By: Daniel Calbimonte | Comments (1) | Related: More > Professional Development Certifications
Problem
I am a fan of your certification series and heard about the Microsoft Professional Program. I have a bunch of questions about the program to see if it can help my career. Can you help me better understand the program?
Solution
Of course, at MSSQLTips, we are here to help. What are your questions?
What is the Microsoft Professional Program (MPP)?
It is a special recognition for professionals for specific jobs. It is composed of several courses and it offers a diploma.
Is this course free?
The course is free, but the diploma is not.
What is the difference between a Microsoft Certification and this MPP?
The Microsoft certification is a specialized exam for a specific technology. The MPP is composed of multiple courses in different areas.
MPP is faster to learn and to study. The Microsoft certifications are more complex and difficult. It usually takes longer time to be certified.
What are the different MPPs?
At the time of writing, here are the following programs:
How many courses are there for Big Data?
You need to pass these 10 courses:
- Microsoft Professional Orientation: Big Data
- Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel or Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Power BI
- Introduction to NoSQL Data Solutions
- Querying Data with Transact-SQL
- Delivering a Data Warehouse in the Cloud
- Processing Big Data with Azure Data Lake Analytics or Processing Big Data with Hadoop in Azure HDInsight
- Processing Real-Time Data Streams in Azure or Implementing Real-Time Analytics with Azure HDInsight
- Orchestrating Big Data with Azure Data Factory
- Developing Big Data Solutions with Azure Machine Learning or Analyzing Big Data with Microsoft R Server or Implementing Predictive Solutions with Spark in HDInsight
- Microsoft Professional Capstone : Big Data
Are these courses difficult?
Most of the courses can be found on the MVA site. There are great instructors and the explanations are simple. The samples are very useful.
These courses are not complex or difficult.
How many hours are required per course?
Each course takes between 8-12 hours.
How can I enroll in a course?
Go to the MPP site and press the "Enroll Now" button for the program of your preference:
Most of the programs require two courses. You will need to press the "Enroll Now" button again:
What sections does the course contain?
You will have the course that contains videos and assessment labs:
You can optionally pursue a verified certificate that is $99 USD:
You will also be able to see a brief explanation about the course:
You also can see what you will learn in the course:
There is also some information about the instructors:
If you click on the instructors, you will see detailed information about them and the courses taught:
What is an edX account?
This program is related to edX. EdX is an online learning site founded by Harvard and MIT. You can create your edX account using Facebook, G+ or a Microsoft account:
What is the audit course option and the certified option in these courses?
You have two options, to pursue a verified certificate or to audit this course. The second option is free, and you do not need to pay, but no certificate is provided:
What are the lessons?
You have modules with videos and then a lab:
The lessons are simple videos in YouTube. You can download or activate the transcriptions. The lessons are simple and very clear:
You will also have access to the Key Points of the modules:
You also have labs:
In the labs you will have access to multiple exercises:
The exercises contain instructions. For example, for T-SQL you can run queries and verify the results, submit answers:
You can use fast keys and submit answers.
What is the Microsoft Professional Capstone?
It is the last course where you will have different challenges. You have time assigned to accomplish the challenges with real world problems.
Are these courses only in English?
Yes, they are in English only.
Next Steps
For more information about MPP, refer to these links:
- Learn the skills you need to help land the career you want
- Frequently asked questions
- My Experience Completing the Microsoft Professional Program Certificate in Data Science
About the author
Daniel Calbimonte is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer and 6-time Microsoft Certified IT Professional. Daniel started his career in 2001 and has worked with SQL Server 6.0 to 2022. Daniel is a DBA as well as specializes in Business Intelligence (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) technologies.This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.
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