By James Smith
The certification exams are designed to evaluate specific tasks and validate your knowledge and skills in certain domains. The Microsoft 70-462 test measures one’s skills in Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014. The exam is intended for the database professionals with competence in performing installation, configuration, and maintenance tasks. They also have the responsibilities of setting up database systems and ensuring that these systems function effectively and efficiently. These specialists consistently store, secure, and backup data from unlawful access. This test is part of the requirements for obtaining the MCSA certificate. The candidates for the exam can take it in English, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, German, and French.
Microsoft 70-462 Exam Details
Microsoft 70-462 is a computer-based exam consisting of between 40 and 60 questions. The time allocation for this test is 120 minutes and the types of questions to expect include multiple-choice, drag and drop, and scenario-based. Before you can take the exam, you have to register with Pearson VUE and pay the fee of $165. It’s essential to mention that this price varies from region to region.
Therefore, you should check the applicable fee for your specific location on the official webpage. You will come across a range of difficulty levels in the 70-462 test. Some will be easy and some will be difficult. That is why you need to be adequately prepared before taking your certification exam. You don’t have to wait long to receive the result of your performance. Once you complete your test, you will get your score and immediately find out whether you passed it or not.
Microsoft 70-462 Exam Topics
As mentioned earlier, the Microsoft tests measure specific tasks, and this make up the topics of the certification exam. For Microsoft 70-462, there are six broad domains that the students will be tested on. We’ll briefly look at these objectives and their components.
- Install & Configure: (20-25%)
As part of the preparation requirements, the candidates should learn how to plan installation. This means you should first be able to measure the requirements for SQL Server installation followed by its actual design as well as its components such as service accounts and drives. In addition to this, you should be able to carry out additional technical tasks, which include:
- Capacity planning;
- Plan the basics for scale-out vs. scale-up;
- Manage technology influencing the SQL architecture, such as service broker, scale-out, and full text;
- Storage design for new databases, including partitioning, file groups, and drives;
- Database infrastructure design;
- Configure SQL Server stand-by database designed for reporting purposes.
The test takers should also have skills in installing SQL Server as well as its associated services. They also need the capability to implement migration strategy, configure extra components of SQL Server, and manage SQL Agent.
- Manage Instances & Databases: (15-20%)
Your skills in managing and configuring databases are also to be developed while preparing for the Microsoft 70-762 exam. It covers multi-file group design; standardization and configuration of databases, including auto-close, recovery models, and auto-shrink; file space management, comprising of object movement from a file-group to another and new file-group addition. Contained database configuration and implementation, as well as data compression skills are also a requirement for optimal performance in this certification test. Other areas of focus include skills in configuring and managing SQL Server instances and implementing SQL Server clustered instance.
- Troubleshoot and Optimize: (15-20%)
When studying up on this topic, it is important that you pay attention to its subtopics and components. Basically, you will be evaluated based on your ability to recognize and resolve any concurrency problems; gather and evaluate troubleshooting data; and audit SQL Server instances.
- Manage Data: (20-25%)
The main areas of this objective are configuring and maintaining a backup strategy; restoring databases; importing & exporting data; and implementing and maintaining indexes. To master this topic, you must have the ability to manage various backup models, perform restore/backup based on the appropriate strategies, carry out recovery tasks on corrupted drives, evaluate and implement a backup strategy and database implementation, and backup the SQL Server environment and system databases. You should also have the capacity to restore database, recover data from destroyed DB, restore a file group and page level.
- Implement Security: (15-20%)
The candidates should know how to manage server roles and logins. It entails configuring server security; securing SQL Server with the use of Windows Account, creating login accounts, managing access to server, databases, and SQL Server instance; and managing certificate logins. Their skills in managing database security, database roles, and users, as well as troubleshooting security will also be tested on the Microsoft 70-462 exam.
- Implement High Availability: (5-10%)
It requires one’s expertise in implementing replication and Always-On features. In other words, the students will be tested on their ability to implement the Always-On availability group and Always-On failover clustering. They should also have troubleshooting skills regarding replication problems and the identification of the relevant replication strategy.
Microsoft 70-462 Exam Preparation Options
There are numerous resources for the 70-462 certification exam on the Internet. By going through the official website, you will find the links to different study materials that will help you develop capacity in each topic. In addition to these, Microsoft also recommends various prep options to equip its learners with the skills they need to excel in their tests. These options include:
- Instructor-led training
- Self-paced training
- Study guides
- Video tutorials
- Practice tests
- Study groups
The final thought about preparing for the Microsoft 70-462 exam is the use of practice tests for your effective prep process. This tool is very important for dynamic training, and its use can significantly affect your performance. To access updated and valid practice tests, we strongly recommend PrepAway. This site offers the candidates a wide range of practice questions and answers with detailed explanations.
Conclusion
You should remember one thing – your exam success depends completely on your level of preparedness. If you want to nail your Microsoft 70-462 test on the first try, you should dedicate a lot of time and effort to your preparation process. Good luck!
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