{"id":4712,"date":"2015-09-30T15:15:57","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T14:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/?p=4712"},"modified":"2017-12-01T17:35:43","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T16:35:43","slug":"tales-from-certification-hell-what-an-mcm-mca-mcsm-mcsm-charter-member-mcse-or-mvp-really-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/tales-from-certification-hell-what-an-mcm-mca-mcsm-mcsm-charter-member-mcse-or-mvp-really-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Tales from \u201ccertification-hell\u201d: What an MCM, MCA, MCSM, MCSM Charter  Member, MCSE or MVP really is"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-7a994ff36effad4f16e18b9e06b43d4e\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7a994ff36effad4f16e18b9e06b43d4e{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7a994ff36effad4f16e18b9e06b43d4e .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7a994ff36effad4f16e18b9e06b43d4e .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-7a994ff36effad4f16e18b9e06b43d4e av-special-heading-h3 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Tales from <span class='special_amp'>\u201c<\/span>certification-hell<span class='special_amp'>\u201d<\/span>: What an MCM, MCA, MCSM, MCSM Charter Member, MCSE or MVP really is<\/h3><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>It has been two years since Microsoft announced the end of the Master program. (<a href=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/microsoft-certified-master-architect-mcm-mca-the-end-of-advanced-certification-and-a-planned-new-beginning\/\">Microsoft Certified Master &#038; Architect (MCM &#038; MCA) \u2013 The End of Advanced Certification. \u2013 And a planned new beginning?<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>But that does not mean that the certification is \u201cdead\u201d or even \u201cvalueless,\u201d as has often been mistakenly referred to.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Quite the contrary: it is almost more valuable because only those who made it through all the exams by 31 December 2013 may call themselves <strong>MCM<\/strong> or even <strong>MCSM<\/strong> today.<\/p>\n<p>What is \u201cdead,\u201d then, is the \u201cprogram\u201d \u2013 the certification track with the exams, and thus the possibility to obtain the certificate.<\/p>\n<p>As I have been repeatedly asked over the course of the last years what an <strong>MCSM<\/strong> actually is, or a \u201c<strong>Charter Member<\/strong>,\u201d and how the <strong>MVP<\/strong> fits in there, I would like to try to elaborate on it here. Only I am not responsible for the illogical backgrounds \u2013 this was all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/learning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at the certification pyramid as it had been available at Microsoft Learning online for a long time:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-37c4bde530669505ae15be5e832f5077\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-37c4bde530669505ae15be5e832f5077 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-37c4bde530669505ae15be5e832f5077 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-37c4bde530669505ae15be5e832f5077 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-4714 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-4714 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM.png\" alt='' title='1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM'  height=\"303\" width=\"886\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM.png 886w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM-600x205.png 600w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM-300x103.png 300w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM-768x263.png 768w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM-705x241.png 705w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_Microsoft-Certification-MCSA-MCSE-MCM-MCSM-450x154.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Very conveniently, it still includes the \u201cold\u201d track \u201c<strong>MCTS-MCITP-MCM.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This first certification series was replaced by the new track \u201c<strong>MCSA-MCSE-MCSM<\/strong>\u201d due to the development towards the cloud and the emergence of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and for SQL Server Version 2012.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4716 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCM_SQL_Server_MCSM_Data_Platform.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"392\" height=\"124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCM_SQL_Server_MCSM_Data_Platform.png 392w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCM_SQL_Server_MCSM_Data_Platform-300x95.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Hence this explains the <strong>difference between MCM and MCSM<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>The MCSM is, just like the MCM, the highest technical certification of Microsoft, but for the recent server systems.