MCSA 70-463 -- Data Warehouse / SSIS

Feature

My Journey to Passing the 70-463 Certification

Documenting the path from study planning to certification success

22

Days

20

Chapters

1

Exam Passed

Table of Contents

• ①First Impressions
• ②Further Exploration
• ③Study Plan
• ④Study Progress

Section I

First Impressions

I have been considering whether to take the 70-411 Windows Server 2012 Administration exam instead of the 70-463 SQL Server 2012 Data Warehouse exam. Since I am not a System Administrator, the 70-411 exam, while interesting, does not align with my professional focus. Although it may be too late to switch, I believe that studying for and passing the 70-463 exam will provide long-term value, especially since I will be working extensively with ETL processes and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS).

After opening the book for 70-463, I was immediately drawn in. This book is by far the most interesting of the several I've read from Microsoft. The engaging content made me realize that this book could easily be titled "SSIS" given its focus on the subject. I am excited to dive deeper into this material.

 

Section II

Further Exploration

In addition to my current studies, I plan to explore Ralph Kimball's books on Data Warehousing after the exam, as he is recognized as a pioneer in the field. This will enhance my personal education and understanding of data warehousing concepts.

Section III

Study Plan

Date	Chapters Covered	Status
4/1–4/3	1–3	Completed
4/4–4/5	4–7	Completed
4/6–4/8	8–12	Completed
4/10–4/13	13–20	Completed
4/22	Final Exam	Passed

Tip: If you find yourself falling behind your daily schedule, break your targets into smaller, manageable blocks to regain momentum.

Section IV

Study Progress

4/4 – 4/7: Establishing a Foundation

I am slightly behind my original plan, but I feel that I am making good progress. The first five chapters provide a solid foundation in SSIS, which I find helpful since I have already worked with it, mainly using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). By 4/7, I decided that two chapters a day is a manageable pace for my long-term retention.

4/8 – 4/11: Deep Dive

I began slowing down around chapter 12, so I took a scheduled break on 4/9 to recharge. Returning on 4/10, I focused on the critical areas of troubleshooting and performance tuning. On 4/11, I pushed through a high-volume session covering chapters 14 through 17.

   

4/13: Final Sprint

I completed chapter 17 and am looking forward to finishing the last 100 pages, which I anticipate will be the most rewarding part of the preparation process.

• →4/13 Goal — Finish chapters 18, 19, and 20.
• →4/22 Status — Exam completed and passed.

Certification officially secured on 4/22.