PerformancePoint MCTS Exam 70-556 Now Available

Via Adrian Downes:

Exam number 70-556 for PerformancePoint Server 2007 is now available for those interested in adding another MCTS arrow to their certification quiver.

Prometric already lists the exam on its site. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, Microsoft Learning does not yet have the exam listed. Nonetheless, we have access to Trika Harms zum Spreckel's preview of the requirements from when the exam was in its beta phase here.

UPDATE (29 Jan 2008): the official preparation guide for the exam can now be found at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-556.mspx 

MCITP BI exams now available

The two exams required for MCITP BI Developer should be available to be sat very soon (if not already) at your friendly neighbourhood testing centre. Trika Harms zum Spreckel of MS Learning blogged a while back that the exams were scheduled for release on 2nd March. I've found 70-445 available through PearsonVue but not 70-446 yet; I'm sure it's only a matter of a few days before all exam centres update their site content.

Here are the links to the exam content breakdowns:

70-445 TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence - Implementation and Maintenance
70-446 PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure by Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005

MCITP BI Exam Prep Guides

The breakdown of requirements for the two MCITP BI exams has been posted on Microsoft Learning. Nothing surprising on the contents of each, really, but it's good to know that things are finally moving forward on the third of the SQL 2005 MCITP certs.

Here they are:

• Exam 70-446 - Designing a Business Intelligence Solution
• Exam 70-445 - Implementation and Maintenance

The beta for exam 70-445 has begun so we can probably still expect general release some time early next year.

MCITP - Business Intelligence Developer

Chris Webb has posted about the new certifications that are going to become available for BI developers. This is great news. Certification for BI professionals is something I have always hoped MS Learning would bring out. Originally I had heard that there would simply be a couple of extra BI modules which could be used work towards earning an MCDBA. I hope this will now cement BI competency as a recognised skillset unto itself, not just an extra-curricular topic that DBAs learn about when they have time.

MS says the new courses and the new-style simulation exams will be available early next year.