What Skills Does Microsoft Exam 98-364 Measure?

Microsoft is one of the most influential and leading producers of software and personal computers. The company basically focuses on the implementation of applications, which are innovative and cutting edge. A developer of the company is committed to providing the best features to the customers of Microsoft. Microsoft has the best developers in the world and this is the very reason why the company holds different exams that provide opportunities for different people to excel in their careers.

The Microsoft MTA 98-364 Database Fundamentals is a test that is primarily based on database administration. There are several skills which this exam primarily measures and some of these skills have been discussed in the headings below:

• Data Concepts

20-25% questions in the exam are related to data concepts. Some of the things which you need to prepare for in this regard are:

• You need to understand how the data is stored inside the tables.
• You need to understand the dynamics of the table as well as how it is linked to the data which is going to be stored in it.
• You have to understand the database concepts that are relational in nature.
• You need to understand the dynamics of a relational database.
• You have to have a deep understanding of management systems involving the relational database.
• You need to have a thorough understanding of the data manipulation language.
• You need to know what DML is and what its role in the database is.
• You need to learn about data definition language.
• You have to understand how T-SQL can be utilized to develop database objects like views and tables.

• Database Objects

You need to learn about the creation of database objects as around 20 to 25% of the questions revolve around it.

• You need to learn about the different data types.
• You need to understand how the data actually impacts the storage requirements.
• You need to learn about the tables and the ways of their creation.
• You need to prepare tables in the database by utilizing proper ANSI SQL syntax.
• You need to learn how to create views.
• You need to learn how to create a view utilizing a graphical designer or T-SQL.
• You need to understand and learn to develop stored functions and procedures.
• You must know how to select, delete, update, and insert the data.

• Data Manipulation

Around 25 to 30% of the exam questions are related to data manipulation. Some of the key things which you need to learn about in this aspect are as follows:

• You must learn how to utilize select queries to extract the data from one table.
• You need to understand how the data is actually inserted into the database. You must have a fair knowledge about the insert statements.
• You have to learn how data is actually updated in the database.
• You must also know how to write the updated data to the database utilizing the right UPDATE statements. You need to update by utilizing a table.
• You need to understand how to delete data from multiple and single tables. You need to ensure the integrity of the data by effectively utilizing transactions.

• Data Storage

Around 15-20% of the exam questions are related to data storage. There are many things which you need to learn about as far as data storage is concerned.

• You need to learn about the reasons for normalization.
• You must learn about the 5 levels of normalization.
• You need to understand how a database is normalized to third normal form.
• You need to understand the composite, primary and foreign keys.
• You have to have a firm grip on non-clustered and clustered indexes. You also need to learn about their purpose in the database.

• Database Administration

10-15% of the questions in the exam are related to database administration. Some key things to focus on in this regard are:

• You need to understand the security concepts of the database.
• You need to understand which objects can be secured and which objects cannot be secured.
• You also need to learn about database restore and backups.
• You need to learn about the different types of backups, the importance of backups and restoration of a database.

General Preparation Guidelines

We have already seen the key areas of the MTA 98-364 exam. Now let’s see some of the general preparation tips.

• You need to develop a thorough understanding of fundamental database conceptions. There are around 29 different questions in this section hence you need to prepare well from PrepAway.
• As mentioned already, you need to search for the relevant material from the Internet related to the database objects. There are 28 questions in this section hence this section cannot be taken lightly.
• Yes, the exam can be difficult however there are many resource materials available on the Internet from where you can find plenty of practice questions.

Conclusion

The Microsoft MTA certification is an excellent credential to have under your belt. It can really help you as far as excelling in your career is concerned. Yes, initially you will find it a little difficult to prepare for this exam however the first step is the most difficult one. Once you start preparing, you will see that you will start picking up concepts very fast. There are a lot of tutorials available on the Internet from which you can seek help however ensure that you take the study materials from the credible forums only. You do not want to waste your time to be preparing through irrelevant learning tools. Moreover, there are many videos also available online, which you can watch on the subject.

Well, what are you waiting for? Quickly register for the 98-364 exam before it’s too late.