My last blog post for a week or two, I'm about to go on holiday and although I look forward to this, I also am looking forward to returning to work. Why? Well, work starts with the MCT Summit in York. This promises to be a great event, it's a true Labor of Love by a team of MCTs who have done a terrific job at preparing exciting content as well as inviting fantastic speakers.
MCT Summits are also great community networking events. I just spoke with Andrew Bettany, an MCT at the University of York who is the mastermind behind this event. As I was wondering 'how international' this event would really be, he told me that - with three weeks to go - 160 MCTs from 38 countries are now planning to attend! I am really excited at the prospect of catching up with MCTs from all over the world; just browsing through the list right now I'm pleasantly surprised to not only see MCTs from the UK and surrounding countries but also MCTs from Hong Kong, Israel, Russia, Senegal etc. etc.. I cannot wait and recommend the event to any MCT who is still 'tentative' for this, York here we come :-).
Recently we published Course 10175A, Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010, Application Development. I’d like to highlight the course today because of the way it was produced.
This course is part of the upcoming Microsoft Learning SharePoint 2010 portfolio, and is targeted at SharePoint developers. Microsoft Learning worked with the SharePoint business group to recruit SharePoint industry experts to help determine what areas should be covered in the training as well as the exam objectives to which this course maps. Following this, Martin Harwar was brought on board to develop the course. Martin is Chief Solution Architect at Point8020 Limited and has over 10 years of experience creating training materials for Microsoft. He is a SharePoint specialist and contributes to training, whitepapers, evaluation guides, and other technical material released by the SharePoint product group at Microsoft. Martin is a SharePoint Most Valuable Professional (MVP).
Martin worked closely with the Microsoft Learning internal team to create the Labs, Virtual Machines, and supporting content in record time. By working directly with the Microsoft Learning content development team, the team worked fast and efficiently whilst the author could focus on writing the course itself. “So why is that different, why is that new?” you could ask. Well, this ‘author development model’ allows the author to completely concentrate on content development, while minimizing potential distraction that can occur as a natural result of interfacing with the development and review process, tools, and interactions with the various project roles at different stages of the project. Basically, the author knows what he or she is directly responsible for without worrying about all the plumbing being place.
MSL will continue this trend in the future: recruiting the best, industry-recognized experts to write our MOC and partnering with them directly from course conception to completion to ensure the highest quality training experience for our customers and MCTs.
We would love to hear from people who have taken this course, let us know what you think!
Last week, Microsoft released Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) beta at their Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC). Monday, I received noticed that I needed to install it on my work system. Like most updates, it took minutes to install and I was back to work-as-usual.
For many enterprises, the release of SP1 beta is the green flag to begin testing and deploying Windows 7. If you’re an IT professional now is the time to start mastering the intricacies of installing and maintaining Windows 7 systems.
A great way to start is by signing up to receive free Microsoft Press online book chapters about Windows 7. Chapters are from “Windows 7 Step by Step,” “Windows 7 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant,” and six other books. Learn more and sign up to receive Windows 7 chapters.
If you’re currently certification in Windows XP or 2000, you might want to explore your options for growing your Windows skills. If you’re new to certification or simply want to discover training resources, visit the Windows 7 training portal.
And don’t forget to visit the many resources on the Windows Client TechCenter and TechNet such as this recently published Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals.
The MCITP: Installation and Configuration for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 certificate is also not available via the Certificate Manager tool and we are targeting the beginning of September for when this certificate will be available.
We understand the importance of having your certificate available after you earn your certification and apologize for the inconvenience in the delay. We are currently working through the process of releasing the impacted certificates to our Certificate Manager tool and will be making them available as soon as possible.
We're on hiatus for the summer, but if you missed any of the Live Meetings for Managers you can view on-demand any time. Check out the great presentations created specifically to help managers of IT professionals and developers understand the value of certification for their teams, take advantage of training opportunities, and ensure employees have the skills to perform at their very best.
Whatever happened to the MCSE? (and what’s this MCITP?)Learn how current Microsoft certifications —Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)— measure up and work together to help you identify skilled candidates and validate knowledge of current Microsoft technologies.
Best Practices in IT Staff Skills Development Keith Mayer, Microsoft Certified Learning Consultant, explains how enterprise organizations are successfully leveraging Microsoft learning and certification resources to build structured IT skills development plans.
Get Ahead with Microsoft Software Assurance Benefits Learn how to lower your training costs and ready your team for Microsoft technologies by maximizing your Software Assurance benefits, including training vouchers, services for deployment, and much more.
The Business Value of Windows 7 – Training for ROIRobert Kratzke explains how training and MCTS and MCITP certifications on Windows 7 can help insure a successful implementation and provide a faster return on your investment.
The Truth About Certification ExamsJoin psychometrician Liberty Munson for a behind-the-scenes look into how Microsoft works to help ensure that certification exams are a valid measure of technical skills.
