Larry West MCSD

    Next Sunday I will be flying to Spokane, Washington to attend the Arena Football League 2 Championship game on Monday, August 25, 2008 between the Spokane Shock and the Tennessee Valley Vipers of Huntsville, AL. This is the league that the Louisville Fire is in.

If you are looking for my political ramblings, most of them are at http://activerepublican.spaces.live.com

 

If you are doing research on me in order to offer me a high-paying job, you will likely come across references to a Larry West in Louisville who is active in the neo-nazi movement. Please be aware that he is a different person. Although I am interested in politics, I am not interested in THAT type of politics. I desire to have smaller government, not have the government take over everything which is what the national socialists believe in.

 

Lately, there have been a lot of people who come to this site via www.google.co.in (that's India's version of Google) searching for the word "braindumps". This is probably because of the joke braindump post I have for the joke certification MCITP: US History Major (see http://blogs.msdn.com/trika/archive/2008/05/30/what-the-hell.aspx - yes, I'm the "Certified since 1857" person mentioned in that Microsoft blog).

 

For those who use braindumps, I would urge you to kick the habit. You risk losing all your certifications. Now that I have fourteen, that is a lot for me to lose. Since you will someday probably have a lot of certifications also, it is best to wean yourself from braindumps as quickly as possible.

 

Here are my suggestions for studying (for less than the cost of a braindump!):

1. Write the "Skills being measured" section of the Preparation Guide on the top of 3" by 5" index cards (or similar size in your country) or larger if you can't write in a small font-size. I number each item in the "Skills being measured" in case my cards get out of order. The very act of writing the items will help instill them in your head. That way, if you get a question with an answer mentioning a skill that you remember writing down, and three answers that were not listed on the "skills being measured," you've got a free question (without really cheating!).

 

2. Since some exams have skills that are mentioned in other exams (for example, most 70-290 and 70-291 skills are also mentioned in 70-292), I try to mark down all exams that a skill is mentioned on. That way, if I was studying for 70-290, for example, and came across a 70-292 book on a clearance aisle, I would know immediately that I could use it for my exam. Most likely, this will occur with the "upgrade" exams, but it also occurs in cases such as the 70-643 exam having a topic on Hyper-V, which is also its own exam.

 

3. Then, do research on each of the topics, writing down information on your card. The very act of hand-writing it will help instill those items in your head. I have found that http://msdn2.microsoft.com and http://technet.microsoft.com are the best study sources. Why? Because when the original exam question creators created their questions, they didn't have third-party books and websites, they just had the Microsoft sites. Try to fill the front of the card with information. This may mean trying to figure out what items to list on skills where there are abundant documentation, and trying to find further information on items where documentation is scarce.

 

4. Use the search boxes on the msdn2 and technet sites, and you will likely get better responses than public search engines such as google, which unfortunately still mostly points to braindump sites (if anyone can find such sites so easily by searching the terms in the preparation guides, why can't Microsoft do so and shut them down, or at least ask google not to include them in their databases?). Sometimes you luck out and get the exact wording of the "skill" on a msdn or technet site. If that happens, study the heck out of that page.

 

5. Leave the back of your cards blank. As you go to seminars and Tech-Eds (such as Tech-ED SEA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which I would urge you to go to [see http://www.microsoft.com/malaysia/techedsea2008/default.mspx] -- there, does that qualify me for the free T-shirt?) or watch web-casts (see http://www.microsoft.com/events/webcasts/calendar/monthview.aspx), you can add notes there, then compress the information onto the front of a new index card if you get a lot. (Remember, the very act of hand-writing the information will help you to learn it better - its called kinesthetic learning.) If one of your cards is blank (except for the name of the "skill"), you can know what topics to ask the presenters to talk about.

 

6. Carry the cards with you. If you are riding on a bus, waiting for a light to change, or standing in a queue, you could use that normally wasted time studying for your next exam.

 

7. If you still have mostly blank cards, visit your local library (if it carries up to date certification books) or bookstore, and peruse the books there, writing notes on your card as if you were listening to a lecture or reading on the Microsoft site. If you can afford a book, buy it, then pretend that you are an editor trying to find errors. This means going through each exercise in the book. By doing this, I was able to pass the 70-643 exam.

 

8. When writing down information regarding a skill, I always ask myself "If I was writing a question on this skill, what would I write about?" Try to get into the exam writers' heads. Some exam writers have blogs. If you can find them, read them as it will help you learn some of the things that are important to them and likely to be on the exam.

