If you read the message Microsoft Certified Database Administrator for Yukon from Clemens Reijnen , you would know by now that Microsoft is changing this certification to make it closer to the reality of tasks that DBAs need to perform every day at their work place.

Looking at some statistics, MCDBA certifications are steadily increasing during the last year with nearly 115,000 professionals holding this certification as we speak. Still MCSE numbers double the number of MCDBA, and the MCSE for Windows 2000 certification is finally far from the nearly half a million MCSE for NT4 from November 2002.

However, the new certification might bring the MCDBA number down, as it did happen with MCSE one year ago. Two main reasons for this will be the Windows 2003 requirements, and the other one will be the inclusion of CLR stuff in the Database Programming Exam.

I truly believe that DBAs should have a good knowledge about their IT infrastructure, to make sure that they understand the many implications of runing SQL Server in a complex Windows network. Similarly, I don't see how a SQL Server developer could do a good job when Yukon will be available without proper CLR programming skills.

I appreciate that they separate now Design and Programming in two exams, and that makes lots of sense mainly when you see out there how many databases are poorly designed. Actually there was only two MS exams dealing with these issues in enough depth (I love these exams!) 70-100 Analyzing Requirements and Defining Solution Architectures, and in less degree the new exam 70-300 Analyzing Requirements and Defining Microsoft .NET Solution Architectures, although you couldn't pass the 70-229 Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition without enough database design knowledge.

With tools being more clever every day, and providing automatic management for most day to day operations, the role of a DBA needs to go up in the food chain to take part in more architectural and design decisions, and closer to the business process that required the installation of a database system on the first place.

Having a revamped certification will be useless without a proper training program, and this is where Microsoft can help a lot again. However, looking at the MCT numbers, it looks like only 1500 MCTs renewed so far (the renewal period started on October 1st, and will end on November 16th). It might be a typo in that page, but looking at the training market during the last couple of years, it doesn't surprise me that many trainers decided to move to other activities.

As far as I know, SQL Server training is still strong, due to the market growth of SQL Server. However, most training organization need to re-think the way they provide training for next release of SQL Server (codenamed Yukon). What customers want from training is help to make their staff more productive designing, implementing, and operating their systems. This implies attending a course that is relevant to the skills they need to gain, and having a trainer who can guide them through the learning process, and a mentor able to help them apply what is being learned to their specific systems.

This represents a big challenge for most SQL Server trainers, because our skill set needs to be wider every day, and we need to have enough consulting/mentoring experience to make sure that we can provide specific help to the specific real-life problems that delegates bring to the classroom.

Nobody will search anymore for any course, anywhere, anytime, with any trainer. Those times are gone forever (thanks God). But high quality and relevant courseware, taught by quality trainers, will be more important every day, and this will make the market believe again in the benefits of a proper learning process.

I know that the Microsoft folks are designing very carefully the new courseware for SQL Server, and I believe that they are definitely in the right direction. Let's hope that most SQL Server trainers will understand the opportunities that this big challenge can bring them. I know many SQL Server MCTs and I know what they are capable of.

Another question could be what Microsoft is going to do to promote the new MCDBA certification in the market. At the end of the day, a new certification is as good as the professionals who obtain it.

Fernando G. Guerrero