Exam Forensics and What Microsoft Is Doing to Catch the CheatersHear what Microsoft and other organizations are doing to protect certification from "brain-dump" providers, proxy test-takers, and score-report fraud.
If you want to get our new Live Meetings for Managers schedule as soon as its published, sign up to receive information and special offers exclusively for IT tem managers.
Check out all the new titles that have been released! We've just added Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010/Sharepoint integration deep-dive Web cast,and a series of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, NAV 2009 and CRM 4.0 eLearning and Learning Snacks! Just sign into PartnerSource to get the latest and greatest!
Hello Born to Learners,
After a deep dive into Microsoft Learning certification, the American Council on Education College Recommendation Reviewers (ACE), has recommended 21 Microsoft exams/certifications for college credit!
By connecting Microsoft Certification with college credit, it helps us bridge the gap to merging workforce training with higher education. Now, when you pass one of the 21 recommended Microsoft certifications/exams, you are able to receive college credit! In addition, if you have taken the exams within the last 3 years you can also get credit through the ACE transcript service. By receiving a college equivalency recommendation, this also makes Microsoft certifications eligible for Corporate Tuition Assistance! This means that if your company offers Corporate Tuition Assistance as a benefit and you would like to take a Microsoft Certification, 21 are now eligible for Corporate Tuition Assistance Funding. Please keep in mind that each company has differing policies, so please connect with your Human Resources department for more information.
To learn more about the certifications and exams recommended for college credit, please visit the ACE National Guide for a description of Microsoft Learning, details on each certifications/exams, and next steps for receiving credit.
Below is a list of the certifications/exams, credit recommendation, and associated level (lower = community college and freshman – sophomore; upper = more senior level)
Certification Title
Credit Hours
Level
1. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator Windows Server 2008
4
Upper
2. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Server Administrator, Windows Server 2008
3
Lower
3. Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) Windows Server 2003
4. Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Windows Server 2003
6
3 Upper, 3 Lower
5. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Database Administrator, SQL 2005
6. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Database Developer, SQL 2005
7. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: .Net Framework 2.0 Web Applications, Visual Studio 2005
2
8. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007– Configuration
1
9. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Messaging Administrator, Exchange 2007
10. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance
11. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Database Administrator, SQL Server 2008
12. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Database Developer, SQL Server 2008
13. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET Applications, Visual Studio 2008
14. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Desktop Administrator 7, Windows 7
15. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007–Configuring
16. Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Managing Projects
17. Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Messaging Administrator, Exchange 2010
18. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Virtualization, Configuration
19. Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
20. Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2005
21. Microsoft Windows Vista Configuration
In addition to Microsoft Technical Certifications, you may also receive college credit for passing Microsoft Office Certifications for 2003, 2007 and 2007! Visit our Microsoft Learning Website for more information
Interested in getting credit? Follow these steps:
1. ENROLL IN THE ACE TRANSCRIPT SERVICE
2. SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATIONS FOR VERIFICATION
3. SEND YOUR ACE TRANSCRIPT TO YOUR SCHOOL
Thank you!
Alissa Goldstein
Program Manager, IT Academy
[8/30/10 Editor's Note] - If you're having trouble finding the courses, use this link: http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.getOrganizationDetail&FICE=1006810 or select their National Guide and you'll find Microsoft under M
Playing catch-up with some new pages we’ve posted to our site recently—thought you guys might be interested to know:
Do you have work experience focused on AppFabric and API specific development tasks associated with Windows Azure applications? Want to help us create the first Windows Azure exam? Here’s your chance! We are looking for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the following exam:
We’ll be using the MSL SME database to find participants for blueprinting as well as other phases of development for this exam. For your best chance of participating, create a SME profile by filling out the survey on the MSL SME site on Microsoft Connect. (See this post for complete instructions.)
Please note that if you already filled out your SME profile, you’ll need to go back and update it. Krista changed the answer options for “Which technologies do you have work experience with?” to include Windows Azure. We’ll be looking for folks who selected Windows Azure on this question to help develop this exams. If you filled out your SME profile awhile ago, this option was not available for you to select.
Today we had over 1,000 developers take part in Windows Phone 7 Jump Start Session 1 and Session 2. It was a great event with lots of jokes, demos, and fun. Windows Phone 7 Jump Start training continues on Thursday. In fact, registration is still open for Session 3 and Session 4. Feel free to sign up if you haven't already. Here's what to expect for the remaining two sessions:
For more details, see the Windows Phone 7 Jump Start blog, forum, and class resource page (for hand outs and demo files used for each session).
Please note:
1. Microsoft Official Courses (MOC) are instructor-led training courses offered by our Certified Partners. Not all classes will be offered by all partners. Find a training center through Class Locator and see if they will be offering the course you need.
