Pass Your Microsoft 70-457 Exam Easy!

Microsoft 70-457 (Transition Your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012, Part 1) exam dumps vce, practice test questions, study guide & video training course to study and pass quickly and easily. Microsoft 70-457 Transition Your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012, Part 1 exam dumps & practice test questions and answers. You need avanset vce exam simulator in order to study the Microsoft 70-457 certification exam dumps & Microsoft 70-457 practice test questions in vce format.

A Guide to the 70-457 Exam and Core Database Engine Changes

The 70-457 Exam, "Transition Your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012, Part 1," is a specialized certification test designed for experienced database professionals. Its purpose is to provide an accelerated path for individuals who already hold a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification on SQL Server 2008 to upgrade their credentials to the newer Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): SQL Server 2012. The target audience is database administrators and developers who are already proficient with SQL Server 2008.

Unlike standard exams that cover a product from the ground up, the 70-457 Exam is a "bridge" or "delta" exam. This means it focuses exclusively on the new features, enhancements, and architectural changes introduced in SQL Server 2012. It assumes candidates already possess a solid understanding of SQL Server 2008. Therefore, the key to success is to concentrate study efforts on what is new and different between the two versions, rather than re-learning existing concepts. This exam is the first of a two-part transition series.

Key Changes in SQL Server Installation and Configuration

The 70-457 Exam requires knowledge of the notable changes made to the installation and initial configuration process in SQL Server 2012. One significant enhancement is the support for installing SQL Server on Windows Server Core. This provides a more secure and streamlined operating environment with a smaller footprint and fewer components to patch. For developers, SQL Server 2012 introduced LocalDB, a lightweight, on-demand version of the database engine that is ideal for development and testing scenarios without requiring a full server installation.

The setup process itself saw refinements, with an improved user interface and updated command-line parameters. However, the most architecturally significant new configuration feature, and a key topic for the 70-457 Exam, is the introduction of contained databases. This feature was designed to simplify the migration and management of databases by reducing their dependencies on the instance-level configuration of the SQL Server where they reside, making them more portable.

The Contained Database Feature

A major pain point for database administrators using SQL Server 2008 was the difficulty in moving databases between server instances. This was due to dependencies like server logins, which would become "orphaned" when the database was moved, and collation conflicts. The 70-457 Exam emphasizes the solution to this problem: contained databases. A contained database includes all the necessary metadata to define the database and its objects, including information about users, permissions, and other settings.

By storing user authentication information directly within the database itself, a contained database eliminates the dependency on instance-level logins. This means you can create "contained users" with passwords that are stored inside the database. When you back up this database and restore it to another SQL Server 2012 instance, the users and their permissions are carried with it, simplifying migration and disaster recovery. Understanding how to enable and manage containment is a key objective for the 70-457 Exam.

Enhancements to Transact-SQL (T-SQL)

SQL Server 2012 introduced a host of powerful new functions and statements to the Transact-SQL language, and the 70-457 Exam will test your knowledge of these enhancements. For developers working with result sets, the new paging functions, OFFSET and FETCH, provide a standardized and efficient way to implement server-side paging, which was cumbersome to do in SQL Server 2008. For error handling, the modern THROW statement was introduced, offering a more structured way to raise exceptions compared to the older RAISERROR function.

Several new functions were added to simplify data conversion and formatting. TRY_CONVERT and TRY_PARSE attempt to convert a value to a specified data type and return NULL if the conversion fails, preventing runtime errors. The FORMAT function provides flexible, .NET-style formatting for date and number types. Another significant addition is the SEQUENCE object, which provides a more flexible, standard-compliant way to generate sequential numbers compared to the traditional IDENTITY property on a table column.

FileTables for Unstructured Data Management

Building upon the FileStream feature from SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2012 introduced FileTables. This is a specialized type of table designed to bring the worlds of relational data and the Windows file system closer together. The 70-457 Exam requires a conceptual understanding of this new feature. A FileTable stores unstructured data (like documents, images, and videos) in the database but exposes it to applications as if it were a standard folder in the Windows file system.