 

9. Don't take the exam until at least 95% of your cards are filled and you have studied them all for at least a week. It may take you several weeks to prepare the cards, versus several days to study the braindumps, but you are more likely to learn something usable in the real world than you would with a braindump.

 

Note: If you are studying for more than one exam at a time, use colo(u)red index cards, a different one for each exam. Walgreen's in the United States has such cards on sale this week for only 19 cents per pack. [Each pack has 5 colors and 14 cards per color per pack -- you will need to buy several packages.] August is the best time in the US to buy things like this due to the "back-to-school sales."

 

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know and I will include them.

 

P.S. For more information about Tech-Ed in Southeast Asia, see the following:

<a href="http://ads.treblevintage.com/banmanpro/banman.asp?ZoneID=0&BannerID=8&AdvertiserID=1&CampaignID=9&Task=Click&SiteID=1&RandomNumber=83108" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.treblevintage.com/silverlight/techedsea/rectangular/techsea_rectangular.gif" width="150" height="155" border="0"></a><img src="http://ads.treblevintage.com/banmanpro/banman.asp?ZoneID=0&BannerID=8&AdvertiserID=1&CampaignID=9&Task=Get&Mode=TEXT&SiteID=1&RandomNumber=83108" width="1" height="1" border="0">

Well, I passed yet another certification exam last Friday, one that I hadn't ever planned on taking - 70-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring. [See http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-643.mspx]

That makes me a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration.

And I passed with a score of 930, possibly my personal highest ever.

My studying tool was the upcoming Wiley book "MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Application Infrastructure Configuration Study Guide" (ISBN: 978-0-470-26170-5). All but about four questions were from stuff mentioned in this book (pretty good considering the Preparation Guide states "May include but is not limited to:" for everything), although my particular exam did not have any questions from chapter 11.

Yes, I said upcoming. I did some of the technical editing for this book, and it was my examination of most of the items with Technet and other Microsoft websites that I believe led me to such a good score. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone thinking about taking the exam.

 

If you know of any other publishers looking for someone to help edit their books, I am open to further contracts.

[For those counting, that makes 14 Microsoft certifications, including 8 MCTS's.]

If you look at the Microsoft website listing the number of certified personnel (www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certified.mspx), on the site dated 20 May 2008 you will see a mention of:

MCITP: United States History Major    2

 

I think this is someone's idea of a joke, but it may be related to the blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/trika/archive/2008/03/25/back-in-the-saddle.aspx

 

For some reason, the MCP site is down, so I can't see if I am one of the two. I am the one who suggested the "Certified Since 1857" cap.

 

If you have more information about this, please let me know.

 

UPDATE: The certification is not on my MCP transcript, so it must be someone else. I just had a talk with a "Thomas Cornelius Tips" at Microsoft, who provides the best possible braindumps to whomever asks and admits that they used braindumps in their study for certification exams (his e-mail address is tctips@microsoft.com). He gave me a few questions from the new exam 70-666: Pro: United States History Major. Here they are:

 

Q1. The Panic of 1857 was caused by:

A. People realizing that it is no longer 1856.

B. A sudden downturn in the economy, caused by greedy financial institutions and problems with the nation's railroads

C. People starting to get upset that once again, they voted for someone from the two-party duopoly (Democrat and Whig) and made a determination that in 1860 they needed to elect someone from a third party.

D. People realizing that Bill Gates would not be born for another 98 years.

Answer: The real world answer is B, but Bob Barr hopes the answer is C and that history will repeat itself. However, since this is a Microsoft test, it would be wise to use the Microsoft answer -- therefore the answer is D.

 

Q2. What happened at Homestead High School in Sunnyvale, California in 1972? (Choose all that apply.)

A. Larry West won the District Math Competition, being the first person from nearby Monta Vista High School to do so.

B. Steve Jobs graduated from High School.

C. Upset that he couldn't defeat Mr. West in that math contest, Steve moved to Oregon and got an idea for a machine to take revenge on Mr. West by confusing his mind. He called it the "personal confuser," later changed to "personal computer" to hide its real intent.

Answer: A and B are true -- I don't know about C.

 

Q3. Why did the Wright Brothers fly their plane at Kitty Hawk?

A. To get frequent flyer footage.

B. So that Ohio couldn't claim "first in flight."

C. Microsoft Streets and Trips gave them wrong directions to Toledo.

D. Microsoft Flight Simulator wasn't available in Ohio at the time.

Answer: Ah, two answers with Microsoft in them, but since C criticizes Microsoft, the answer must be D.