2. Community Courses (CC) are instructor-led training courses offered by our Certified Partners wherein the content is authored by our learning community.
3. General Availability for MOC and CC is dependent on our Certified Partners, but the earliest is Orderable Date + 7 days.
4. Products with no link currently don’t have a URL – search for the course in the training catalog
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
Microsoft Office 2010
Microsoft Essential Business Server
Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Title
Type
RTM (MCT Availability)
Orderable Date (MPN Availability)
General Availability
Deploying Exchange Server 2010
E-Learning
7/23
Configuring Mailbox Servers in Exchange Server 2010
Managing Recipient Objects in Exchange Server 2010
Managing Client Access in Exchange Server 2010
Configuring Message Transport in Exchange Server 2010
Implementing Messaging Security in Exchange Server 2010
Implementing High Availability in Exchange Server 2010
Implementing Backup and Recovery in Exchange Server 2010
Configuring Messaging Policy and Compliance for Exchange Server 2010
Maintaining Exchange Server 2010
Managing Mailbox Servers and Recipients in Exchange Server 2010
Managing Message Transport and Security in Exchange Server 2010
Implementing High Availability and Disaster Recovery in Exchange Server 2010
Configuring Messaging Policy and Compliance in Exchange Server 2010
Introduction to Planning an Exchange Server 2010 Deployment
Planning the Exchange Server 2010 Infrastructure Environment
Planning and Deploying Client Access Services in Exchange Server 2010
Planning and Deploying Message Transport in Exchange Server 2010
Planning and Deploying Mailbox Services in Exchange Server 2010
Planning and Deploying Messaging Security in Exchange Server 2010
Planning and Deploying Messaging Compliance in Exchange Server 2010
Planning and Deploying High Availability in Exchange Server 2010
Planning and Implementing Disaster Recovery in Exchange Server 2010
Transitioning to Exchange Server 2010
Configuring, Managing and Troubleshooting Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 (German, Japanese, French)
MOC
7/30
8/16 (Japanese, French), 8/30 (German)
8/23 (Japanese, French), 9/6 (German)
What’s New in Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 for IT Professionals
7/21
TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring (German, French, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil))
Exam
7/27, 9/30 (Portuguese(Brazil))
Beginner Skills in Microsoft® Outlook® 2010 (Italian, French)
7/19
8/2
8/9
What’s New in Microsoft® Office® 2010
7/28
8/11
8/18
Beginner Skills in Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010 (Spanish, Japanese)
Beginner Skills in Microsoft® Outlook® 2010 (German)
Beginner Skills in Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010 (German)
Skills Training in Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010
7/29
8/12
8/19
Beginner Skills Training in Microsoft® Visio® 2010
Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010 Part 1 - Setting up a New Site
Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010 Part 2 – Workflows
Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010 Part 3 - Content Types
Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010 Part 4 – Integrating Business Data
What's New in Microsoft® Access® 2010 (German, Spanish, Japanese)
Now
What's New in Microsoft® Publisher 2010 (German, Spanish, Japanese)
What's New in Microsoft® Visio® 2010 (German, Spanish, Japanese)
Skills Training in Microsoft® Outlook® 2010 (German, Spanish, Japanese)
Skills Training in Microsoft® Word 2010 (German, Spanish, Japanese)
Skills Training in Microsoft® Excel® 2010 (Spanish)
Configuring, Implementing, and Managing Windows® Essential Business Server 2008
Implementing and Managing Microsoft® Server Virtualization
7/20
8/3
8/10
Fundamentals of Windows Server® 2008 Network and Applications Infrastructure (Spanish)
8/13
8/20
Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server® 2008 Active Directory® Domain Services (Spanish)
Configuring and Troubleshooting Internet Information Services in Windows Server® 2008 (Spanish)
A new version of LCDS, the Microsoft Learning Content Development System, is always great news. This is a very valuable and professional tool for anyone in the Microsoft Learning community who wishes to create high-quality and interactive online courses.
Using LCDS, you can publish e-learning courses by completing the easy-to-use LCDS forms that seamlessly generate highly customized content, including interactive activities, quizzes, games, assessments, animations, demos, and other instructionally engaging elements.
Download LCDS v2.5 now!
New v2.5 feature for learners and authors of E-Learning courses and Learning Snacks include:
Also available on the site are 7 localized LCDS v2.3 versions: Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese Simplified, Russian, Hindi, Polish, Turkish, and Spanish.
Looking for a growth business to add to your specializations? Consider Windows Embedded: not only is the demand for skilled professionals growing, there’s also a great Windows Embedded Developer Center to help you get started, and a list of classroom training options here..
This month, we’re celebrating our 1,000th MCTS in Windows Embedded technologies and looking forward to a lot more in the coming years. Read more about Windows Embedded certification to find out if you should be one of our next thousand members!
