Skills measured by exam 70-229

Developing a Logical Data Model

Define entities. Considerations include entity composition and normalization.

O  Specify entity attributes.

O  Specify degree of normalization.

Design entity keys. Considerations include FOREIGN KEY constraints, PRIMARY KEY constraints, and UNIQUE constraints.

O  Specify attributes that uniquely identify records.

O  Specify attributes that reference other entities.

Design attribute domain integrity. Considerations include CHECK constraints, data types, and nullability.

O  Specify scale and precision of allowable values for each attribute.

O  Allow or prohibit NULL for each attribute.

O  Specify allowable values for each attribute.

Implementing the Physical Database

Create and alter databases. Considerations include file groups, file placement, growth strategy, and space requirements.

O  Specify space management parameters. Parameters include autoshrink, growth increment, initial size, and maxsize.

O  Specify file group and file placement. Considerations include logical and physical file placement.

O  Specify transaction log placement. Considerations include bulk load operations and performance.

Create and alter database objects. Objects include constraints, indexes, stored procedures, tables, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

O  Specify table characteristics. Characteristics include cascading actions, CHECK constraints, clustered, defaults, FILLFACTOR, foreign keys, nonclustered, primary key, and UNIQUE constraints.

O  Specify schema binding and encryption for stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

O  Specify recompile settings for stored procedures.

O  Specify index characteristics. Characteristics include clustered, FILLFACTOR, nonclustered, and uniqueness.

Alter database objects to support replication and partitioned views.

O  Support merge, snapshot, and transactional replication models.

O  Design a partitioning strategy.

O  Design and create constraints and views.

O  Resolve replication conflicts.

Troubleshoot failed object creation.

Retrieving and Modifying Data

Import and export data. Methods include the bulk copy program, the Bulk Insert task, and Data Transformation Services (DTS).

Manipulate heterogeneous data. Methods include linked servers, OPENQUERY, OPENROWSET, and OPENXML.

Retrieve, filter, group, summarize, and modify data by using Transact-SQL.

Manage result sets by using cursors and Transact-SQL. Considerations include locking models and appropriate usage.

Extract data in XML format. Considerations include output format and XML schema structure.

Programming Business Logic

Manage data manipulation by using stored procedures, transactions, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

O  Implement error handling in stored procedures, transactions, triggers, and user-defined functions.

O  Pass and return parameters to and from stored procedures and user-defined functions.

O  Validate data.

Enforce procedural business logic by using stored procedures, transactions, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

O  Specify trigger actions.

O  Design and manage transactions.

O  Manage control of flow.

O  Filter data by using stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

Troubleshoot and optimize programming objects. Objects include stored procedures, transactions, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

Tuning and Optimizing Data Access

Analyze the query execution plan. Considerations include query processor operations and steps.

Capture, analyze, and replay SQL Profiler traces. Considerations include lock detection, performance tuning, and trace flags.

Create and implement indexing strategies. Considerations include clustered index, covering index, indexed views, nonclustered index, placement, and statistics.

Improve index use by using the Index Tuning Wizard.

Monitor and troubleshoot database activity by using SQL Profiler.

Designing a Database Security Plan

Control data access by using stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions, and views.

O  Apply ownership chains.

O  Use programming logic and objects. Considerations include implementing row-level security and restricting direct access to tables.

Define object-level security including column-level permissions by using GRANT, REVOKE, and DENY.

Create and manage application roles.