This unique architecture provides two distinct advantages. Applications can interact with the files using standard Win32 file system APIs, allowing for streaming access and easy integration with existing software. At the same time, the file metadata is managed within a relational table structure, allowing it to be queried and managed with Transact-SQL and benefiting from the transactional consistency and backup capabilities of the database engine. This provides a powerful, integrated solution for managing unstructured content.

Columnstore Indexes for Data Warehousing

One of the most significant new features in SQL Server 2012, and a major topic for the 70-457 Exam, is the introduction of columnstore indexes. This technology was designed to dramatically accelerate the performance of large-scale analytical and data warehousing queries. Traditional B-tree indexes, which are row-based, are not always efficient for queries that aggregate data across millions or billions of rows.

A columnstore index fundamentally changes how the data is stored. Instead of storing data row by row, it stores it column by column. This structure allows for extremely high levels of data compression and enables a new query processing method called batch mode execution, which processes data in large chunks rather than one row at a time. In SQL Server 2012, columnstore indexes were non-clustered and made the underlying table read-only, making them ideal for the fact tables in a data warehouse environment.

Preparing for the 70-457 Exam's Core Engine Topics

To effectively prepare for the core database engine section of the 70-457 Exam, your study strategy must be laser-focused on the "delta" between SQL Server 2008 and 2012. Do not waste time reviewing concepts that have not changed. Your primary goal is to identify and master the new features. Create a list of these new features, such as contained databases, OFFSET/FETCH, sequence objects, FileTables, and columnstore indexes.

The most effective way to learn is by doing. Set up a SQL Server 2012 lab environment and get hands-on experience with each of these new capabilities. Create a contained database and practice migrating it. Write queries using the new T-SQL functions. Create a FileTable and access it through Windows Explorer. Build a columnstore index on a large table and observe the performance difference. This practical experience will be invaluable for answering the scenario-based questions on the 70-457 Exam.

Evolution of High Availability from SQL Server 2008

SQL Server 2008 offered several technologies for high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR), including Database Mirroring, Log Shipping, and Failover Clustering. The 70-457 Exam requires you to understand the limitations of these older technologies to appreciate the significant advancements made in SQL Server 2012. For example, Database Mirroring provided automatic failover but was limited to a one-to-one relationship (one principal, one mirror) and did not allow the secondary server to be used for read workloads.

Log Shipping was flexible but involved manual failover and potential data loss. Failover Clustering provided instance-level protection but required expensive shared storage and did not protect against storage failure. SQL Server 2012 introduced the "AlwaysOn" branding to encompass a new, integrated suite of HA/DR technologies designed to overcome these limitations. The centerpiece of this suite is the revolutionary AlwaysOn Availability Groups feature, which is the most heavily tested new topic on the 70-457 Exam.

Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) Fundamentals

To understand the new AlwaysOn features in SQL Server 2012, you must first have a solid grasp of the underlying platform: Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC). The 70-457 Exam will expect you to be familiar with these foundational concepts. A WSFC is a group of independent servers (nodes) that work together to increase the availability of applications and services. It provides the core infrastructure for monitoring health and coordinating failover actions.

A critical concept within WSFC is quorum. Quorum represents the health of the cluster and is used to prevent "split-brain" scenarios where the cluster is partitioned, and multiple nodes think they are in control. You must understand the different quorum models, such as Node Majority, Node and Disk Majority, and Node and File Share Majority, and know which model to use based on the number of nodes in your cluster. This knowledge is an essential prerequisite for configuring any AlwaysOn solution.

AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instances (FCIs)

SQL Server 2012 continues to support traditional failover clustering, but it is now branded as part of the AlwaysOn suite, known as AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instances (FCIs). The 70-457 Exam requires you to understand that an FCI is an evolution of the clustering technology available in SQL Server 2008. An FCI provides instance-level protection. The entire SQL Server instance, including all its system and user databases, is installed as a clustered resource.