Just got a note from MVP/MCP/MCT and generous guy Arnie Rowland through LinkedIn, letting me know that a group of Microsoft MVPs are giving away a pretty amazing array of developer tools, software, books, and training—a package valued at over $15,000--to an unemployed (or underemployed) developer each month for the next six months!
Is there a catch? Yeah, but it’s the best kind: the lucky recipients will use those tools to help a non-profit of their choice. Interested? See Arnie’s blog post.
Oh and Arnie: we’ll gladly kick in some certification exam vouchers for the deserving recipients. :-)
If you work for a Microsoft Certified or Gold Partner, you’re probably paying a bit more attention than usual to the news coming out of Washington, DC this week—because our annual Worldwide Partner Conference is underway and announcements abound.
But this year, in addition to the technical buzz, there’s also some meta-buzz about our new certification requirements for Advanced Gold competencies.
CRN writes,
In the past, partners obtained certification by passing relevant exams and nominating satisfied customers as referees, and having a certain number of certified professionals across a specialisation. Under the new structure, Gold membership will require five customer references and more individuals in a specific competency with less overlap between areas. As old certifications will no longer be recognised once the changes kick in this October, Microsoft is reaching out to partners to smooth the transition.
In the past, partners obtained certification by passing relevant exams and nominating satisfied customers as referees, and having a certain number of certified professionals across a specialisation. Under the new structure, Gold membership will require five customer references and more individuals in a specific competency with less overlap between areas.
As old certifications will no longer be recognised once the changes kick in this October, Microsoft is reaching out to partners to smooth the transition.
Redmond Channel Partner writes,
The name change won't dispel controversy, especially among smaller and midsize partner companies, that the advanced (now gold) competency requirements create unnecessarily high barriers against them in certain areas. For example, to earn a gold competency, one requirement is that four engineers pass exams related to the technology behind that competency, and that those same experts cannot be used toward exams for other gold competencies. Many partners are sympathetic to Microsoft's goal of creating branding that only its most capable and committed partners can meet, and the related goal of bringing down the number of partners that could claim to be top-level Microsoft partners. But many other partners have argued that the requirements of having four experts unique to every competency make little sense in areas where competencies overlap.
The name change won't dispel controversy, especially among smaller and midsize partner companies, that the advanced (now gold) competency requirements create unnecessarily high barriers against them in certain areas. For example, to earn a gold competency, one requirement is that four engineers pass exams related to the technology behind that competency, and that those same experts cannot be used toward exams for other gold competencies.
Many partners are sympathetic to Microsoft's goal of creating branding that only its most capable and committed partners can meet, and the related goal of bringing down the number of partners that could claim to be top-level Microsoft partners. But many other partners have argued that the requirements of having four experts unique to every competency make little sense in areas where competencies overlap.
Here’s where the controversy comes from: even though our partner program has long required certifications for specific competencies, it used to be possible for an individual with many certifications to apply those credentials across multiple competencies. In other words, a company could have six competencies even it only had 3 or 4 IT Pros or developers on staff, if those individuals had the right credentials.
Under the new program, however, each person can be mapped only to a single competency, so to earn those six hypothetical competencies, that same organization probably needs 24 IT Pros or developers instead of the 3 or 4 they had previously. Obviously, that presents some staffing challenges (to put it mildly) for small organizations who want to maintain their same competency levels.
But it’s one of those forest/trees scenarios—the point was never about the requirements, but rather about what those requirements were supposed to ensure. In other words, the entire reason we have certification requirements to begin with is to indicate to customers which partners truly specialize in a certain area.
While it’s certainly reasonable to believe that a small company with only 4 engineers could have the certifications to qualify for a half-dozen competencies, I’d seriously doubt that the company could truly say it specialized in all six areas if those 4 people were splitting their time six ways each. That’s what it’s about—truly identifying areas of specialization.
There’s a reason for our emphasis on certification. Our research shows that:
With such strong trust and value placed on our certifications, we want to ensure that when we certify our partners, we’re indicating true specialized expertise.
I know it’s easy to come up with exception scenarios, but when we’ve got a community as large as our partner program, our requirements need to be clear and consistent—we’re not able to steer by exceptions.
We know that these changes mean that some smaller partners may not be able to qualify for as many competencies under the new rules, but hopefully they’ll be more competitively positioned for the competencies they do have. We also know that even for medium and large organizations, it’s going to require some investment of time and money to meet the new skills requirements. We’ll do what we can to help ease that burden, starting with our “five-for-one” offer currently underway for WPC 2010 participants.
We’d love to hear your feedback—what do you think of our new requirements, and how will it affect your organization?
Whether you’ve had years of experience or just starting out, Windows 7 training and certification resources are available to help you master the intricacies of deploying and maintaining Windows 7 systems in companies of all sizes.
