These credentials offer the best way to prove your expertise in developing and maintaining complex databases as well as information solutions. These skills enhance your ability to find well-paid job opportunities and promotions. That’s why it is important to pursue one of these leading certifications to ensure you are on track in your career goals. So, let’s finally dive into it!

Why Should Your Earn a SQL Certification?

The SQL credentials are key for those individuals who want to work in job domains that include database analysis, administration, and development. Here are the benefits you enjoy when you are a certified database professional:

– It validates your skills and knowledge.
– With a SQL certificate, the employers will view you as a dedicated specialist who is ready to do anything to gain skills that enhance their performance at work.
– It will make you more employable compared to those candidates who don’t have any SQL certification.
– You get an opportunity to earn well in your job position as per a salary report on PayScale where the average annual paycheck for these professionals is $70k.

Let’s find out which top SQL certifications you can get today and which are well suited to your database career.

1. MTA: Database Fundamentals
This entry-level program includes one certificate in the database field. The prerequisite exam (98-364) is for those students who want to make an entry into this sector. These candidates require proving their understanding and skills in databases that include relational ones. Microsoft SQL Server is one of such databases. The skills and experience evaluated in this MTA credential include core concepts in a database, creation of database objects, data manipulation, data storage, and database administration.

2. MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development
This is an associate-level credential that is designed for the professionals who want to verify their skills. It validates their ability to use Transact-SQL in querying data. This certificate also confirms the applicants’ database development skills. You can pursue it as long as you have the basic IT expertise. Apart from these foundational skills, you must pass two related exams before you can eventually earn your certificate.

3. MCSA: SQL Database Administration
This is also an associate-level certification that is meant for those individuals who are involved in tasks, such as installing, maintaining, configuring, as well as provisioning. They are the certified database administrators and infrastructure specialists who have already passed two required exams. This means they have proven their capabilities in administering the SQL database architecture as well as SQL database provisioning. Before taking the prerequisite tests, the students must be in possession of basic IT skills.

4. MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014
This top SQL certification validates that the candidates can effectively play their role as database analysts or developers. This implies they have the skills necessary to query and administer Microsoft SQL Server. They can also successfully use SQL Server 2012/2014 to implement a data warehouse. The initial requirements for this certificate include the basic IT skills. The students should also pass three exams. Once you earn your credential, you can also pursue the advance one such as MCSE: Data Management and Analytics. This will boost your database-related career even further.

5. MCSA: SQL 2016 BI Development
If you feel that business development is for you, then this associate-level certificate is the right one to obtain. By going for it, you demonstrate your readiness to gain skills, such as extracting, transforming, and loading data. It also enables you to develop the analytical skill set needed to provide BI solutions. The foundational expertise will be the best way to start off. Once you have these skills, you can prepare and pass two required exams and become a BI developer.

6. MCSE: Data Management and Analytics
This expert-level SQL credential is for those applicants who have SQL administration advanced skills. They have proved their capability to perform tasks, such as SQL administration, building data solutions for an enterprise, and leverage business intelligence data both in Cloud and on-premises environments. Before taking the prerequisite exam, the professionals who want to earn this certification must possess any of the associate-level certificates connected to SQL technology.

7. Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Associate
Most Oracle database management systems (DBMS) certifications require the specialists to attend training courses as part of the prerequisites. The credentials are also available at different levels that include Associate, Professional, Master, and Expert. Oracle 12c is currently available at the first three levels. Thus, Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) is designed to validate one’s fundamental database concepts as well as skills that DBAs require daily as they perform their management and maintenance tasks. It requires the examinees to pass two tests, including the SQL one.

Conclusion

Any of these top 7 SQL certifications will give you the kind of boost you need in your career. Obtaining at least one of them demonstrates your readiness to provide database-related solutions, such as administration, analysis, and development. These are among the leading roles in the IT world at present. So, do not hesitate and take charge of your career today by giving all that it deserves!

A client license (or CAL – Client Access License) gives the users the legal right to access the Microsoft server software for Windows itself, SQL server, Exchange server. By itself, the license does not give the individuals and devices the right to connect to the server. For this purpose, each user or device must have a client license.

Server manufacturers who distribute a software with servers can supply the client access licenses. At the same time, the CALs purchased with the server provide the same rights as similar ones purchased separately from equipment. But many people do not know that Microsoft no longer delivers the client access licenses with Windows Server licensed through the OEM channel.

Types of client licenses

The client licenses are of two types, and depending on the work organization in the company (whether the employees use several devices or, on the contrary, different people work alternately for some devices), you can significantly optimize costs by choosing the appropriate type.