If the active node in the cluster fails, the entire SQL Server instance automatically fails over to a passive node. The key requirement for an FCI is that all nodes in the cluster must have access to the same shared storage, typically a Storage Area Network (SAN). An FCI is an excellent solution for instance-level consolidation and high availability, but it does not protect against the failure of the shared storage itself.

Introducing AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AGs)

The flagship new feature of SQL Server 2012, and the most important topic for the 70-457 Exam, is AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AGs). An AG is a new high availability and disaster recovery solution that provides an alternative to database mirroring and offers a rich set of new capabilities. Unlike an FCI, which protects an entire instance, an AG provides protection for a specific group of user databases.

The most significant architectural difference is that AGs do not require shared storage. Each server participating in the AG, known as a replica, has its own local copy of the databases. The data is synchronized between the primary replica and one or more secondary replicas using transaction log streams. This "shared nothing" architecture provides greater flexibility and protection against storage failures. An AG can have up to four secondary replicas in SQL Server 2012.

Availability Group Components and Terminology

To master Availability Groups for the 70-457 Exam, you must be fluent in the new terminology. A server participating in an AG is called a replica. There is one primary replica, which hosts the read-write copy of the databases, and up to four secondary replicas, which host read-only copies. The Availability Mode determines how data is synchronized. Synchronous-commit mode guarantees zero data loss but introduces latency, while asynchronous-commit mode offers better performance but risks minimal data loss.

The Failover Mode determines how a failover is initiated. Automatic failover is possible between two synchronous-commit replicas, providing a high-availability solution similar to database mirroring with a witness. For all other scenarios, a manual failover is required. A critical component is the Availability Group Listener, which is a virtual network name that provides a single, consistent connection point for client applications, abstracting them from which replica is currently the primary.

Readable Secondary Replicas

One of the most significant advantages of Availability Groups over Database Mirroring, and a key feature to understand for the 70-457 Exam, is the ability to use the secondary replicas for active workloads. You can configure a secondary replica to be "readable." This allows applications to connect to the secondary replica and perform read-only queries against the databases. This is a massive benefit for offloading reporting workloads, ad-hoc queries, and other read-intensive operations from the primary production server.

To facilitate this, you can configure "read-only routing." This involves setting up a routing list that the Availability Group Listener uses to direct read-intent connection requests to an available readable secondary replica. This allows you to have a single connection string for your application, and the listener will automatically direct read-write traffic to the primary and read-only traffic to a secondary, providing load balancing for your read workloads.

Backup and Maintenance on Secondary Replicas

Another powerful new capability of Availability Groups, and a topic for the 70-457 Exam, is the ability to perform certain backup and maintenance operations on secondary replicas. This further reduces the load on the primary replica. You can perform copy-only full backups of the databases on any secondary replica. More importantly, you can perform transaction log backups on any replica (though only one replica can be the primary for the log backup chain).

Within the Availability Group configuration, you can set backup preferences. This allows you to specify where you would prefer backups to be run (e.g., "Prefer Secondary"). The sys.fn_hadr_backup_is_preferred_replica function can then be used in your backup scripts to determine if the current replica is the preferred one for backups. This allows you to build intelligent backup jobs that distribute the backup workload across the replicas in your AG.

Preparing for the 70-457 Exam HA/DR Questions

The High Availability and Disaster Recovery section of the 70-457 Exam is dominated by AlwaysOn Availability Groups. You must dedicate a significant portion of your study time to this topic. The best way to learn is to build a lab. Set up a Windows Server Failover Cluster and then configure a two-replica synchronous Availability Group with automatic failover. Practice creating the listener and observe how client connections are redirected during a failover.

Create a clear comparison chart that outlines the differences between Failover Cluster Instances and Availability Groups. The key columns should be: level of protection (instance vs. database), storage requirements (shared vs. local), number of replicas, and key features (readable secondaries, backup on secondaries). The scenario-based questions on the 70-457 Exam will require you to choose the correct AlwaysOn technology based on a given set of business and technical requirements.

