I have recently attended to a presentation on .NET and SQL Server certifications hosted at Datacom by the Auckland SQL User Group.
The presenter, James Hippolite, gave a great overview of the current .NET and SQL Server certifications available, and some insight into the experience of taking a Microsoft exam to those unfamiliar with the process. He also went through an amusing yet instructional history of the .NET exams and his experiences with them, and how the exams have evolved. You should check out his presentation slides for more information.
With regards to BizTalk Server there are currently three exams available that you can book and take through Prometric:
Exam 70-241: TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions by Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 – Available October 17, 2008. Upon passing this exam you become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in BizTalk Server 2006 R2. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-241.aspx
Exam 70-235: TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server – – Available July 18, 2006. Upon passing this exam you become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in BizTalk Server 2006. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-235.mspx
Exam 74-135: Developing E-Business Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 – Available January 17, 2005. Upon passing this exam you become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in BizTalk Server 2004. No other exam is required. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/74-135.mspx
There used to be a BizTalk 2000 exam that has been retired for a long time, even though I know some brave individuals and fellow BizTalkers that have passed it as well as passing the the ones above.
One thing to note is that exams 70-504 Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and 70-503 Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) by no means substitute the BizTalk specific exam. WF and WCF are foundations in the .NET framework upon which to develop applications. BizTalk Server is a complete integration and enterprise ready solution.
In the years ahead we will see features that have been available in BizTalk for a long time implemented in ‘Dublin’, an upcoming extension to Windows Server to host WCF and WF services. This will give companies the option of developing solutions for Dublin for scenarios where BizTalk would be overkill or does not apply. Maybe the two will share some core functionality in the future? A great article in the subject is Aaron Skonnard’s article on MSDN Magazine, ‘WCF And WF Services In The .NET Framework 4.0 And Dublin”. See the ‘What about BizTalk Server?’ note at the end.
–Thiago
The only problem i have with the BizTalk exams (and I have all three) is what they cover. The 2004 had absolutely no coverage at all on the BRE and BAM; and the 2006 exam went the other
extreme and focused only on BAM and had almost nothing on anything else.
I’d like to see a better spread of topics being covered in future exams!
Here’s hoping BizTalk 2009 exam is better.
Thanks Ryan – I also agree that the 2006 exam had too many BAM questions. I quite liked the 2006 R2 one though.