User CALs

Depending on the number of users, you buy the CAL for each employee. It does not matter how many devices are used by the workers for whom you bought the licenses. It makes sense to acquire the CALs by the number of users if your company’s employees need access to the corporate network from several different devices or if you do not know from which particular devices they will access. They are also beneficial in cases where the organization has more devices than users.

Device CALs

Depending on the number of devices, you buy the licenses for each device that accesses the server. It does not matter how many users work with a licensed device. The device CALs can reduce costs and simplify administration in companies where several employees can use one device, for example, when working in several shifts.

In a large organization can be multiple servers. It is useful to know that having the CAL for a user (or a device) allows him/her to legally work with any of them.

Do you need CALs if users/devices do not connect directly to the Microsoft server software?

A company may use a specific server product for personnel management, accounting, etc., with its own licensing system. If this product itself accesses the Microsoft’s server software, for example, SQL Server, then this scheme is called multiplexing, and for legal use, you need a CAL (in this example, SQL Server CAL) by the number of real users/devices.

Yet, back to the 70-459 and 70-460 exams. The amount of changes may seem a bit overwhelming, but if you’ve been keeping track of the latest SQL trends and 2014 news, you pretty much know what to expect. After all, given the level of this certification, candidates supposedly have been in the field long enough. Click here for an outline of SQL Server 2014 points that have been added to the exam blueprint.

For official and detailed information regarding both exams, visit the official website: Exam 70-459. Exam 70-460 – Transition Your MCITP: Business Intelligence Developer 2008 to MCSE: Business Intelligence information is available here.

Whether you have started on the path to earning your certification or are just about to begin, folks at Microsoft we recommend that you continue moving forward (and this advice is hard to disagree with!). The good news is, that for the candidates on the way to their SQL Server 2012 certifications, the exams you take now will still count towards your certification. Does this change affect your exam preparation plans?

This means, you can still earn the certifications associated with these exams, namely MCITP: Database Administrator 2008 and MCITP: Database Developer 2008. So, if you were considering earning these certifications and worried that you’d be out of time, you have another half a year to get it done.

Now we can sense a question many certification beginners would be tempted to ask…

..Why would I look at certification exams that will be retired in 6 month (SQL Server 2008 – related) if there is some newer stuff (SQL Server 2012) out there?

Ok, let’s take a closer look as we believe that you SHOULD earn your SQL Server 2008 cert before you proceed with SQL 2012.

First of all, SQL Server 2008 certifications will continue to be honored by the industry. They’ll still look good on the resume, especially combined with relevant work experience. After all, it’s not just about the certification you hold, but the skills you’ve acquired to support it, right? Moreover, the technology of SQL Server 2008 will remain widely used for quite a while. And the experience you get with 2008 will make it a lot easier for you to move to the SQL Server 2012 technology.

Also, if you hold an SQL Server 2008 cert, you can benefit from a streamlined two-exam upgrade path to the new MCSA: SQL Server 2012. Those holding any SQL Server 2008 certification can take a fast-track exam upgrade path to MCSA: SQL Server 2012. You will have to pass 70-457 and 70-458 exams. Until 31 May 2014, Microsoft gives a special 25% OFF promo for these upgrade exams. In addition, you can benefit from their ‘second chance’ promo with free retakes.

So, you can speed up your preparation to become SQL Server 2008 AND 2012 certified before summer 2014. It does look like a tempting path, doesn’t it? Let’s take a closer look at the 2008 to 2012 SQL Server upgrade exams.

70-457: Transition Your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012, Part 1

This exam is intended for candidates who have already earned any one of the MCTS certifications on SQL Server 2008 and who wish to transition their skills to MCSA: SQL Server 2012. The topics covered include but aren’t limited to:

• Create database objects
• Work with data
• Modify data
• Troubleshoot and optimize queries
• Install and configure SQL Server
• Maintain instances and databases
• Optimize and troubleshoot SQL Server

Get 70-457 exam dumps in VCE here.

70-458: Transition Your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012, Part 2

Topics covered:

• Manage data
• Implement security
• Implement high availability
• Design and implement a data warehouse
• Extract and transform data
• Load data
• Configure and deploy SSIS solutions
• Build Data Quality solutions

Get 70-458 exam dumps here.

From now until May 31, 2014, there is a special promotion of 25% off the cost of these upgrade exams, plus free retakes if needed.

So, if you are not sure as to whether you should rush into your SQL Server 2008 certification and then upgrade to 2012, or start from scratch with SQL Server 2012, we highly recommend that you take a closer look at the MCSA: SQL Server 2012 path and check the upgrade path above. It looks totally worth it, especially with the discounts Microsoft currently offers. And, SQL Server 2008 AND 2012 do look better on your resume than just SQL Server 2012. Now, which path will you take?