Study material for exam 70-462 Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and 2014 Databases

By: Daniel Calbimonte   |   Updated: 2016-11-09   |   Comments (5)   |   Related: More > Professional Development Certifications

Problem

I would like to know what books, videos, links and advice you could provide to pass the Microsoft exam Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 Databases (Exam 70-462)?

Solution

In this tip, we will provide links to articles, books and other training material to help you pass the 70-462 exam.

What is the 70-462 certification exam?

This exam is for SQL Server 2012 and 2014 focusing on Administering SQL Server.

What is the price for the exam?

It depends on the country. In USA and Australia the price is $165. In Latin America and Africa it is usually $80 and in Europe €165. In Asia, it depends on the country.

What books can I read to pass the exam?

None of these books covers the exam 100%, however they are a good start:

•  The official book is the Training Kit (Exam 70-462) Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases (MCSA). This book is a good way to start, but reading the book several times is not enough to pass the certification. However, if you read all the book references, it will help a lot.
•  Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Administration is a very nice book to learn SQL Server Administration. It covers most of the topics in detail and in some cases it goes further. This book is not oriented to pass the exam, but it has really nice topics.
•  Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Administration: Real-World Skills for MCSA Certification and Beyond (Exams 70-461, 70-462, and 70-463) is a book for beginners. You cannot pass the exam with this book. It is a nice book to introduce yourself to SQL Server and it has nice examples for daily administration tasks. It complements the other books.
•  MCSA Guide to Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (Exam 70-462) does not contain as much information as the other books. It is a complementary book. I recommend it if you do not feel secure with the other books and want to read a little more.
•  MCSE Exams 70-461 & 70-462 Self-Practice Review Questions 2015 Edition contains 100 questions to practice. The questions are not as complex as the real exam, but it is a good way to start practicing for the exam.
•  Here is a site with free books not oriented to the exam directly, but if you read them all you will be overqualified in several topics for the exam: Other SQL Server books.

Are there some practice exams?

Yes, there are several companies that offer practice exams. Here are some:

1.  Mindhub, a division of Pearson is the official practice exam.
2.  Boson offers nice practice exams and labs. It has two exams; one of them has 118 questions and another with 150 questions. The practice labs are nice because you have access to remote machines for practice.
3.  Transcender is another good choice. It includes exam questions and practice exams. It includes 132 questions.
4.  MeasureUp is another option. It contains 160 questions.
5.  Selftest is another company. It includes 50 questions.

Can I access virtual labs to practice for the exam?

It is complicated to setup an environment especially if you are new.  Microsoft offers Virtual Labs for free to practice and to checkout features. However, you can ignore the steps on the labs and do whatever you want on the labs in order to study for your exam. The environments are ready to use:

• Microsoft Virtual Labs

Which forums are recommended to ask questions?

The forums will not only help you to ask questions about the certification exam, but also with real life questions to get familiar with the SQL Server Administration world. Here are some:

• MSDN or Technet the Microsoft official forums. The main advantage is that it has forums in multiple languages.
• StackOverFlow it is a very popular technical site to ask questions about different technologies including SQL Server Databases.
• SQLServerCentral is a forum specialized in SQL Server.
• SQLTeam is another alternative to ask questions.

Which courses do you recommend for this certification?

• The official Microsoft is Course 20462D Administering Microsoft® SQL Server® 2014 Databases.
• Another popular course is on PluralSight which has 3 parts of 14 hours in total.
• Microsoft Virtual Academy includes a nice course which is free. The assessment is not similar to the Microsoft exam.
• Udemy is offering this course at a very cheap price.

Which videos do you recommend for this certification?

• MSSQLTIPS webcasts, there are several recorded webcasts.
• Channel 9 is an invaluable resource for new features in SQL 2014. It includes great conferences with Microsoft experts.
• YouTube has thousands of tutorials about SQL Server.
• Veam offers some basic videos about SQL Server.
• DBTNuggets offers 22 videos with a total of 13 hours.

Are there some recommended white papers?

Here are some great whitepapers that will help.