With extended support for Windows XP having ended and the expected release of the first Window 7 service pack in the coming weeks, it’s anticipated companies will start migrating their client systems to Windows 7. If you’ve been certified in Windows XP or Windows 2000, explore training, practice, and certification options for upgrading your Windows certification.
If you earned a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) certification, you can now upgrade to a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) by taking just one exam: Exam 70-682: PRO: Upgrading to Windows 7 MCITP Enterprise Desktop Support Technician.
Here are some additional training and certification resources for Windows 7.
· Windows certifications
· Windows upgrade paths
· Windows 7 training portal
Since we know you guys are always in learning about new and updated Microsoft products, we like to keep you informed of new tools, whitepapers, etc. as they release. This week’s been a busy one for our Solution Accelerators team, so forgive me for batching them all up together:
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1 - Now Available!
If you’re making the move to Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and/or Office 2010, you need tools and guidance to help you through the process. Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010, a free Solution Accelerator, is designed to fill that need.
The latest MDT 2010 Update 1 release, now available for download, offers something for everyone:
For System Center Configuration Manager 2007 customers:
For Lite Touch Installation:
For all customers:
Next Steps
Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 now available!
The new Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 5.0 is now available for download! MAP 5.0 is an agentless tool designed to simplify and streamline the IT infrastructure planning process across multiple scenarios through network-wide automated discovery and assessments. This Solution Accelerator performs an inventory of heterogeneous server environments and provides you with usage information for servers in the Core CAL Suite and SQL Server, SQL Server 2008 discovery and assessment for consolidation, Windows 2000 Server migration assessment, and a readiness assessment for the most widely used Microsoft technologies—now including Office 2010.
Is your organization spending valuable resources planning its IT infrastructure? Download the MAP Toolkit 5.0, and let this tool do the heavy lifting for a wide variety of your IT planning projects.
Next steps:
System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal 2.0 Release Candidate now available!
Looking for a solution that helps you reduce IT costs, while increasing agility for your organization?
System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Servicing Portal 2.0 lets you build the foundation for an on-premise cloud infrastructure, enabling you to deliver IT as a service for your organization.
Using SSP, you can respond more effectively—and at a lower cost—to the rapidly changing needs of your organization. SSP is freely available, and fully-supported by Microsoft.
Key Features:
Just because we’re excited about PDC coming to our living room this year doesn’t mean we don’t have something special in store for this fall’s TechEd Europe, too: this year, all TechEd attendees will receive a free subscription to TechNet!
As an IT pro or developer, you’re already familiar with TechNet On-line—but your subscription includes so much more, including free access to full versions (no time bombs, no feature limits) of pretty much all of our enterprise-focused software for evaluation.
Of course, there are lots of other reason to attend TechEd, including the ability to:
If you register by August 31, you’ll also get a €200 discount—so register now!
If you’re a developer on Microsoft technologies, you know all about TechEd and PDC, even if you’ve never attended one. We’ve been holding both conference for almost two decades (the first PDC was in 1991, and the first TechEd in 1993).
If you’ve been fortunate enough to attend either conference over the years, you’ve had the opportunity to join us in many great locations around the world. But no matter how exciting or glamorous the locale, I inevitably get the same question asked at every event: “when are you guys gonna hold this conference in Redmond?”
There’s definitely a mystique about the Microsoft campus, and it’s one I definitely understand (and still feel, even 17 years after I first set foot on campus). It’s not just the place—it’s the people. We may send a top-notch delegation of experts to New Orleans for TechEd, but there’s nothing like being able to interact with the engineers and program managers who design and build at the intricately and intimately detailed level.
But that’s simply never been an option for our premier events… until now.
That’s right—if you haven’t heard it yet, PDC 2010 will be held right here at Microsoft Corporate HQ in beautiful Redmond, Washington, USA.
I know—it’s not like you really need another reason to attend, not with Windows Phone 7 and cloud services presenting huge developer opportunities this year, but I’m giving you one anyway: the speaker line-up is bound to be spectacular, our conference facilities are wonderful, and the reception from our Redmond family will be warm and welcoming. Okay, that’s more than one reason, but I’m pretty excited—this is a big deal for us!
I hope you’ll join us in October for PDC 2010. Registration is open, so sign up today!
I'm back!!! Just barely hours after I blogged to you guys about the release of one of my courses (10266A) did I receive a mail that another title in the Visual Studio portfolio is ready to fly. This time it is the turn of 10267A: Introduction to Web Development with Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2010 to RTM. This five-day instructor-led course is intended for Web developers who are beginners and have knowledge of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or Dynamic HTML (DHTML), along with some knowledge of a scripting language such as Visual Basic Scripting Edition or Microsoft Jscript. This was authored by one of the most respected names in the Web developer space - Carsten Thomsen.