Data Quality Services (DQS)

SQL Server 2012 introduced two powerful new services for advanced data management, and the 70-457 Exam requires you to understand their purpose and components. The first of these is Data Quality Services (DQS). DQS is a knowledge-driven solution designed to help organizations improve the quality of their data through profiling, cleansing, and matching. It provides a set of tools to help data stewards build and maintain a Knowledge Base that defines the rules for data quality.

The DQS architecture consists of a DQS Server, which is a component of the SQL Server Database Engine, and a standalone DQS Client application. Using the client, a data steward can perform several key activities. Data Profiling provides insights into the quality of the source data. Data Cleansing corrects, standardizes, and enriches the data based on the rules in the Knowledge Base. Data Matching identifies and removes duplicate records.

Master Data Services (MDS)

The second major new data management service is Master Data Services (MDS). The 70-457 Exam will expect you to know its function and the key enhancements made in the 2012 version. MDS provides a centralized platform for creating and managing a single, authoritative source of master data for an entire organization. This "golden record" for entities like customers, products, or locations can then be used to ensure consistency across all business applications.

SQL Server 2012 brought significant improvements to MDS. The web-based user interface was completely redesigned with two main areas: the Explorer for business users to browse and edit data, and the Integration Management area for administrators to manage data loading processes. The most impactful new feature was the introduction of a powerful Add-in for Microsoft Excel, which allows business users to interact with and manage the master data directly from within the familiar Excel environment.

New Security Features

Security is a critical aspect of database administration, and the 70-457 Exam covers the key security enhancements introduced in SQL Server 2012. One of the most important new features is the ability to create User-Defined Server Roles. In SQL Server 2008, you were limited to the fixed server roles like sysadmin or dbcreator. In 2012, you can create your own custom server roles and grant them a granular set of server-level permissions, allowing you to follow the principle of least privilege more effectively.

Another helpful enhancement is the ability to assign default schemas to Windows Groups. This simplifies object ownership and permission management. When a member of the group creates a new object without specifying a schema, it will be automatically created in the group's default schema, preventing schema proliferation. The auditing features were also enhanced, providing more flexibility and control over what is tracked within the database.

SQL Server Audit Enhancements

The SQL Server Audit feature was first introduced in SQL Server 2008, but the 2012 version added several key improvements that are relevant for the 70-457 Exam. One of the most important enhancements is audit resilience. In the 2008 version, if the audit target (e.g., the security log or a file) was unavailable, it could cause the server action to fail. In 2012, the audit event can be queued in memory and written later, ensuring that a problem with the audit log does not interrupt server operations.

The 2012 version also introduced the ability to filter audit events, which helps to reduce the amount of noise in the audit trail and makes it easier to focus on the specific events you are interested in. Another powerful new feature is the ability to create user-defined audit events. This allows you to use the sp_audit_write stored procedure to insert custom messages from your application code into the official audit trail, providing a way to track specific business-level events.

Changes in SQL Server Agent

While SQL Server Agent did not undergo a massive overhaul in the 2012 release, there are a few notable enhancements that you should be aware of for the 70-457 Exam. One of the most useful changes is the native support for PowerShell job steps. This allows you to directly embed PowerShell scripts into your SQL Server Agent jobs without needing to use the older CmdExec job step type. This provides much better integration and control for automation tasks.

Another key improvement is related to proxy accounts. SQL Server Agent allows job steps to run under the security context of a proxy account, which is based on a SQL Server credential. This is essential for executing tasks that require permissions outside of the database, such as accessing the file system or running external commands. The 2012 version provides more granular control and better management of these proxy accounts.

Distributed Replay Utility

A completely new tool introduced in SQL Server 2012, and a potential topic for the 70-457 Exam, is the Distributed Replay utility. This tool is designed to help administrators and developers assess the impact of changes, such as a hardware upgrade, an operating system patch, or a SQL Server upgrade, by simulating a realistic production workload in a test environment. It allows for more accurate performance testing and application compatibility analysis than was previously possible.

The process involves two main phases. First, the "trace" phase uses the Distributed Replay administration tool to capture a workload from one or more production servers and save it as a set of trace files. Second, the "replay" phase uses one or more client computers, coordinated by a controller, to replay that captured workload against a target test server. This allows you to see how the test server will perform under a realistic, concurrent load.