 

[note: other questions will be inputted as I get free time to type them in.]

 

Note that Thomas has been replaced at Microsoft. From now on, if you want the greatest in braindumps, you need to e-mail Tammy Rikah (trikah-at-microsoft.com). Be sure to give her your MCP ID number.

 

P.S. A good site on this exam is available at http://blogs.msdn.com/trika/archive/2008/05/30/what-the-hell.aspx

 

In order to turn this blog back into my certification helps and miscellaneous information, I am in the process of moving all of the Republican Conventions posting to http://ActiveRepublican.spaces.live.com. I will keep some things posted here as well in order to accomodate links from other sites, but most of it has been moved over.

I will continue over the next four years updating that site for the 2012 Jefferson County Republican Conventions, as well as anything else I want to say related to politics. In fact, there is a post there on the April JCREC meeting that is not posted here.

Hope you enjoy it, and my apologies for those interested in certification information that has had to put up with my interest in politics.

The following is taken from the “Skills being measured” section of the “Preparation Guide for Exam 70-561 -- TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, ADO.NET Application Development.” Most of the links are to articles on MSDN. As you may note, it is not complete. If you use this document in your studies, I ask you to submit to me some references to items that I do not have references for and/or improvements to existing references and comments (in italics) for each item.

This document may not be placed on any non-free or for-profit website without permission.

 

Skills measured by Exam 70-561

F1. Connecting to Data Sources (12 percent)  (Exam 70-561)
F1.1. Manage connection strings. – May include but is not limited to:
   F1.1a. using the ConnectionStringBuilder; -- Uses the dbConnectionStringBuilder class to create syntactically correct connection strings.
   F1.1b. leveraging the ConfigurationManager; --  provides access to configuration files. Use WebConfigurationManager for web.config files.
   F1.1c. protecting the connection string; --  Use Windows Authentication, avoid UDLs, keep Persist Security Info at false, etc.
      Video:  #73 | Protecting Connection Strings and Other Configuration Information     View in VB or C#
   F1.1d. using Security Support Provider Interface (SSPI) or SQL Server authentication; --  SSPI allows an application to use various security models available on a computer or network without changing the interface to the security system
   F1.1e. correctly addressing the SQL Server instance;  -- 
   F1.1f. managing “User Instance” and AttachDBfilename  -- 

F1.2. Manage connection objects. – May include but is not limited to:
   F1.2a. managing connection state,  -- 
   F1.2b. managing connection pool;  --  Connecting to a data source can be time consuming. To minimize the cost of opening connections, ADO.NET uses an optimization technique called connection pooling, which minimizes the cost of repeatedly opening and closing connections.
   F1.2c. implementing persistent data connections;  -- 
   F1.2d. implementing Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS);  -- 
   F1.2e. encrypting and decrypting data  -- 

F1.3. Work with data providers.  – May include but is not limited to:  --  A .NET Framework data provider is used for connecting to a database, executing commands, and retrieving results.
   F1.3a. limitations,  -- 
   F1.3b. behaviors,  -- 
   F1.3c. performance,  -- 
   F1.3d. installation issues,  -- 
   F1.3e. deployment issues;  -- 
   F1.3f. ODBC,  -- 
   F1.3g. Microsoft OLE DB,  -- 
   F1.3h. SqlClient,  -- 
   F1.3i. managed providers,  -- 
   F1.3j. third-party providers,  -- 
   F1.3k. native providers  -- 

F1.4. Connect to a data source by using a generic data access interface. – May include but is not limited to:
   F1.4a. System.Data.Common namespace classes --  The System.Data.Common namespace contains classes shared by the.NET Framework data providers.

