Microsoft tweaks certification programs
Microsoft Corp. is readying changes to its certification programs that are expected to take effect with the release of SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005 in November.
At the recent Worldwide Partner Conference in Minneapolis, a manager in the Microsoft Learning group outlined tweaks to Microsoft's certification programs for developers and database engineers that will give technologists specific credentials around what have been more general certifications.
"We're responding to customer and partner feedback [about] how the IT landscape has changed and how skills need to differentiate competencies," said Al Valvano, lead product manager for Microsoft Learning. "We want to reflect that with our program."
The changes introduce three new tiers of focus for achieving a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certification in Visual Studio 2005 or SQL Server 2005, he said.
For Visual Studio, engineers can achieve certification in either Web, Windows or distributed development to show where their area of specialty is, Valvano said. Similarly, SQL Server Certified Technology Specialists can achieve professional credentials as a database administrator, database developer or business intelligence developer.
Currently, Microsoft has none of these individual certifications for Visual Studio, which more broadly define a certified developer as either an "application developer" or a "solutions developer," or SQL Server, which presently has certifications only for database administrators, Valvano said.
The new credentials "allow us to go much more granularly [into certifications] and align that with how the product is used," he said.
The examinations Microsoft certified professionals are required to take cost US$125 each, the same as they did previously, Valvano said. However, the tests themselves are more rigorously focused because they require engineers to have more specific skills than the previous broader certification tests, he said.
"We're able to have a much better testing methodology that tests against the skill sets people have to use [in the field]," he said. "The tests are much more robust and more in line with what engineers do on the job."
One Microsoft ISV (independent software vendor) partner said that he doesn't think certifications in general are an appropriate assessment of an engineer's true abilities, because it's difficult to test someone on how they would solve real problems that may come up in the development of an application.
However, certifications are helpful for engineers of Microsoft's partners to have to show their commitment to working with the vendor's software, said Joe Lindsay, president and CTO of Quality Systems Laboratories Inc., an Irvine, California-based ISV that builds software for the health care and pharmaceutical industries.
"Certifications do nothing to capture someone's skills and capabilities as an engineer," he said. "When I as a partner invested in certifications, the reason I did that was to convey to a vendor that I
IDG News Service
Build your tech library with our book giveaways.
Windows PowerShell 2.0 Unleashed
By Tyson Kopczynski, Pete Handley, Marco Shaw; Published by Sams
Windows PowerShell Unleashed will not only give you deep mastery over PowerShell but also a greater understanding of the features being introduced in PowerShell 2.0–and show you how to use it to solve your challenges in your production environment. Enter now!
Ubuntu Server Administration
By Michael Jang; Published by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Realize a dynamic, stable, and secure Ubuntu Server environment with expert guidance, tips, and techniques from a Linux professional. Ubuntu Server Administration covers every facet of system management -- from users and file systems to performance tuning and troubleshooting. Enter now!