The release of two titles in quick succession is really exciting news for us. They are just an indication of the things to come with four more titles lined up for release in the coming few weeks and these two are just starting off the domino effect for the other titles in the portfolio. Very soon you will see more blog posts from me boring you to death about those titles. Once all the titles are out I believe it will offer the perfect platform for any delegate who wants to propel their career ahead in the VS/.NET developer space.
As always, we want to hear your experiences on our courseware. So please "MTM" us with your feedback after you've taken the course. I'll be back soon with the news of another title release but I will leave you guys with a bunch of details about this title.
After completing this course, students will be able to:•Explore ASP.NET Web applications in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.•Create Web applications by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft .NET–based languages.•Create a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Form.•Add functionality to a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Form.•Implement master pages and user controls.•Validate user input.•Debug Microsoft ASP.NET Web applications.•Manage data in an ASP.NET 3.5 Web application. •Manage data access tasks by using LINQ.•Manage data by using ASP.NET Dynamic Data.•Create a Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX application.•Consume and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services.•Manage state in Web applications.•Configure and deploy a Microsoft ASP.NET Web application.•Secure a Microsoft ASP.NET Web application.•Implement new technologies supported by Visual Studio 2010 for Web development.
Course OutlineModule 1: Exploring Microsoft ASP.NET Web Applications in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010This module explains the key features of Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft ASP.NET. It helps you view the complete Web application that you build in the labs throughout this courseLessons •Introduction to the .NET Framework•Overview of ASP.NET•Overview of the Lab ApplicationLab : There are no labs for this moduleAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe the .NET Framework.•Describe ASP.NET.•Describe the Lab Application.
Module 2: Creating Web Applications by Using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft .NET–Based LanguagesThis module describes the different programming languages that are available when you develop Microsoft .NET Framework applications. It explains the fundamental aspects of writing code and creating components by using two of the .NET Framework–based languages, Microsoft Visual Basic and Microsoft Visual C#. It provides an overview of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. It also explains how to create a simple Web application.Lessons •Choosing a Programming Language•Overview of Visual Studio 2010•Creating a Simple Web ApplicationLab : Creating Web Applications by Using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft .NET–Based Languages•Exercise 1: Creating an ASP.NET Web Site•Exercise 2: Adding and Configuring Server Controls in Web Forms•Exercise 3: Building and Deploying an ASP.NET Web ApplicationAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Choose a programming language.• Describe Visual Studio 2010.• Create a simple Web application.
Module 3: Creating a Microsoft ASP.NET Web FormThis module explains how to create Web Forms and populate them with server controls.Lessons •Creating Web Forms•Adding and Configuring Server Controls in a Web FormLab : Creating a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Form•Exercise 1: Creating a Web Form•Exercise 2: Adding and Configuring Server Controls in a Web FormAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Create Web Forms.•Add and configure server controls in a Web Form.
Module 4: Adding Functionality to a Microsoft ASP.NET Web FormThis module describes the various methods that you can use to add code to your Microsoft ASP.NET Web application. It explains how to use Web server controls, event handlers, code-behind files, and components. In addition, it explains how to use page events, especially the Page_Load event.Lessons •Working with Code-Behind Files•Handling Server Control Events•Creating Classes and Components by Using Visual Studio 2010•Handling Page EventsLab : Adding Functionality to a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Form• Exercise 1: Implementing Code in a Web Application•Exercise 2: Creating Event Procedures•Exercise 3: Creating an Entity Component•Exercise 4: Handling Page and Control EventsAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Work with code-behind files.•Handle server control events.•Create classes and components by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.• Handle page events.
Module 5: Implementing Master Pages and User ControlsThis module explains how to create and implement master pages and how to implement user controls in a Web application.Lessons •Creating Master Pages•Adding User Controls to an ASP.NET Web FormLab : Implementing Master Pages and User Controls•Exercise 1: Adding and Applying a Master Page•Exercise 2: Converting Web Forms to Content Pages and User ControlsAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Create master pages.•Add user controls to a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Form.
Module 6: Validating User InputThis module provides an overview of user input validation. It covers information on adding, positioning, and configuring validation controls on a Web Form. In addition, it covers information on validating Web Forms.Lessons •Overview of User Input Validation•ASP.NET Validation Controls•Validating Web FormsLab : Validating User Input•Exercise 1: Adding Validation Controls•Exercise 2: Configuring Validation Controls•Exercise 3: Adding Server-Side ValidationAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe user input validation•Implement Microsoft ASP.NET validation controls•Validate Web Forms
Module 7: Troubleshooting Microsoft ASP.NET Web ApplicationsThis module describes the steps required to enable tracing and debugging, including how you can use debugging and tracing in a Web application.Lessons •Debugging in ASP.NET•Tracing in ASP.NETLab : Debugging Microsoft ASP.NET Web Applications•Exercise 1: Debugging a Web Application•Exercise 2: Tracing a Web ApplicationAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Perform debugging in Microsoft ASP.NET•Perform tracing in ASP.NET
Module 8: Managing Data in an Microsoft ASP.NET 4.0 Web ApplicationThis module provides an overview of Microsoft ADO.NET. It explains how to programmatically work with data by using ADO.NET and how to create a connection to access the data stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database. In addition, it explains how to use the DataSet and DataReader objects to support the local data storage and data manipulation requirements of Web Forms.Lessons •Overview of ADO.NET•Connecting to a Database •Managing DataLab : Managing Data in an ASP.NET 4.0 Web Application•Exercise 1: Connecting to a Data Source•Exercise 2: Binding a Server Control to a Data Source•Exercise 3: Modifying a Data SourceAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe ADO.NET.• Connect to a database.• Manage data.
