Are you a database administrator who wants to add design and development skills to your toolkit? Then this CBT Nuggets SQL Server 2008 Exam-Pack 70-450 training pack is for you.

SQL Server 2008 brings you lots of terrific features. Shared server-wide management capability allows you to automate processes, schedule tasks and set performance alerts. Plus you can edit and insert code and run reports.

Trainer Don Jones begins his video series with the basics: SQL terminology, how relational databases work, how they store and retrieve data and the fundamentals of the T-SQL language. Then he teaches you how to install, migrate, upgrade and consolidate your data from previous SQL versions to 2008 SQL Server. Plus, he shows you how some of the “handy” tips and tricks you may have used in earlier versions of SQL can trip you up in SQL Server 2008.

Don’s training covers SQL Server management studio — SQL Server 2008’s all-in-one interface — and SQL Server Configuration Manager — which gives you complete control over all SQL Server 2008 Services. It also covers plenty of other advanced features, including:

* Installation, verifying and launching Server Management tools

* Instance and Object Security Authentication

* Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)

* High Availability Overview, clustering, failover and replication

* Backup, restore and testing recovery models

Once you’ve finished the series, you’ll be installing and managing SQL Server 2008 in a variety of situations. As a result of this training you’ll:

* increase your database reliability

* optimize your database security

* enhance the overall performance of your databases

Exam Information:
This video series is mapped to Microsoft’s 70-450 exam. Passing this exam moves you closer to being a fully-certified Database Administrator (DBA). When combined with MCTS SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance certification (exam 70-432), you earn prestigious MCITP Certification for SQL Server 2008. (Training for MCTS exam 70-432 will be available from CBT Nuggets later this year.)

Exam pack 70-450 contains the following videos:

* Introduction and Overview

* SQL Server 2008 Functional Concepts and Architecture

* SQL Server 2008 Physical Concepts and Architecture

* Planning a SQL Server 2008 Installation

* Installing SQL Server 2008

* Creating and Using a Database

* Migrating, Consolidating, and Upgrading

* SQL Server Instance Security

* SQL Server Database Security

* High Availability Overview

* Backing up SQL Server

* Restoring SQL Server

* Database Mirroring and Clustering (free video)

* Monitoring SQL Server

* SQL Server Performance Optimization

* Maintaining SQL Server

* Managing SQL Server

* Using SQL Server Agent

* Distributing Data with SQL Server Integration Services

* Linked Servers and Replication

Here’s what you’ll learn in each video of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008: Exam-Pack 70-450 Series:

Video 1 - “Introduction and Overview” - Review the table of contents for this series of nuggets, and introduction to the SQL Server 2008 tools.

Video 2 - “SQL Server 2008 Functional Concepts and Architecture” - Terminology, the purpose of SQL Server, the T-SQL language, Data Definition Language vs. Data Manipulation Language, and how databases work: How data is stored in pages, how filestreams and blobs work, other data types, the function of the transaction log, how database indexes work, and how database triggers work.

Video 3 - “SQL Server 2008 Physical Concepts and Architecture” - CPU, memory, and storage concerns; SQL Server services; database physical architecture, database file placement strategies.

Video 4 - “Planning a SQL Server 2008 Installation” - Planning for instances, planning for storage, planning for security, planning for availability.

Video 5 - “Installing SQL Server 2008″ - Preparing for the installation, performing the installation, verifying the installation, and launching SQL Server management tools.

Video 6 - “Creating and Using a Database” - Creating a database, database options, creating a table, executing a query, managing the database file.

Video 7 - “Migrating, Consolidating, and Upgrading” - Generation migration and consolidation concerns, instance configuration options, database configuration options, SQL Server version upgrades.

Video 8 - “SQL Server Instance Security” - Instance-level authentication, instance-level security - including service accounts, endpoint security, TCP ports and SSL certificates, etc.

Video 9 - “SQL Server Database Security” - Database and object security, ownership chains, designing security policies and audit plans, SQL Server encryption options - including Transparent Data Encryption (TDE).

Video 10 - “High Availability Overview” - Goals of high availability, hardware, failover clustering, database mirroring, replication, and log shipping.

Video 11 - “Backing up SQL Server” - Selecting a recovery model, backup compression options, selecting a backup type, scheduling backups, file and filegroup backup schemes, verifying backups, mirrored backups.

Video 12 - “Restoring SQL Server” - Page, file, filegroup, and online restores; orphaned users; rebuilding a complete instance; encryption and recovery; recovery paths and forks; point-in-time and mark recovery; testing your recovery plan.

Video 13 - “Database Mirroring and Clustering” - Mirroring: High performance, high protection, high availability; differences between mirroring and clustering, setting up mirroring; how clustering works; setting up clustering (differences from regular setup).

Video 14 - “Monitoring SQL Server” - Monitoring options (system monitor, event logs, management views, WMI, remote monitoring, and triggers), data collectors, event notifications.

Video 15 - “SQL Server Performance Optimization” - Dedicated Administrator Connection (DAC), locking and blocking, deadlocks, index utilization, Database Tuning Advisor.

Video 16 - “Maintaining SQL Server” - Database maintenance plans, rebuilding and reorganizing indexes, how the Query Optimizer works, maintaining the Query Optimizer (statistics).

Video 17 - “Managing SQL Server” - Managing resource utilization (Resource Governor and Query Governor), policy-based management, data compression strategies, automating SQL Server management (PowerShell, Agent, DDL triggers, etc).

Video 18 - “Using SQL Server Agent” - Creating and managing jobs, proxies, multi-server administration, scheduling jobs.

Video 19 - “Distributing Data with SQL Server Integration Services” - Introducing SSIS, SSIS package security options, scheduling SSIS packages, deploying SSIS packages.

Video 20 - “Linked Servers and Replication” - Linked servers and connection strings, introducing replication, replication types, understanding replication conflicts, health monitoring for replication, horizontal and virtual partitioning in replication.

All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective holders.