Exam Profile: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-463)
- Exam Details / Trouble Spots
- Preparation Hints / Recommended Study Resources
- Exam Objectives / Where to Go from Here
The 70-463 exam is meant to be taken by Extract Transform Load (ETL) and Data Warehouse Developers. Candidates for this exam are most likely to focus on hands-on work creating business intelligence (BI) solutions including data cleansing, ETL and Data Warehouse implementation. Microsoft states that the exam is meant to be taken by those whose primary responsibilities may include:
- Mastering data using Master Data Services
- Cleansing data using Data Quality Services
- ETL Package development for data loading/transfer/transformation
- Data Synchronization
- One-time data or application migration
- Ad-hoc data manipulations, transformations
- Scheduling ETL jobs
- Managing, configuring and deploying SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages
After passing the Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-463) exam, you complete the requirements for the following certification(s):
- MCSA: SQL Server 2012
- MCSE: Data Platform
- MCSE: Business Intelligence
Exam Details
- Number of Questions: Approximately 45-55 questions (Since Microsoft does not publish this information, the number of exam questions may change without notice.)
- Type of Questions: This test format is multiple choice and multiple choice multiple answer. You may also see several scenario questions.
- Passing Score: 700
- Time Limit: 120 minutes
This passing score does not mean that you must answer 70 percent of the items correctly in order to pass the exam. The actual percentage varies from exam to exam and may be more or less than 70 percent. There is no penalty for guessing. No points are deducted for incorrect answers. If a question specifies that you must choose multiple correct answers, you must choose the exact number of correct answers specified in the question in order to earn a point for that item. Some of the questions on the exam may not count toward the calculation of your score. Microsoft will often throw a question in that is meant to gather data that will help them improve the exam.
Trouble Spots
As with any exam, it will vary from person to person as to what is deemed to be difficult. Be sure you are familiar with each of the topics in the exam objectives listed below.
Microsoft SQL 2012 Integration Services is a platform for building enterprise-level data integration and data transformations solutions. You can use Integration Services to solve complex business problems. Integration Services can extract and transform data from a wide variety of sources such as XML data files, flat files, and relational data sources, and then load the data into one or more destinations. Several areas have been enhanced in version 2012 such as, Deployment, Management and Troubleshooting, Development Enhancements, Performance and Data Quality.
Be sure to run SQL Server services by using the lowest possible permissions. You can do this by associating SQL Server services with low privileged Windows local user accounts, or domain user accounts.
High-quality data is critical to the efficiency of a business. The data-quality solution provided by Data Quality Services (DQS) enables you to maintain the quality of your data and ensure that the data is suited for its business usage. DQS is a knowledge-driven solution that provides both computer-assisted and interactive ways to manage the integrity and quality of your data sources. You can then use that knowledge to perform data cleansing, matching, and profiling. You can also leverage the cloud-based services of reference data providers in a DQS data-quality project. DQS provides the following features to resolve data quality issues: Data Cleansing, Matching, Reference Data Services, Profiling, and Monitoring.