mibuso.com

Hello everyone! I'm reviewing the manuals for I&C and plan on taking my exam soon. I just hit chapter 7: Deployment. It just throws out Software Installation Maintenance, IntelliMirror, and Group Policy Object Editor like the reader is supposed to already know what these are, and it doesn't preface it with "Read or Understand XXXX First". Later it says to familiarize yourself with the deployment tools and Windows Installer service, but doesn't even say what "they" are, I'm guessing IntelliMirror, let alone offer any guidance to materials on these subjects.

This appears to be written by network admins, for network admins. I don't have any problem with this, as long as a significant portion of the certification test isn't covered in this chapter. Any insight by someone who has taken this would be invaluable to me, since I am having a hard time learning and remembering anything without the supporting knowledge it is based on.

I haven't taken the 2009 version of this exam, and I know 2009 is a whole different monkey than past versions, but I can tell you that in the 5.0 version everything that I remember was based on what you would do to NAV from within the NAV client. A little bit of SQL. There was nothing about other software, just the two big ones...that is NAV and SQL Server.

And no in depth SQL knowledge. There's a whole other test for that. Not exactly what you were looking for, but I hope it's a little bit of help.

I took the exam previous year. I think that if you understand what is in the manual (possible causes why application was not installed automatically etc.), it is enough to do the exam.

Just got back from taking this exam. Two sections I went into it not feeling prepared enough for (and they sunk my score ):

1) Installation Requirements. Basically, you better memorize, in detail, every edition of Windows Server to be able to answer questions like (not a question I was asked, but like it): Your customer will need a Windows 2008 Server that can support 32 processors and 64GB or RAM, which server options should they choose?

2) Deployment. You better know, in depth, how to setup Software Distribution Points, and how to setup Group Policy Objects to deploy software. You should also understand the process of how the software rolls out with GPO's.


Personally, I think both of these sections are inappropriate for an NAV installation test. I agree that the *knowledge* should be required, but that should be fulfilled by an appropriate Windows Server certification. NAV questions about clients, UI, server, tiers - those all make sense. SDPs and GPOs? Not so much. Going to be sending this feedback to the MBS exam team this afternoon.

I am so glad to hear this from someone else. Deployment killed my score. That's what I started this post about- the manual launches into discussing GPOs and SDP like you should know what they are, and there is no demo or any way you can get hands on practice with that stuff unless your work uses it. I was very disappointed in that section being included in the manual, and even more so to find it was such a large part of the test. I STILL don't understand it, but I'm just fiercely trying to memorize as much of the rules as I can and working on the other sections to soften the blow.

The questions are also not in a normal format. Most of them have the standard four answers, but you have to choose 2-3 correct options, and on deployment you have to choose between 'logging off' and 'restarting' the computer before using the installed RTC client- which isn't very clearly pointed out in the manuals. And don't forget you also have to memorize all the different RAID options and their benefits.

Make sure to send your feedback to mbs-cert [at] microsoft [dot] com too!

Thanks for the reminder- just sent them an email. Now it's time to reschedule another test

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaait!

http://www.prometric.com/Microsoft/SS_M ... .htm?s=ssm

Sign up for a second shot voucher at the above link!

(Full details here, and yes, it includes Dynamics!: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/caree ... tification )

This is amazing, thank you!

I'm going to take this again tomorrow. I pray that I ace all the sections that aren't about Deployment because I've been reading up for hours about Software Distribution through Group Policy and I want to smack somebody.

Wish me luck.



Edit: Deployment sinks me again.

Allow me to express my fury as calmly as possible, with kittens.

When folks take this (or if you already have), can you also go give feedback over here?

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=40836

Thanks! Trying to raise my complaining beyond "one guy complaining, the test must be working!".

The foundation for NAV is MS technology. It is not too much to expect a Certified NAV Professional Developer to understand a few basic concepts of that technology.

No it is certainly not unreasonable.

What I think is the problem, is that the training material does not cover the subject matter adequately, or that the exam questions apparently cover something different than what is covered in the training material. I find it hard to believe that though. I've personally worked with Microsoft on training material and on exam questions, and they are a very motivated and meticulous group of people, who go to great lengths to make sure that the exam questions are about what is covered in the material.

If you find something, the right thing to do is to give them feedback. They really care about the quality of their product, and they take feedback very seriously (even though you don't always see that they do anything with it).

Agreed with all of this, 100%, that they always try to do a great job. Having taken dozens of Microsoft and MBS exams over the years (used to be an MSCE, still support my own multiple Server 2008, exchange, sharepoint environment, so I'm not an IT rookie), one thing they do on every exam I've ever taken, is turn the exam partially into a sales thrust, making sure people have study particular parts of functionality they think is important to upsell. I get the feeling that's what the GPO stuff is on this test.

And nav-2-sharepoint, as I state in the linked thread, I think it would make sense for Microsoft to require Windows Server certifications for their partners and find it strange that they don't, as they do require SQL Server now. But, I would not expect questions about, for example, IIS deployment technologies on an Exchange server test, so why would there be questions about Active Directory based software deployment on a Dynamics NAV installation test? In both cases, they're related, but they all have their own exams where those questions should live.