<\/p>\n<p>For SQL Server, the MCSM that could be obtained on SQL Server 2012 is thus also called: <strong>Microsoft Certified Solutions Master: Data Platform<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sarpedonqualitylab.com\/PublicFiles\/MCSM_Data_Platform_Datasheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see the official data sheet here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The MCM, i.e. <strong>Microsoft Certified Master SQL Server<\/strong> was available for SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sarpedonqualitylab.com\/PublicFiles\/MCM_Datasheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see the official data sheet here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do the exams for MCM &#038; MCSM differ from those for MCSE and MCSA?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The standard certifications are preceded by a series of multiple-choice exams. You can read the exact exams here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/learning\/mcse-sql-data-platform.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>MCSE: Data Platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The MCM as well as MCSM required an additional (\u201cadditional\u201d because an existing MCITP certification was prerequisite), so-called \u201cKnowledge-Exam,\u201d equally in multiple-choice format. However, the questions here were significantly more complex and practical.<\/p>\n<p>The decisive difference, though, is that the Master required a practical exam, i.e. the <strong>\u201cLab-Exam.\u201d<\/strong> This exam was carried out at a terminal with access to a real SQL Server environment at which various problems were to be solved within a specified time period.<\/p>\n<p>For the <strong>MCM SQL Server 2008<\/strong>, the allotted time was <strong>5 hours and 25 minutes<\/strong>. For the <strong>MCSM<\/strong> on the basis of SQL Server 2012, tasks had to be solved within <strong>7 hours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 I am not allowed to be more specific here.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, it was only from September 2013 onwards that it was possible to pass the exam for MCSM: Data Platform.<\/p>\n<p>In total, seven experts world-wide have successfully taken this opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>That said, I hope this explains <strong>why the MCM certification is not valueless, and certainly not the MCSM certification<\/strong>: One of the original ideas for the Master program was to examine in such a way that one could be sure that the examinee who passed thus <strong>proved true practical experience in solving complex problems with SQL Server<\/strong>. <u>And this experience does not get lost<\/u>. Once you have experience in SQL Server 2005 <em>Database tuning<\/em>, <em>Desaster Recovery <\/em>etc. you can also rely on it in more recent versions as well.<\/p>\n<p>What applies to all product certifications is that the new features do not necessarily have to be known at this level.<\/p>\n<p>(For me personally, this was the reason to also add the MCSM exam right behind: so I could prove my knowledge in SQL Server 2012 with the then new features <em>AlwaysOn<\/em> and <em>ColumnStore<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 And of course to make up for the \u201cdisgrace\u201d of having screwed up the Lab-Exam on the first go with 82% of the required score (because I erred in the time zone?).<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 And, quite luckily, I was successful at it \u2013 and this with no chance at a retry, as I passed it on the last day the exam was available :-): <a href=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/mcsm-microsoft-certified-solutions-master-data-platform-on-sql-server-2012\/\">MCSM (Microsoft Certified Solutions Master) Data Platform on SQL Server 2012<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regarding the next point, I admit that the pyramid shown above was actually not quite complete. Originally, it looked like this:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-dcc0bef1fee332f7e4c5b122e4743f1f\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-dcc0bef1fee332f7e4c5b122e4743f1f img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-dcc0bef1fee332f7e4c5b122e4743f1f .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-dcc0bef1fee332f7e4c5b122e4743f1f av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-4719 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-4719 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA-MCSM-MCM-MCSE-MCA_Pyramid.png\" alt='' title='1509_MCA-MCSM-MCM-MCSE-MCA_Pyramid'  height=\"450\" width=\"639\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA-MCSM-MCM-MCSE-MCA_Pyramid.png 639w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA-MCSM-MCM-MCSE-MCA_Pyramid-600x423.png 600w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA-MCSM-MCM-MCSE-MCA_Pyramid-300x211.png 300w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA-MCSM-MCM-MCSE-MCA_Pyramid-450x317.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>So what then is an MCA?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>MCA<\/strong> stands for <strong>Microsoft Certified Architect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This certification, which was at the top of the pyramid, was not so much a technical one \u2013 i.e. no further practical exams or the like were carried out. Rather, the examinee was required to answer questions from a committee, the \u201cMCA Board,\u201d on the implementation of real projects with SQL Server.<\/p>\n<p>Here, it was not so much about technique \u2013 the MCM already covered that part \u2013 but rather about other skills such as team leadership and concept competencies.