• MSSQLTIPS SQL Server Whitepapers
• White Paper Gallery for SQL Server
• SQLPASS Whitepapers

Any other tips for the exam?

There are sometimes special offers for a free second shot to take the exam. Ask the testing center for promotions. Take your time and review your questions. If the exam is in English and it is not your native language, you will have extra time.

Is it similar to the 70-432 exam?

Yes, it adds some new topics, but it is similar. If you took the 70-432 exam, it will not be too difficult.

What is the passing score?

700 out of 1000.

What other things to you recommend to read?

Here are some links to read:

Install and configure

• Plan installation
  • Planning a SQL Server Installation
  • SQLIO Tutorial for Benchmarking Hard Drive Performance
  • Install SQL Server 2014 on Server Core
  • Benchmarking SQL Server IO with SQLIO
  • SQL Server Hardware Configuration Best Practices
  • Securing SQL Server
  • SQL Server Hardware
  • Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server 2014
  • Surface Area Configuration
• Install SQL Server and related services
  • How to: Verify a Connection to the Database Server
  • How to partition and format your hard drive in Windows
  • Install Integration Services
  • Install SQL Server 2014 from the Installation Wizard (Setup)
• Implement a migration strategy
  • SQL Server backup/restore vs. detach/attach
  • SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) Team's Blog
  • Migrate the Correct Logins with a SQL Server Database
  • Move a database from one server to another server in SQL Server
• Configure additional SQL Server components
  • SQL Server backup/restore vs. detach/attach
  • Security Overview (Integration Services)
  • Full-Text Search.
  • FILESTREAM (SQL Server).
  • FileTable Feature in SQL Server 2012.
  • Using FILESTREAM to Store BLOBs in the NTFS File System.
• Manage SQL Server Agent
  • SQL Server Agent
  • SQL Server Multi Server Administration
  • SQL Server Agent Tips

Maintain instances and databases

• Manage and configure databases
  • SQL Server Partitioned Tables with Multiple Filegroups for High Availability
  • View or Change the Properties of a Database
  • Implementing Transparent Data Encryption in SQL Server
  • SQL Server 2012 Contained Database Feature
  • Move data between SQL Server database filegroups
  • Top Tips for Effective SQL Server Database Maintenance
  • SQL Server Recovery Models
  • DBCC (Transact-SQL)
• Configure SQL Server instances
  • Import SQL Server Database Engine Policies with Policy Based Management
  • View or Change Server Properties (SQL Server)
  • Setup SQL Server Database Mail to use a Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL account
  • SQL Server Database Mail Tips
  • Instance Configuration
  • Configure Database Mail
  • Understanding SQL Server Index Fill Factor Setting
  • SQL Server Failover Cluster Installation
  • sp_configure (Transact-SQL)
  • Best Practices for Virtualizing and Managing SQL Server - Microsoft
  • SQL Server on VMware Best Practices Guide
  • SQL Server Virtualization Overview (Part 1 of 5)
  • A Sysadmin’s Guide to Microsoft SQL Server Memory
  • MSDTC Recommendations on SQL Failover Cluster
  • Different ways to determine free space for SQL Server databases and database files
  • Affinity mask Server Configuration Option
  • SQL Server Compression Tips
• Implement a SQL Server clustered instance
  • SQL Server Failover Cluster Installation
  • SQL Server Multi-Subnet Clustering (SQL Server)
  • How to Failover the ‘Cluster Group’ and ‘Available Storage” Cluster Groups
• Manage SQL Server instances
  • Instance Configuration
• Work with Multiple Versions and Instances of SQL Server
• Best Practices for Patching SQL Server
• SQL Server Resource Governor Tips
• Best Practice Recycling SQL Server Agent Error Logs
• Cycle SQL Server Error Logs based on size using PowerShell

