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Exam Objectives

The exam objectives are broken up into six different categories. The 70-462 exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below.

The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam. The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam.

The objectives for Exam 70-462 as stated by Microsoft are as follows:

Install and Configure (19%)

  • Plan installation.

    • May include but not limited to: evaluate installation requirements; design the installation of SQL Server and its components (drives, service accounts etc.); plan scale up vs. scale out basics; plan for capacity, including if/when to shrink, grow, autogrow, and monitor growth; manage the technologies that influence SQL architecture (e.g., service broker, full text, scale out, etc.); design the storage for new databases (drives, filegroups, partitioning); design database infrastructure; configure a SQL Server standby database for reporting purposes; Windows-level security and service level security; Core mode installation; benchmark a server before using it in a production environment (SQLIO, Tests on SQL Instance); choose the right hardware

  • Install SQL Server and related services.

    • May include but not limited to: test connectivity; enable and disable features; install SQL Server database engine and SSIS (not SSRS and SSAS); configure an OS disk

  • Implement a migration strategy.

    • May include but not limited to: restore vs detach/attach; migrate security; migrate from a previous version; migrate to new hardware; migrate systems and data from other sources

  • Configure additional SQL Server components.

    • May include but not limited to: setup and configure all SQL Server components (Engine, AS, RS and SharePoint integration) in a complex and highly secure environment; configure full-text indexing; SSIS security; filestream; filetable

  • Manage SQL Server Agent.

    • May include but not limited to: create, maintain, and monitor jobs; administer jobs and alerts; automate (setup, maintenance, monitoring) across multiple databases and multiple instances; send to "Manage SQL Server Agent jobs"

Maintain Instances and Databases (17%)

  • Manage and configure databases.

    • May include but not limited to: design multiple file groups; database configuration and standardization: autoclose, autoshrink, recovery models; manage file space, including adding new filegroups and moving objects from one filegroup to another; implement and configure contained databases; data compression; configure TDE; partitioning; manage log file growth; DBCC

  • Configure SQL Server instances.

    • May include but not limited to: configure and standardize a database: autoclose, autoshrink, recovery models; install default and named instances; configure SQL to use only certain CPUs (affinity masks, etc.); configure server level settings; configure many databases/instance, many instances/server, virtualization; configure clustered instances including MSDTC; memory allocation; database mail; configure SQL Server engine: memory, filffactor, sp_configure, default options

  • Implement a SQL Server clustered instance.

    • May include but not limited to: install a cluster; manage multiple instances on a cluster; set up subnet clustering; recover from a failed cluster node

  • Manage SQL Server instances.

    • May include but not limited to: install an instance; manage interaction of instances; SQL patch management; install additional instances; manage resource utilization by using Resource Governor; cycle error logs

Optimize and Troubleshoot (14%)

  • Identify and resolve concurrency problems.

    • May include but not limited to: examine deadlocking issues using the SQL server logs using trace flags; design reporting database infrastructure (replicated databases); monitor via DMV or other MS product; diagnose blocking, live locking and deadlocking; diagnose waits; performance detection with built in DMVs; know what affects performance; locate and if necessary kill processes that are blocking or claiming all resources

  • Collect and analyze troubleshooting data.

    • May include but not limited to: monitor using Profiler, collect performance data by using System Monitor, Collect trace data by using SQL Server Profiler, identify transactional replication problems; identify and troubleshoot data access problems; gather performance metrics; identify potential problems before they cause service interruptions; identify performance problems, use Xevents and dmvs; create alerts on critical server condition; monitor data and server access by creating audit and other controls; identify IO vs. memory vs. CPU bottlenecks; use the Data Collector tool

  • Audit SQL Server instances.

    • May include but not limited to: implement a security strategy for auditing and controlling the instance; configure an audit; configure server audits; track who modified an object; monitor elevated privileges as well as unsolicited attempts to connect; policy-based management

Manage Data (19%)

  • Configure and maintain a back up strategy.

    • May include but not limited to: manage different backup models, including point in time recovery; protect customer data even if backup media is lost; perform backup/restore based on proper strategies including backup redundancy; recover from a corrupted drive; manage a multi-TB database; implement and test a database implementation and a backup strategy (multiple files for user database and tempdb, spreading database files, backup/restore); backup a SQL Server environment; back up system databases

  • Restore databases.

    • May include but not limited to: restore a database secured with TDE; recover data from a damaged DB (several errors in DBCC checkdb); restore to a point in time; file group restore; page level restore

  • Implement and maintain indexes.

    • May include but not limited to: inspect physical characteristics of indexes and perform index maintenance; identify fragmented indexes; identify unused indexes; implement indexes; defrag/rebuild indexes; set up a maintenance strategy for indexes and statistics; optimize indexes (full, filter index); statistics (full, filter) force or fix queue; when to rebuild vs. reorg and index; full text indexes; column store indexes

  • Import and export data.

    • May include but not limited to: transfer data; bulk copy; bulk insert

Implement Security (18%)

  • Manage logins and server roles.

    • May include but not limited to: configure server security; secure the SQL Server using Windows Account / SQL Server accounts, server roles; create log in accounts; manage access to the server, SQL Server instance, and databases; create and maintain user-defined server roles; manage certificate logins

  • Manage database permissions.

    • May include but not limited to: configure database security; database level, permissions; protect objects from being modified

  • Manage users and database roles.

    • May include but not limited to: create access to server / database with least privilege; manage security roles for users and administrators; create database user accounts; contained logins

  • Troubleshoot security.

    • May include but not limited to: manage certificates and keys; endpoints

Implement High Availability (12%)

  • Implement AlwaysOn.

    • May include but not limited to: implement a mirroring solution using AlwaysOn; failover

  • Implement database mirroring.

    • May include but not limited to: set up mirroring; monitor the performance of database mirroring

  • Implement replication.

    • May include but not limited to: troubleshoot replication problems; identify appropriate replication strategy

Where to Go from Here

After you pass the Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 exam, you may want to take the following exams:

  • Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-461)
  • Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-463)
  • Developing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases (70-464)
  • Designing Database Solutions for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-465)
  • Implementing Data Models and Reports with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-466)
  • Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (70-467)

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