<\/p>\n<p>Read here what an MCA says: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wictorwilen.se\/Post\/What-is-a-Microsoft-Certified-Architect.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is a Microsoft Certified Architect?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is why the MCM is oftentimes referred to as the highest \u201ctechnical\u201d certification.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it is in fact the <strong>MCA<\/strong> which <strong>is<\/strong> the <strong>highest Microsoft certification<\/strong> by far and without restrictions.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4721\" src=\"http:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA_SQL_Server_2005_2008.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"60\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>Trivia<\/strong>: The very first round of MCAs did not have any SQL Server Version in the title and was simply called <strong>\u201eMCA: Database.\u201c <\/strong>There are 26 worldwide. (This number is definitely fixed, even if not all names were published.) In 2007, this title became the MCA: SQL Server 2005.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Trivia\u00b2<\/strong>: In the \u201cMCA: Database\u201c era there was an \u201cMCA apprentice\u201d which was awarded to the first experts who made it through the \u201cRanger\u201d program (the forerunner of the MCM program), but who due to their role could not sit across from the MCA Board \u2013 they subsequently became MCMs. (Thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sqlbobt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">boB Taylor<\/a> and Assaf Fraenkel for this in-house information.)<\/p>\n<p>5 MCAs for SQL Server hold the MCA both for 2005 and 2008.<\/p>\n<p>For SQL Server 2012, there was no more MCA to be obtained.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-75f0a7d012fe631beb94760df8e15323\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-75f0a7d012fe631beb94760df8e15323 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-75f0a7d012fe631beb94760df8e15323 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-75f0a7d012fe631beb94760df8e15323 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-4723 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-4723 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCA_Microsoft-Certified_Architect.png\" alt='' title='1509_MCA_Microsoft Certified_Architect'  height=\"78\" width=\"160\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>The last, f<strong>inal and public list of the MCAs, MCSMs and MCMs worldwide <\/strong>can still be found here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/learning\/mcsm-certification.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/learning\/mcsm-certification.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Note that the list, and hence the number, is still not entirely complete as not everyone wants his name published.<\/p>\n<p>For SQL Server, there is thus the following number of \u201cMasters\u201d worldwide:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"123\"><strong>MCM SQL Server 2005<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"123\"><strong>MCA SQL Server 2005<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"123\"><strong>MCM SQL Server 2008<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"123\"><strong>MCA SQL Server 2008<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"112\"><strong>MCSM Data Platform<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"123\">33<\/td>\n<td width=\"123\">23 (+3)<\/td>\n<td width=\"123\">172<\/td>\n<td width=\"123\">7 (+1)<\/td>\n<td width=\"112\">7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Because I thought this <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brentozar.com\/archive\/2010\/02\/mcm-prep-week-what-is-a-microsoft-certified-master\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comment by Brent Ozar<\/a>, an MCM colleague from the US was so casual, here is an updated version:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are more people who set foot on the moon (12) than there are MCSMs for SQL Server 2012 (7).\u201c \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n<p>Well, and then there is still this \u201ething\u201c here:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-51370d777b6ddacd9dc4a94fcd0800fc\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-51370d777b6ddacd9dc4a94fcd0800fc img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-51370d777b6ddacd9dc4a94fcd0800fc .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-51370d777b6ddacd9dc4a94fcd0800fc av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-4725 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-4725 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MCSM_Data-Platform-Charter-Member.jpg\" alt='' title='1509_MCSM_Data-Platform-Charter-Member'  height=\"129\" width=\"154\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>What is an MCSM: Charter Member (Microsoft Certified Solutions Master Charter \u2013 Data Platform)?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This \u201ccertification\u201d was awarded to all MCMs <u>in addition to<\/u> the MCM. Without any further exam or prerequisite. Ultimately, accordingly, it certifies: <strong>nothing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hard but true: Here you can read the official statement: <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.technet.com\/b\/themasterblog\/archive\/2012\/11\/14\/existing-microsoft-certified-masters-to-receive-microsoft-certified-solutions-master-charter-certification.