Preparing for the 70-457 Exam on Data Management and Security

When preparing for this section of the 70-457 Exam, your focus should be on the brand-new services: Data Quality Services (DQS) and Master Data Services (MDS). You do not need to be an expert implementer, but you must understand the business problem that each service is designed to solve and be able to describe its high-level architecture and key components. For security, the most important new feature to master is User-Defined Server Roles and the benefits they provide over the fixed roles in SQL Server 2008.

For the other topics, focus on the "what's new" aspect. For auditing, know about resilience and filtering. For SQL Server Agent, remember the PowerShell job step. For the Distributed Replay utility, be able to describe its purpose and the two-phase (trace and replay) process. These are all new capabilities that did not exist in SQL Server 2008, which makes them prime candidates for questions on the 70-457 Exam.

The BI Semantic Model (BISM)

SQL Server 2012 introduced a major new strategic concept for its Business Intelligence (BI) stack called the BI Semantic Model (BISM). The 70-457 Exam requires you to understand this new paradigm. The BISM is not a single product but rather a unifying vision for creating a single, logical data model that can be used to support all types of BI, from traditional reporting and analytics to self-service data exploration. The goal is to provide a "single version of the truth" for business users.

The key innovation is that this single semantic model can be implemented in one of two ways, or "modes," within SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). The first is the traditional Multidimensional model, which uses cubes, dimensions, and the MDX query language. The second is the brand-new Tabular model, which uses an in-memory, columnar database and the DAX query language. This flexibility allows developers to choose the best modeling approach for their specific needs while still presenting a consistent model to end-users.

SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) Tabular Model

The most revolutionary new BI feature in SQL Server 2012, and a critical topic for the 70-457 Exam, is the SSAS Tabular model. This introduced a completely new, in-memory analytics engine designed for extremely high performance and ease of development. The Tabular model is built on the xVelocity engine (formerly known as VertiPaq), which is a columnar database that stores data in a highly compressed format directly in RAM. This allows it to perform complex aggregations over massive datasets with incredible speed.

Unlike the complex, multi-dimensional cubes of the traditional SSAS model, the Tabular model uses a simpler, relational structure of tables and relationships that is more familiar to developers and analysts who work with standard databases. The development experience is streamlined, often taking place within SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). For the 70-457 Exam, you must understand the core architecture of the Tabular model and how it differs from the traditional Multidimensional model.

Introduction to Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)

Along with the new Tabular model came a new query and calculation language: Data Analysis Expressions, or DAX. A conceptual understanding of DAX is essential for the 70-457 Exam. DAX is the language used to define calculations and query data within Tabular models, as well as in Power Pivot for Excel. Its syntax is intentionally designed to be similar to Excel formulas, making it more accessible to business analysts and power users than the more complex MDX language used for Multidimensional cubes.

In a Tabular model, you use DAX to create two main types of calculations. Calculated columns are new columns that are added to a table, with the value for each row being calculated based on a DAX formula. Measures, on the other hand, are calculations that are performed at query time, such as summing up a sales amount or calculating an average. Understanding the difference between a calculated column and a measure is a fundamental DAX concept.

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Enhancements

SQL Server 2012 brought a fundamental change to how SSIS packages are deployed and managed. The 70-457 Exam places a heavy emphasis on this new model. In SQL Server 2008, packages were typically deployed individually to the file system or the msdb database. The new approach is the Project Deployment Model. In this model, an entire SSIS project, containing multiple packages and shared connections, is deployed as a single, self-contained unit to a new, dedicated database called the SSIS Catalog (SSISDB).

This new model provides numerous advantages. The SSIS Catalog acts as a central repository for all your projects, making them easier to manage. It automatically captures detailed logging, execution history, and performance data. A major improvement is the introduction of project and package parameters, which allow you to change connection strings and other settings without having to modify the package itself, greatly simplifying configuration across different environments (development, testing, production).