Module 9: Managing Data Access Tasks by Using LINQThis module explains what LINQ is and how you can use LINQ to manage both XML data and Microsoft SQL Server data in a Microsoft ASP.NET Web application by using Web Server controls and code.Lessons •Overview of LINQ•Managing XML Data by Using LINQ to XML•Managing SQL Data by Using LINQ to SQL and LINQ to EntitiesLab : Managing Data Access Tasks by Using LINQ•Exercise 1: Loading Data by Using the XmlDataSource Control•Exercise 2: Displaying Data by Using LINQ to XML•Exercise 3: Saving Data by Using LINQ to EntitiesAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe language-integrated query (LINQ).•Manage XML data by using LINQ to XML.•Manage SQL data by using LINQ.
Module 10: Managing Data by Using Microsoft ASP.NET Dynamic DataThis module provides an overview of Microsoft ASP.NET Dynamic Data. It also covers information on applying ASP.NET Dynamic Data. In addition, it explains how to customize ASP.NET Dynamic Data applications.Lessons •Overview of ASP.NET Dynamic Data•Applying ASP.NET Dynamic Data•Customizing ASP.NET Dynamic Data ApplicationsLab : Managing Data by Using ASP.NET Dynamic Data• Exercise 1: Adding Dynamic Data to an Existing Web Site• Exercise 2: Registering LINQ to Entities by Using Dynamic Data•Exercise 3: Map, Clean and Test SolutionAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe ASP.NET Dynamic Data•Apply ASP.NET Dynamic Data•Customize ASP.NET Dynamic Data applications
Module 11: Creating a Microsoft ASP.NET Ajax-enabled Web Forms ApplicationThis module provides an overview of Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX and explains how to create an ASP.NET AJAX application. It also introduces the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit, and explains how to install the toolkit and add controls from the toolkit to a Web application.Lessons •Introduction to Ajax•Creating an ASP.NET Ajax Application by Using the Ajax Features for ASP.NET•Extending an ASP.NET Web Forms Application by Using the Ajax Control ToolkitLab : Creating a Microsoft ASP.NET Ajax-Enabled Web Forms Application•Exercise 1: Creating a Modal About Box•Exercise 2: Customizing Dynamic Data Field Templates with Ajax Server Controls•Exercise 3: Adding the Country Import Progress IndicatorAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe ASP.NET AJAX.• Create an ASP.NET AJAX application by using the ASP.NET AJAX extensions.• Extend an application by using the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit.
Module 12: Consuming Microsoft Windows Communication Foundation ServicesThis module provides an overview of Windows Communication Foundation services. In addition, this module describes how to call a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service directly by using a browser and a proxy from a Web application.Lessons •Overview of Windows Communication Foundation Services•Calling Windows Communication Foundation Services•Working with WCF Data ServicesLab : Consuming Windows Communication Foundation Services•Exercise 1: Creating a WCF Service Reference Proxy•Exercise 2: Calling a WCF Service Method from a Web Form•Exercise 3: Implementing WCF Data ServicesAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe WCF services. •Call WCF services. •Consume Windows Communication Foundation services.
Module 13: Managing State in Web ApplicationsThis module explains how to manage state in a Microsoft ASP.NET Web application.Lessons •State Management•ASP.NET Profiles•ASP.NET CachingLab : Managing State in Web Applications•Exercise 1: Examining the View State•Exercise 2: Caching Countries•Exercise 3: Displaying Visitors Counter on Default PageAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe state management.•Describe Microsoft ASP.NET Profiles.•Describe ASP.NET Caching.
Module 14: Configuring and Deploying a Microsoft ASP.NET Web ApplicationThis module explains how to configure and deploy a Microsoft ASP.NET Web application by using the machine.config and web.config files.Lessons •Configuring an ASP.NET Web Application•Deploying an ASP.NET Web ApplicationLab : Configuring and Deploying a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Application•Configuring the List View Page Size and Enabling the Save Countries Button•Configuring the Visitor Counter•Deploying the Web ApplicationAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Configure an ASP.NET Web application.•Deploy an ASP.NET Web application.
