Microsoft Role-Based Certification

Last week Microsoft announced the retirement of the MCSA, MCSD and MCSE certifications (June this year) and followed that up with an announcement that there will be no more dedicated certification for Windows or SQL Server 2019 (see the Q&A at the bottom of this page).

I was initially surprised, SQL Server 2019 is what I would consider a major release and it seemed odd not to make certification for it available in the future. So what's the alternative? 

Step forward role-based certification.

Role-based certification isn't actually new, Microsoft first started focusing on this in September 2018 only now it's going to be pretty much the only route available, and I totally get it.  Yes, it sucks for those currently studying towards certification that will cease to exist in under four months, that to me seems really harsh and I can see why people are frustrated, 100%.

But for a long time I've been an advocate of people focusing their learning on the cloud. Until recently I hadn't taken an exam since the SQL Server 2005 MCTS but have since passed the Azure Fundamentals exam and I've seen lots of other people doing the same. To me it makes perfect sense; lots of businesses have either moved, are in the process of, or certainly thinking about moving to the cloud; in IT - you have to be part of that.

Role-based certification is also a great model for those new to IT. I frequently get asked how to get started in an IT career and I think role-based certification helps people visualise career paths and map out relevant certification. 100% certs don't guarantee jobs but they most definitely help to open doors.

It's all too easy for those of us who have been in a career for a long time to devalue certification and whilst I understand where that view comes from, when looking at it from the point of view of someone starting out, I'd say they're massively important, vital even.

In April 2020 the new Azure Database Administrator Associate certification starts and whilst SQL Server 2019 content will be part of this exam the title of the exam shows quite clearly what the priority is, but here's my concern. Things move really fast in the cloud, a lot faster than on premise and certainly a heck of a lot faster than exams, so can the new certification stay completely up to date be totally relevant to the roles they are based on? 

Whilst I'm surprised dedicated SQL Server 2019 certification has been binned I do like the new direction. I know the official blurb says the role based exams suit seasoned professionals too (and I'm sure they do to some degree) the biggest benefit is for those starting out on a career and for those people, I think it's a great move. 

What I've been reading.

SQL Server 2019 Revealed from Bob Ward is my most current read, here's the Apress link which allows you to view a short preview of each chapter as well as directly downloading all of the source code for the book.

Anyone who uses SQL Server should be reading this. SQL Server 2019 is a very different release and there's a lot of new technology to understand but what I found great about this book is that it also explains the "why" behind the evolution of SQL Server into being a more complete Data Platform. 

The book introduces Big Data Clusters which includes a big technical stack including Apache Spark, Hadoop, Containers, Linux and the current top trend, Kubernetes. Naturally the book also includes all of the feature enhancements made inside the SQL 2019 engine and throughout is packed with example and it's nice to see Azure Data Studio feature in those too.

As said, if you're working with SQL Server you need this book, it's as simple as that!

If you haven't read it already then I can also recommend Pro SQL Server on Linux by Bob Ward (again), here's the Apress link (which again features previews). This book is a bit older and focuses on the 2017 release of SQL Server which was the first release to support Linux. It's a much heavier read (as in literally) and it does cover a lot of SQL Server functionality that seasoned professionals may be already aware of. 

That said the book is concise, again full of examples and introduces a lot of Linux code too that depending on background you might not be familair with. Linux is way more than just an option for SQL Server, it's a fundamental piece of the Data Platform vision so I would personally view this book as a necessity. In addition to this book I also purchased a copy of the Linux Bible which has been recommended by a good friend of mine, the copy I have dates back to 2015 and I've just seen that a newer edition is scheduled for release in June this year.

These two books perfectly demonstrate how the scope of SQL Server is embracing different technologies, none more so than Containers and Kubernetes, both of which (in my opinion) Microsoft are betting big on. With that in mind I'd recommend a couple of books from Nigel Poulton, Docker Deep Dive and The Kubernetes Book both of which I referred to numerous times since originally reading them. The Kubernetes book is more of an introductory read and covers many examples to get you going. As the name suggests, Docker Deep Dive is much more of a technical read but a technology as important as this does warrant a thorough understanding.

My final read is based purely on a personal learning choice and it's the official study guide for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect exam. Last year I passed the Azure Fundamentals exam and I always intended to take the AWS equivalent next (Cloud Practitioner) but this book covers that and the architect material as well and so far it's been really useful. 

So that's what I've been reading, I recommend all of the above, especially the SQL Server reads if you work on that platform. Would love to hear about any other recommendations!