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) Enhancements

The Reporting Services platform also saw significant enhancements in SQL Server 2012, and the 70-457 Exam will test your knowledge of these new features. The most prominent new addition is Power View. Power View is a highly interactive, web-based data visualization and reporting tool designed for business users. It provides a simple, drag-and-drop interface that allows users to explore data and create rich, visually appealing reports and dashboards without needing to write any code.

Another key new feature is Data Alerts. This allows users to subscribe to a report and create rules that will trigger an email notification when the data in the report meets certain conditions. For example, a sales manager could set up an alert to be notified whenever a key sales metric drops below a certain threshold. The architecture for SharePoint integrated mode was also completely redesigned in this version, making it more robust and easier to manage.

Power View for Interactive Reporting

Power View is a key component of Microsoft's self-service BI strategy and an important new feature to understand for the 70-457 Exam. It is not meant to replace the traditional, paginated reports created in Report Builder or SSDT. Instead, it is designed for ad-hoc data exploration and visualization. Users can start with a data model, such as an SSAS Tabular model or a Power Pivot workbook, and then easily create various visualizations like charts, maps, and tables.

One of the key features of Power View is its interactivity. Users can click on elements in one chart, and all the other visualizations on the report will automatically filter and highlight based on that selection. This provides a fluid and intuitive way to explore the data and discover insights. Power View reports can be created in SharePoint or directly within Microsoft Excel 2013.

Preparing for the 70-457 Exam's BI Topics

The Business Intelligence section of the 70-457 Exam is all about the new features that were introduced to compete in the modern world of self-service BI and in-memory analytics. Your number one priority must be the SSAS Tabular model. You need to be able to explain what it is, how it works (in-memory, columnar), what language it uses (DAX), and how it differs from the traditional Multidimensional model.

For SSIS, the focus must be on the new Project Deployment Model and the SSIS Catalog. Understand the problems this new model solves compared to the legacy package deployment model. For SSRS, the key new features to know are Power View and Data Alerts. Be able to describe the purpose of each and the type of user they are designed for. The BISM is the overarching strategic concept that ties all of these new BI features together.

Performance Tuning with New DMVs and Extended Events

SQL Server 2012 continued the trend of providing administrators with more powerful tools for performance tuning and troubleshooting, and the 70-457 Exam requires you to be aware of these enhancements. The suite of Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) and Functions (DMFs) was expanded with new objects to provide deeper insights into the database engine's internals. These new DMVs offer better information on query execution, transaction performance, and the state of new features like AlwaysOn Availability Groups.

A more significant change was the major investment in Extended Events. While introduced in SQL Server 2008, Extended Events was significantly improved in 2012 and positioned as the modern, lightweight replacement for the older SQL Profiler and SQL Trace technologies. A brand new graphical user interface for creating and managing Extended Events sessions was integrated directly into SQL Server Management Studio, making this powerful but previously complex feature much more accessible to all DBAs.

Understanding Columnstore Indexes

A deeper understanding of the performance characteristics of columnstore indexes is crucial for the 70-457 Exam. As discussed earlier, these indexes provide massive performance gains for data warehousing queries. This is achieved through two main mechanisms. First, the columnar storage allows for very high compression, which reduces the amount of I/O required to read the data from disk. Second, it enables a new query execution mode called "batch mode."

In traditional row mode execution, the query processor operates on one row at a time. In batch mode, the query processor operates on a "batch" of about 1,000 rows at a time. This is much more efficient because it reduces CPU overhead and makes better use of modern CPU caches. For the 70-457 Exam, you should also be aware of the key limitation of columnstore indexes in SQL Server 2012: once a non-clustered columnstore index is created on a table, that table becomes read-only.

Resource Governor Enhancements

The Resource Governor feature, which allows administrators to manage CPU and memory consumption for different workloads, also received some important updates in SQL Server 2012. These enhancements provide more granular control over system resources. A key new feature is the ability to not only set a minimum guaranteed CPU percentage but also a maximum CPU cap for a resource pool. This is very useful for preventing a low-priority workload from consuming all available CPU and impacting more critical applications.