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Existing Microsoft Certified Masters To Receive Microsoft Certified Solutions Master Charter Certification<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Why would they do this?<\/p>\n<p>Presumably this was a kind of \u201cconsolation\u201d for the discontinuation of the certification series. <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.technet.com\/b\/themasterblog\/archive\/2012\/10\/05\/current-sql-2008-mcms-take-note-you-are-automatically-granted-the-mcsm-data-platform-certification.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Initially, it was only intended for a transition period<\/a>, but after it became clear that the MCSM would not exist for much time the Charter Member was awarded permanently.<\/p>\n<p>(By the way, in addition to that the <strong>MCSE: Data Platform <\/strong>was \u201cgiven\u201d to all MCMs. \u2013 At that time, though, I had already obtained this title the standard way so I was not even tempted to skip exams :-)).<\/p>\n<p>At this point, I can hardly disguise the fact that I am not particularly happy about any bending of value of the Microsoft certifications.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, these aspects are ultimately only confusing in the certification jungle. Previously, a <strong>\u201cCharter Member\u201d <\/strong>was <u>usually<\/u> awarded for the achievement of a certification within the first six months after the first appearance of a certification. (Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/borntolearn.mslearn.net\/b\/weblog\/archive\/2010\/03\/31\/what-s-the-deal-with-charter-member-certificates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What\u2019s the deal with Charter Member certificates?<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/learning\/program-membership.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/learning\/program-membership.aspx<\/a> )<\/p>\n<p>As a bonus for those who were the first to venture on these exams and passed them. \u2013 These \u201cFirst Achievers\u201d were definitely not able to rely on any braindumps \u2013 and we are all aware that the normal exams are easily achieved with all sorts of tricks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 I myself have achieved 6 certifications with the Charter-Member status up to now (and I am not counting the senseless MCSM).<\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/certifications\/\">andreas-wolter.com\/en\/certifications\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, the Charter Member logo <strong>does not have a significant background<\/strong>. Therefore, I hardly use it anywhere \u2013 for, who would like to explain, when asked, that a certification does not really mean anything.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s turn to an entirely different certificate:<\/p>\n<p><strong>SSAS Maestro<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For this rare certification I can neither give a logo nor an exact number of individuals who hold this certification.<\/p>\n<p>This certification had an even shorter lifespan than the Master. The Maestro was introduced in order to be able to offer a corresponding premium certification for the Business Intelligence part of the SQL Server, particularly the Analysis Services. Here you can read the official announcement of that time:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.msdn.com\/b\/sqlcat\/archive\/2011\/01\/31\/what-is-the-ssas-maestros.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is the SSAS Maestros?<\/a><br \/>\nThere was not even an announcement of discontinuation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>We have one topic left: <strong>The MVP Award<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-36038b6d5ef748cd7fac21b567f49f7b\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-36038b6d5ef748cd7fac21b567f49f7b img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-36038b6d5ef748cd7fac21b567f49f7b .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-36038b6d5ef748cd7fac21b567f49f7b av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-4728 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-4728 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MVP_Microsoft_Most_Valuable_Professional.png\" alt='' title='1509_MVP_Microsoft_Most_Valuable_Professional'  height=\"150\" width=\"370\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MVP_Microsoft_Most_Valuable_Professional.png 370w, https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/1509_MVP_Microsoft_Most_Valuable_Professional-300x122.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>One is entitled to the question: \u201cWhat\u2019s this got to do with it? \u2013 <strong>It<\/strong> <strong>is not even a certification<\/strong>!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I agree. However, not everyone is aware of this, and it is still a welcome title at conferences or in projects. That\u2019s why I will briefly explain what an MVP actually is or is supposed to be.<\/p>\n<p>At this point, I would like to quote from the blog of a former MVP, Mitch Garvis:<br \/>\n<em>\u201cThe Microsoft MVP Award is not for people proficient in their technology; it is for people who share their proficiency with community work, such as blog articles, speaking events &#038; presentations, tweets, forums, and such.