Installing and configuring SQL Server 2008

Maintaining SQL Server instances

Managing SQL Server security
Maintaining a SQL Server database
Performing data management tasks
Monitoring and troubleshooting SQL Server
Optimizing SQL Server performance
Implementing high availability

The exam emphasizes SQL Server administration features introduced with SQL Server
2008 as well as features that are different or enhanced from earlier versions.
You'll also need to know the solutions to typical issues for upgrading from SQL
Server 2005, 2000 or 7 to SQL Server 2008. You will benefit from a firm
understanding of how to upgrade a base SQL Server 2008 installation (the database
engine and client components) with other specialized components (Analysis Services
and/or Integration Services).

Hands-on experience using the DBA feature set in SQL Server 2008 is critical to
passing the exam. If you are primarily a SQL Server database developer, this is
especially true. For example, you need to know how to use SQL Server Agent, SQL
Profiler, and Database Engine Tuning Advisor. In addition, you'll want to make sure
that you understand how System Monitor, formerly called Performance Monitor,
complements built-in SQL Server tools for diagnosing performance issues.

Before taking the exam, arm yourself with an in-depth grasp of how to implement
database backups and restores in a variety of different contexts. Know what's
special about each of the recovery models and when to use each one. Understand the
complementary roles of full, filegroup, and file backups as well as the contrasting
roles of differential and log backups. Learn about backups and restores not only
from the perspective of recovering from hardware failures but also from the
perspectives of configuring servers supporting high availability options and
migrating a database from an older SQL Server version to SQL Server 2008. Don't
forget to master database snapshots as another technique for recovering from data
failures.