F1.5. Handle and diagnose database connection exceptions. – May include but is not limited to:
   F1.5a. implementing try/catch handlers  -- 

F2. Selecting and Querying Data (22 percent)  (Exam 70-561)

F2.1. Build command objects. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.1a. building Parameters collections;  -- 
   F2.1b. using input and output parameters and return values;  -- 
   F2.1c. selecting an appropriate CommandType action;  -- 
   F2.1d. selecting an appropriate Execute method;  -- 
   F2.1e. using the CommandBuilder class;  -- 
   F2.1f. choosing appropriate CommandBehavior  -- 

F2.2. Query data from data sources. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.2a. writing queries to solve assigned problems;  -- 
   F2.2b. implementing data paging;  -- 
   F2.2c. sorting, filtering, and aggregating data  -- 

F2.3. Retrieve data source data by using the DataReader. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.3a. retrieving data from SELECT statements;  -- 
   F2.3b. retrieving data from stored procedures;  -- 
   F2.3c. working with multiple result sets  -- 

F2.4. Manage data by using the DataAdapter or the TableAdapter. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.4a. retrieving data from SELECT statements;  -- 
   F2.4b. retrieving data from stored procedures;  -- 
   F2.4c. working with multiple result sets;  -- 
   F2.4d. working with JOIN products;  -- 
   F2.4e. creating updatable DataAdapters and TableAdapters;  -- 
   F2.4f. modifying TableAdapter Fill methods  -- 

F2.5. Execute an asynchronous query. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.5a. handling asynchronous events  -- 

F2.6. Handle special data types. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.6a. Binary Large Objects (BLOBs);  -- 
   F2.6b. Filestream,  -- 
   F2.6c. Spatial,  -- 
   F2.6d. Table Value Parameters  -- 

F2.7. Query data sources by using LINQ. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.7a. extended method;  -- 
   F2.7b. CLR delegate;  -- 
   F2.7c. lambda expressions;  --  A lambda expression is a function without a name that calculates and returns a single value. Lambda expressions can be used wherever a delegate type is valid.  VB:  Dim add1 = Function(num As Integer) num + 1
   F2.7d. classes of the System.LINQ.Expressions namespace  -- 

F2.8. Manage exceptions when selecting data. – May include but is not limited to:
   F2.8a. identifying and resolving syntax errors;  -- 
   F2.8b. security exceptions  -- 

F3. Modifying Data (24 percent)  (Exam 70-561)

F3.1. Manage transactions. – May include but is not limited to:
   F3.1a. selecting an appropriate transaction isolation level;  --  READ COMMITTED (shared locks held to avoid dirty reads) | READ UNCOMMITTED (no shared locks issued, no exclusive locks honored) | REPEATABLE READ (locks on all data used in query) | SERIALIZABLE (range lock)
READ COMMITTED is the default isolation level for the Microsoft SQL Server Database Engine. If an application must operate at a different isolation level, it can use the following methods to set the isolation level:
      * Run the SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL statement.
      * ADO.NET applications that use the System.Data.SqlClient managed namespace can specify an IsolationLevel option by using the SqlConnection.BeginTransaction method.
       * Applications that use ADO can set the Autocommit Isolation Levels property.
       * When starting a transaction, applications using OLE DB can call ITransactionLocal::StartTransaction with isoLevel set to the desired transaction isolation level. When specifying the isolation level in autocommit mode, applications that use OLE DB can set the DBPROPSET_SESSION property DBPROP_SESS_AUTOCOMMITISOLEVELS to the desired transaction isolation level
      * Applications that use ODBC can set the SQL_COPT_SS_TXN_ISOLATION attribute by using SQLSetConnectAttr.

   F3.1b. participating in local transactions;  -- 
   F3.1c. participating in distributed transactions;  -- 
   F3.1d. using declarative transactions  -- 

F3.2. Manage data integrity. – May include but is not limited to:
   F3.2a. cascading updates or cascading deletes;  -- 
   F3.2b. auto number management;  -- 
   F3.2c. server-generated value management;  -- 
   F3.2d. client-side data validation;  -- 
   F3.2e. business rules,  -- 
   F3.2f. constraints  -- 

F3.3. Update data. – May include but is not limited to:
   F3.3a. update data by using stored procedures;  -- 
   F3.3b. update dataSets to data source;  -- 
   F3.3c. managing concurrency  -- 

F3.4. Manage exceptions when modifying data. – May include but is not limited to:
   F3.4a. resolve exceptions from data integrity, constraint, or referential integrity violations;  -- 
   F3.4b. data locking conflicts;  -- 
   F3.4c. data collision issues  -- 

F3.5. Transform data by using LINQ. – May include but is not limited to:
   F3.5a. aggregation operators;  --  computes a single value from a collection of values, such as sum or average.
   F3.5b. JOIN operator, QUERY operator, LIKE, etc.  -- 

F4. Synchronizing Data (15 percent)  (Exam 70-561)

F4.1. Monitor event notifications. – May include but is not limited to:
   F4.1a. implement notifications by using SqlDependency or SqlNotificationRequest  --  Represents a request for notification for a given command.