\u201c<br \/>\n<\/em>(Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/garvis.ca\/2014\/09\/30\/my-parting-words-as-a-microsoft-mvp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My parting words as a Microsoft MVP<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>At Microsoft itself it reads as follows:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201c<strong>Who are MVPs?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals, or MVPs, are community leaders who\u2019ve demonstrated an exemplary commitment to helping others get the most out of their experience with Microsoft technologies. They share their exceptional passion, real-world knowledge, and technical expertise with the community and with Microsoft.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cHow to become an MVP?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>While there is no benchmark for becoming an MVP, in part because it varies by technology and its life-cycle, some of the criteria we evaluate include the impact of a nominee\u2019s activities in online forums such as Microsoft Answers, TechNet and MSDN; wikis and online content; conferences and user groups; podcasts, Web sites, blogs and social media; and articles and books. Each nominee\u2019s activities are compared to those of other candidates, and active MVPs receive the same level of analysis as new candidates each year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>(Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/mvp.microsoft.com\/en-US\/Overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft: Most Valuable Professional<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>That means there is no standardized procedure as to who deserves this <strong>award<\/strong>, nor is there an exam.<\/p>\n<p>Neither are technical skills in the foreground here, and nor are they ever the reason for such an award. For technical knowledge, there are and were exams.<\/p>\n<p>Even if unfortunately there are no longer any practical exams since the discontinuation of the MCM program, the MVP is no replacement.<\/p>\n<p>Quotes such as <em>\u201cHe has been awarded the title \u2018Microsoft Valuable Professional\u2019 by Microsoft based on his technical knowledge\u201d <\/em>are thus <u>misleading<\/u>.<\/p>\n<p>It is true that among the MVPs there are many real experts, but it is not the criterion. There are many certified Masters who do not have the time or opportunity to make their knowledge available to the public for free (this, too, is an aspect) \u2013 or they do make it available, but the deciding people do not hear about it, or there is a country-specific quota of a maximum of MVPs per topic, and so on, and therefore they are not awarded the MVP.<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, there are those who have been extremely active in the community for years, have been presenting at dozens of international conferences, have even been nominated, and still do not receive any award. (See cases like <a href=\"http:\/\/tenbulls.co.uk\/2015\/10\/09\/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-b%CC%B6o%CC%B6m%CC%B6b%CC%B6-mvp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mark Broadbent<\/a>)<br \/>\nOn the other hand, there are also those of whom almost no one has ever heard, and who only with the MVP actually become known and as a result are in demand and become active. In the end, this is how it goes with many awards. There will never be an absolute fairness. \u2013 An award is no certification after all, and sometimes maybe it\u2019s better to not take such all too serious.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, I can consider myself lucky that I became MVP in 2014 after having been active on conferences in Germany and as far as in the USA since 2009. (6 conferences in 2012, 11 in 2013, and then followed the MVP award in 2014)<\/p>\n<p>In general, one <u>can<\/u> become an MVP if you are very active in the community of a product. Be it through assistance in online forums, giving presentations without fee at various conferences, writing comprehensive blog articles, or other forms of commitment that are helpful in some way to the product line or to other clients. This does not require a specific level of technical complexity but rather the continuity \u2013 which is, from my personal experience, quite time-consuming. This is why I am happy for anyone who is acknowledged by Microsoft with this award.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is no guarantee to be recognized at reaching a specific amount of commitment. And to set as one\u2019s goal to \u201cbecome MVP\u201d would not do justice to the original idea behind the award.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>Nomination<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Those of you who know someone who you believe has deserved to be awarded with the &#8220;MVP&#8221; <u>by his or her activities in the last 12 months<\/u> (another criterion) may nominate him or her\u00a0directly here: <a href=\"https:\/\/mvp.microsoft.com\/en-us\/Nomination\/NominateAnMvp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nomination as MVP<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Expertise<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What I can say from my own knowledge of the Master and MVP community is that Masters usually possess a broader spectrum of technical knowledge and, as required in the exams, they are very well-versed in several areas of database engine (for example <em>Backup &#038; Restore + Indexing + Fulltextsearch<\/em>). As for MVPs, there seems to be a higher specialization in exactly one topic (For example <em>Indexing<\/em> <u>or<\/u> <em>High<\/em> <em>Availability<\/em>). This is really my personal impression and not evidenced by any surveys or exams, and it is not meant to sound negative. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are the advantages of the MVP?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To me, it is the insight at an early stage into future developments of SQL Server long before its release, and the direct contact to the product team. To be able to have open discussions with Microsoft developers, and in my case especially also the Security team \u2013 under NDA and with relatively few restrictions \u2013 is an invaluable bonus.<\/p>\n<p>I hope I was able to shed some light on the jungle of Microsoft\u2019s premium certifications. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>Happy learning &#038; sharing<\/p>\n<p>Andreas<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-0ff602b3e980a3377077ff3c1c834df6 hr-default  avia-builder-el-18  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_one_full '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_full-97c650ae075063b375f558a776c570f8\">\n#top .flex_column.av-av_one_full-97c650ae075063b375f558a776c570f8{\nmargin-top:40px;\nmargin-bottom:40px;\n}\n.flex_column.av-av_one_full-97c650ae075063b375f558a776c570f8{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n.responsive #top #wrap_all .flex_column.av-av_one_full-97c650ae075063b375f558a776c570f8{\nmargin-top:40px;\nmargin-bottom:40px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_full-97c650ae075063b375f558a776c570f8 av_one_full  avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_social_share  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box av-av_social_share-8644d330ffb238fff0cfa858c5295467 av-social-sharing-box-default  avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_hr  av-social-sharing-box-fullwidth'><div class=\"av-share-box\"><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share<\/h5><ul class=\"av-share-box-list noLightbox\"><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/tales-from-certification-hell-what-an-mcm-mca-mcsm-mcsm-charter-member-mcse-or-mvp-really-is\/&#038;t=Tales%20from%20%E2%80%9Ccertification-hell%E2%80%9D%3A%20What%20an%20MCM%2C%20MCA%2C%20MCSM%2C%20MCSM%20Charter%20%20Member%2C%20MCSE%20or%20MVP%20really%20is\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-av_icon=\"\ue8f3\" data-av_iconfont=\"entypo-fontello\" title=\"\" data-avia-related-tooltip=\"Share on Facebook\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Tales%20from%20%E2%80%9Ccertification-hell%E2%80%9D%3A%20What%20an%20MCM%2C%20MCA%2C%20MCSM%2C%20MCSM%20Charter%20%20Member%2C%20MCSE%20or%20MVP%20really%20is&#038;url=https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/?p=4712\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-av_icon=\"\ue8f1\" data-av_iconfont=\"entypo-fontello\" title=\"\" data-avia-related-tooltip=\"Share on Twitter\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href=\"https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=Tales%20from%20%E2%80%9Ccertification-hell%E2%80%9D%3A%20What%20an%20MCM%2C%20MCA%2C%20MCSM%2C%20MCSM%20Charter%20%20Member%2C%20MCSE%20or%20MVP%20really%20is&#038;url=https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/tales-from-certification-hell-what-an-mcm-mca-mcsm-mcsm-charter-member-mcse-or-mvp-really-is\/\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-av_icon=\"\ue8fc\" data-av_iconfont=\"entypo-fontello\" title=\"\" data-avia-related-tooltip=\"Share on LinkedIn\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-4474f20d2389e2e5ecf918a02da5132e\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-4474f20d2389e2e5ecf918a02da5132e{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-4474f20d2389e2e5ecf918a02da5132e hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-22  el_after_av_social_share  el_before_av_comments_list '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div  class='av-buildercomment av-av_comments_list-88ce68e426f11248fa394058a3de040f  av-blog-meta-author-disabled av-blog-meta-html-info-disabled'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has been two years since Microsoft announced the end of the Master program. (Microsoft Certified Master &#038; Architect (MCM &#038; MCA) \u2013 The End of Advanced Certification. \u2013 And a planned new beginning?) But that does not mean that the certification is \u201cdead\u201d or even \u201cvalueless,\u201d as has often been mistakenly referred to.","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,134],"tags":[286,287,288],"class_list":["post-4712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-certification-mcm-mcsm-mvp","category-trivia","tag-certification","tag-mvp","tag-zertifizierung"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4712"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5005,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4712\/revisions\/5005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andreas-wolter.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}