In the early 21st century, databases play a fundamental role in our lives. You may not be aware of much of it, yet lots of the things we perform each day are noted, filed & archived in different ways. Our whole economy is dependent upon databases of information. Banks, share values & property records are all massive 'databases' of records, & although much of the information is also stored in physical documents, it's also saved (or at least indexed) digitally for easy access. Your transaction history is saved on a Database each and every time you make an electronic payment (that is by card). Your regular shopping patterns are documented so that shops can provide you with loyalty vouchers for products you are probably interested in - for instance, if you've recently been buying cat-food, you may be offered a special quote for family pet insurance. Most garages (& the police-force) make use of the 'DVLA's' car number plate database to get the exact particulars of any motor vehicle or truck etc. registered on the system. This particular Database is also used as the basis for the Congestion Charge in the Capital city & to establish road tax avoidance, by working in conjunction with the Cameras that adorn our roadsides.

If you're interested in the development side of things, Microsoft provide the 'MCITP' DB-Developer program. This will take care of more of the preliminary design, rationalisation & set-up of databases, but doesn't essentially stretch to full Database programming. If you are enthusiastic about database programming then you should visit the relevant programming pages on this web site. On the whole, there is a very much bigger concentration with both employers and students on the administration of Databases. Then again if you would like to become a Developer, then our tip is always to add the DB Developer certification in to a more complete bundle of programming training. It may also come to be more useful to you in the years to come to gain an additional MCTS in the SQL-Server '08 edition.

Anyone not used to the IT industry should think about starting their training with a software support program. This will equip you with some entry level qualifications, to assist you to get your first foot-on-the-ladder, as well as offer you an insight into a further valuable facet of the business. Take a look at the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician ('MCDST'). Your complete professional training-track of 'MCDST', MCTS and MCITP may well be accomplished in roughly 12 months if you're learning in your free time outside of work. Much like any career-track though, we urge you to tread very carefully ahead of finalising your options. Take advice from an experienced advisor to reassure yourself that you are beginning a suitable training program for your needs, in terms of learning style & choice of career. Begin with the ending in your mind; an inability to abide by this one straightforward guideline has cost thousands of trainees a substantial amount of cash & lost time.

Both 'DBA's' & DB Developers tend to be decidedly systematic & orderly men and women, that have a very good interest in details, & appreciate working in small teams, or by themselves. They regularly work with senior or higher managers, & as a result need to have impressive communication-skills. Security is an ever growing issue as an increasing amount of sensitive data is taken & stored - making database employment very responsible. Business employers seek out individuals with integrity that they're able to rely on completely, & a number of institutions will in actual fact require you to get security clearance prior to giving you a job. Men and women who've recently been employed in business-processing or accounting positions normally do very well in Database management. A lot of DBAs achieve successful promotions to higher-office as they intrinsically expand their business-management skill-sets.

So with Databases playing a really big part in modern society, just what type of employment exists which pertains to them? If we take the careers of of IT professionals, there are two primary database fields - Designing the software & building the database is the 1st area, and managing the information and producing reporting systems to use the information is the 2nd area. The expression DBA, or Database Administrator, is a common acronym applied through-out the I.T. industry. Medium size to larger organisations need to employ 'DBA's' to supervise the everyday functions of the databases they're running. DBA's manage the 'security' of a business' databases, make sure everything is copied correctly, and utilise the intelligence to create meaningful reports for management. They have to have gained a proficient understanding of 'SQL' - the most commonly used Database language. Interrogating 'databases' to draw out facts is standardised with 'SQL' (Structured Query Language).

Internationally, the most common database-systems are 'Oracle' and MS 'SQL' Server. A significant number of sizeable installations still use the more mature 'Oracle' system, but nevertheless SQL-Server is currently the normal system for most commercial environments, and as far as web-based databases go it rules supreme. Naturally, as SQL-Server is fully owned by Microsoft, the organisation has built it in to each of its platforms & programs. For anyone looking to become commercially accredited then, its the obvious path to take. The MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) and 'MCTS' ('Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist') programs have now superceded the previous 'MCDBA' (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator) accreditations. SQL Server 2008 is beginning to gain a bit of momentum, but it really isn't commonly used in the commercial world yet. Because of this, the MCITP DBA certification includes the more commonly used SQL-Server 2005. As with some other Microsoft accreditations, a number of MCTS modules precede the complete MCITP certification.

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