F4.2. Cache data. – May include but is not limited to:
   F4.2a. SqlCacheDependency, --  Establishes a relationship between an item stored in an ASP.NET application's Cache object and either a specific SQL Server database table or the results of a SQL Server 2005 query.
   F4.2b. Local Data Cache  --  provides a great way for you to quickly develop a download-only synchronization application.

F4.3. Manage update conflicts between online data and offline data.  -- 

F4.4. Partition data for synchronization.  -- 

F4.5. Implement Synchronization Services. – May include but is not limited to:
   F4.5a. SyncAgent, --  The SyncAgent object orchestrates synchronization.
   F4.5b. SyncTable, --  Represents the client settings for a table involved in synchronization.
   F4.5c. ClientSyncProvider, --  Abstracts a client synchronization provider that communicates with the client data store and shields the synchronization agent from the specific implementation of the data store.
   F4.5d. ServerSyncProvider, --  Abstracts a generic server synchronization provider that communicates with the server data store and shields the synchronization agent from the specific implementation of that data store.
   F4.5e. SyncAdapter  --  Represents a set of data commands that are used to obtain schema information and to retrieve and apply changes at the server database.

F5. Working with Disconnected Data (16 percent)  (Exam 70-561)

F5.1. Manage occasionally connected data.  --  An occasionally connected application is an application that uses data from a remote database but that might not always have access to the remote database.

F5.2. Programmatically create data objects. – May include but is not limited to:
   F5.2a. DataTable;  --  Represents one table of in-memory data.
   F5.2b. DataSet  --  Represents an in-memory cache of data.

F5.3. Work with untyped DataSets and DataTables. – May include but is not limited to:
   F5.3a. populating a DataSet or DataTable  -- 

F5.4. Expose a DataTableReader from a DataTable or from a DataSet. --  The DataTableReader obtains the contents of one or more DataTable objects in the form of one or more read-only, forward-only result sets.

F5.5. Work with strongly typed DataSets and DataTables.  --  You create a typed DataSet using the Data Source Configuration Wizard or the Dataset Designer.

F6. Object Relational Mapping by Using the Entity Framework (11 percent)  (Exam 70-561)

F6.1. Define and implement an Entity Data Model. – May include but is not limited to:
   F6.1a. mapping schemas and storage metadata; --  Building an application based on the Entity Data Model (EDM) requires writing three specifications using XML.
* The first specification uses conceptual schema definition language (CSDL) to declare and define the entities, associations, sets, and containers of the object model being designed. The programmable classes are built from this schema.
* The second specification in store schema definition language (SSDL) is metadata describing the storage container that persists data for applications built on the EDM.
* The third schema written in mapping specification language (MSL) maps the declarations in the CSDL file to tables described in the SSDL file.
Schemas and the mapping specification between them are written in XML.
   F6.1b. EDM Generator  --  a command-line used for working with the Entity Data Model (EDM). The EdmGen.exe tool can be used to do the following:
            * Generate the .csdl, .ssdl, and .msl model files that are used by the EDM.
            * Validate an existing model.
            * Produce a source code file that contains the object classes generated from a .csdl file.
            * Create a source code file that contains the view generated from the .ssdl, .csdl, and .msl files.

F6.2. Query data by using Object Services. – May include but is not limited to:
   F6.2a. querying data as objects and shaping results;  -- 
   F6.2b. working with objects;  -- 
   F6.2c. managing the Object Context;  -- 
   F6.2d. customizing objects  -- 

F6.3. Map data by using the Entity SQL Language. – May include but is not limited to:
   F6.3a. manually define mapping files;  -- 
   F6.3b. execute an Entity SQL Query by using EntityCommand --  Represents a command to be executed against an Entity Data Model (EDM). Execute methods include ExecuteNonQuery (executes the current command), ExecuteReader (executes the command and returns a data reader), and ExecuteScalar (executes the command, and returns the first column of the first row in the result set).

 F6.4. Access entity data by using the EntityClient Provider. -- May include but is not limited to:
   F6.4a. managing EntityConnection;  Represents a connection to an underlying data store.
   F6.4b. creating EntityCommand;  Represents a command to be executed against an Entity Data Model (EDM).
   F6.4c. executing a query by using EntityDataReader;  Reads a forward-only stream of rows from a data source.
   F6.4d. managing EntityTransaction  Specifies the transaction for an EntityCommand.