.).

Enjoy!