Module 15: Securing a Microsoft ASP.NET Web ApplicationThis module explains the various Web application security functionalities. It also covers information on the infrastructure to build and deploy various Web application security functionalities.Lessons •Overview of Web Application Security•Declaratively Configuring Authentication and Authorization•Working Programmatically with Authentication and AuthorizationLab : Securing a Microsoft ASP.NET Web Application•Exercise 1: Enabling Forms Authentication•Exercise 2: Implementing Authorization•Exercise 3: Protecting Configuration FileAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Describe Web application security.• Describe how to declaratively configure authentication and authorization. • Work programmatically with authentication and authorization.
Module 16: Implementing Advanced Technologies Supported by Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 for Web DevelopmentThis module describes the new Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 functionalities, changes, and enhancements for improved Web development. The module also covers how Microsoft ASP.NET MVC 2 and Microsoft Silverlight 4 fit in with .NET Framework 4 and Visual Studio 2010Lessons •Working with the ASP.NET MVC 2 Framework•Working with Silverlight 4Lab : Implementing Advanced Technologies Supported by Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 for Web Development•Exercise: Implementing a Silverlight ApplicationAfter completing this module, students will be able to:•Work with ASP.NET MVC 2.•Work with Silverlight 4.
A huge THANKS goes out to everyone who took time to complete the survey that I blogged about several weeks ago. Over 350 people provided feedback from around the world. Your feedback will be used to influence decisions about program benefits, opportunities, and requirements in ways that will increase the value of your Microsoft certifications. Very cool, indeed, to have had a voice in those discussions!
As promised in the rules for the sweepstakes, below are the winners of the four X-Box 360 systems that were raffled off as part of this process:
These winners have been notified via the email address that they provided when entering the drawing as part of the survey process. If you are one of the winners, please check that email account and claim your prize.
Congratulations to our winners!!! And a million thanks to those that took the time to complete the survey and provide input!!!
The newest members of the SharePoint exam family are now available!
70-573 -- TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development
70-576 -- PRO: Designing and Developing Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Applications
70-667 -- TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring
70-668 -- PRO: SharePoint Server 2010, Administrator
The links will take you the official exam pages with audience profiles, skills measured, and other information to help you prepare.
Just getting started with SharePoint 2010? Find out more about upcoming training releases and other support from MS Learning here:
All four exams are available now in English at Prometric test centers worldwide. Localized versions (Japanese, German, French and Brazilian Portuguese) are in the works and will be ready in early August.
Good luck!
Stephanie
Today the Windows Phone team announced the availability of the Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta. We here at Born To Learn wanted to highlight the best part of this announcement (well, in our opinion):
Get Trained for FREE – Windows Phone 7 Jump Start
Windows Phone 7 Jump Start is a FREE virtual live class for developers interested in developing applications and games for Windows Phone 7. The course is organized into four virtual instructor-led sessions that are of 3-hour duration. They will be presented by forthcoming MS Press authors and MVP's, Andy Wigley and Rob Miles. It will provide developers a jump start for developing Windows Phone 7 applications. The labs will be completed offline with office hours access to the instructors.
The dates for these course sessions are:
Space is limited, so go register for the course now!
*Update* Registrations are back open for Session 3 and Session 4. Here are the revised titles of the sessions:
Do you have work experience with developing applications for Silverlight? Want to help us create the first Silverlight exam? Here’s your chance! We are looking for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the following exam:
Please note that if you already filled out your SME profile, you’ll need to go back and update it. I changed the answer options for “Which technologies do you have work experience with?” to include Silverlight. We’ll be looking for folks who select Silverlight on this question to help develop these exams. If you filled out your SME profile awhile ago, this option was not available for you to select.
Because we develop learning products on a wide variety of Microsoft technologies, we need to keep in touch with experts on each product to help us develop the content. We call these folks Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs (rhymes with “sneeze”) for short. We love our SMEs, and we simply can't make our products without them.
Have you ever wondered how you can get involved with content development for Microsoft Learning? Well, it's easy. We have a system for keeping track of people who want to participate. You just need to fill out a SME Profile survey. We'll contact you about opportunities that match the skills and experience in your profile, such as blueprinting or beta exams. As you gain new experience and skills, or as new versions of products come out, you'll need to update your profile by editing your survey responses.
If this is the first you've heard about our database of SME Profiles, or if you started to fill out the (admittedly very long) survey and just didn't finish, there's no time like the present to sign up. You can go directly to this page on Microsoft Connect and fill out the SME Profile survey. If you have previously registered on Connect, sign in with your Windows Live ID so that you can access the survey. If you’re new to Connect, you will be prompted to complete the Connect registration process before you can access the survey. There is no need for an invitation code.
**The Connect registration process can be a little rocky, so if you’re having trouble getting to the survey, e-mail [email protected] and I’ll send you some more troubleshooting info.