Another significant enhancement is the ability to associate a resource pool with a specific scheduler affinity. This allows you to bind a workload to a specific set of CPUs or NUMA nodes. This level of control can be beneficial in high-end, scale-up systems for optimizing performance and isolating workloads. These new capabilities make the Resource Governor a more powerful tool for managing multi-tenant environments or consolidating different workloads onto a single server.

Review of AlwaysOn Availability Groups Performance

Given its importance, the 70-457 Exam may include questions related to the performance implications of AlwaysOn Availability Groups. You must understand the trade-offs between the different availability modes. Using the synchronous-commit mode provides the highest level of data protection (zero data loss) but at the cost of increased transaction latency, as the primary replica must wait for an acknowledgment from the secondary before committing the transaction. The performance impact is directly related to the network latency between the replicas.

The asynchronous-commit mode, on the other hand, provides better transaction performance because the primary does not wait for the secondary. However, it introduces the risk of some data loss in a disaster recovery scenario. A key performance benefit of Availability Groups is the ability to use readable secondary replicas. Offloading reporting queries to these replicas can significantly improve the performance and throughput of the primary OLTP workload.

Comprehensive Review of "What's New"

In your final preparation for the 70-457 Exam, it is essential to conduct a rapid-fire review of all the major new features introduced in SQL Server 2012. This exam is a test of your knowledge of the delta between versions. Create a flashcard or a single-page summary for each key new technology. Your list should absolutely include: AlwaysOn Availability Groups, Contained Databases, Columnstore Indexes, the SSAS Tabular Model, the SSIS Project Deployment Model, Data Quality Services, and Power View.

For each of these topics, you should be able to state its primary purpose, the business problem it solves, and how it differs from or improves upon the technology available in SQL Server 2008. This focused review will ensure that the most important new concepts are fresh in your mind when you sit for the exam. These are the topics that are most likely to be heavily weighted.

Deconstructing Exam Question Formats

The questions on a transition exam like the 70-457 Exam are often framed in a specific way. They will frequently present a scenario where a company is using SQL Server 2008 and is facing a particular challenge or limitation. The question will then ask you to identify the new feature in SQL Server 2012 that would be the best solution to this problem. This requires you to not only know the new features but also to understand the weaknesses of the older version.

For example, a question might describe the difficulty of offloading reporting traffic from a mirrored database in SQL Server 2008. Your task would be to identify that readable secondary replicas in an AlwaysOn Availability Group are the new solution for this. Be prepared for these types of comparative, scenario-based questions that test your ability to apply your knowledge of the new features to solve real-world problems.

Final Exam Preparation Strategy

Your entire study plan for the 70-457 Exam should be built around the theme of "what's new." Do not spend any time re-studying general SQL Server concepts that you should already know from your MCTS on SQL Server 2008. Your focus must be 100% on the differences introduced in SQL Server 2012. The official Microsoft Press training kit for the MCSA: SQL Server 2012 certification is an excellent resource, as are the official whitepapers and documentation from that time period.

Hands-on practice is critical. You cannot pass this exam by just reading. You must build a lab and work with the new features. Configure an Availability Group. Create a Tabular model. Deploy an SSIS project to the SSIS Catalog. This practical experience will be essential for answering the exam questions correctly. Finally, taking high-quality practice exams will help you gauge your readiness and get accustomed to the style of questions on a transition exam.

Conclusion

Passing the 70-457 Exam is a significant achievement, but it is important to remember that it is only the first part of the two-step transition process to achieve the MCSA: SQL Server 2012 certification. After passing this exam, you would then need to prepare for and pass the second transition exam, the 70-458, which covers the remaining new features and objectives.

Achieving the full MCSA: SQL Server 2012 certification is a valuable credential that validates your skills on what was a major and influential release of the product. Many of the features introduced in this version, such as AlwaysOn, columnstore indexes, and the Tabular model, became the foundation for all future versions of SQL Server. Mastering them through this certification track provides a strong base for continued learning and career growth as a database professional.

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