Optimize and troubleshoot

• Identify and resolve concurrency problems
  • SQL Server Concurrency: Locking, Blocking and Row Versioning
  • Performance Tuning with SQL Server Dynamic Management Views
  • A Microsoft SQL Server DMV/DMF Cheat-Sheet
  • Detecting and Ending Deadlocks
  • Dynamic Management Views and Functions (Transact-SQL)
• Collect and analyze troubleshooting data
  • Mastering SQL Server Profiler
  • Monitor Resource Usage (System Monitor)
  • Give SQL Server users access to Extended Events
  • Extended Events
  • Dynamic Management Views
  • Data Collection
  • Identify Bottlenecks
  • SQL Server Performance Tuning Tips
• Audit SQL Server instances.
  • Configure Login Auditing (SQL Server Management Studio)
  • Configuring Alerts for SQL Server Policy Based Management
  • SQL Server Auditing and Compliance Tips
  • Auditing Failed Logins in SQL Server
  • Prevent and Log Certain SQL Server Login Attempts
  • Use Extended Events to Get More Information About failed SQL Server Login Attempts

Manage Data

• Configure and maintain a back-up strategy
  • Back Up and Restore of SQL Server Databases.
  • Back Up and Restore of System Databases (SQL Server)
  • SQL Server point in time restore
  • BACKUP (Transact-SQL)
  • Copy Only Backup for SQL Server
  • How to Back Up Terabytes of Databases
  • SQL SERVER – Corrupted Backup File and Unsuccessful Restore
  • Checking to make sure a SQL Server backup is useable
  • Using Page Level Restore as a Disaster Recovery Procedure in SQL Server
  • Restoring the SQL Server Master Database Even Without a Backup
• Restore databases
  • Recovering a SQL Server TDE Encrypted Database Successfully
  • Troubleshooting and Fixing SQL Server Page Level Corruption
  • SQL Server point in time restore
  • Restore Pages (SQL Server)
  • Restore Files and Filegroups (SQL Server)
  • RESTORE (Transact-SQL)
• Implement and maintain indexes
  • Stairway to SQL Server Indexes
  • SQL Server Full Text Search Tips
  • Stairway to Columnstore Indexes
  • Full-Text Search
  • DBCC INDEXDEFRAG (Transact-SQL)
• Import and export data
  • SQL Server Import and Export Wizard
  • Different Options for Importing Data into SQL Server
  • Stairway to SQL Server Integration Services
  • BCP Utility
  • BULK INSERT (Transact-SQL)

Implement security

• Manage logins and server roles
  • SQL Server Security Tips
  • Protecting SQL Server Data
  • Server-Level Roles
  • Understanding SQL Server fixed server roles
  • Permissions (Database Engine)
  • Where Does SQL Server Store Its Certificates
  • Module Signing (Database Engine)
  • SQL Server User Defined Server Roles
• Manage database security
  • Understanding SQL Server fixed database roles
  • SQL Server Audit (Database Engine)
  • SQL Server Encryption
  • SQL Management Studio – How to create read only users
• Manage users and database roles
  • Database-Level Roles
  • Create a Database User
  • SQL Server 2012 Contained Database Feature.
  • CREATE USER (Transact-SQL)
  • Authorization and Permissions in SQL Server
• Troubleshoot security
  • SQL Server Certificates and Asymmetric Keys
  • Implementing Endpoints
  • SQL Server Endpoints: Soup to Nuts

Implement high availability

• Implement AlwaysOn
  • AlwaysOn in Microsoft SQL Server 2014
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 AlwaysOn (High Availability and Disaster Recovery)
  • Always On Availability Groups (SQL Server)
  • SQL Server high availability with AlwaysOn - First Look
• Implement replication
  • Step By Step SQL Server Log Shipping
  • SQL Server Replication Tips
  • SQL Server Replication

Next Steps

Here are a few more links that will be useful to you:

• Exam 70-462
• Get study resources from learners like you
• 70-462 forums

About the author

Daniel Calbimonte is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer and 6-time Microsoft Certified IT Professional. Daniel started his career in 2001 and has worked with SQL Server 6.0 to 2022. Daniel is a DBA as well as specializes in Business Intelligence (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) technologies.

This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.

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