Microsoft’s exam 70-234, “Designing and Implementing Solutions with Microsoft Commerce Server 2000� is an elective requirement for these certifications: MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) on Microsoft Windows 2000; MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer) for Microsoft .NET; MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer); and MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) for Microsoft .NET.

It is designed for candidates who “operate in small to very large computing environments that use Microsoft Commerce Server 2000.� There is no specific prerequisite for this exam, but Microsoft recommends that candidates have “a minimum of one year of experience developing e-commerce sites and two year's experience designing applications by using Microsoft technologies.�
As well, candidates “have a working knowledge of development tools such as Microsoft Visual Basic®, Microsoft Visual C++, COM+, and ASP. Candidates also have a working knowledge of Microsoft Windows 2000, Active Directory, Internet Information Services (IIS), SSL, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database management system (DBMS), and SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services. Candidates have a conceptual knowledge of network load balancing and firewalls.�

This exam is moderate to hard in difficulty and costs $125 USD. It may be taken from Pearson Vue or Thomson Prometric.

“Beginning with the release of the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003�"related exams, Microsoft will provide numerical scores on exams. By the end of September 2003, most exams will have the new score report format, which includes this numerical score... The new scale requires a minimum passing score of 700 on all exams. The maximum score on the exams will vary depending on the complexity of the skills being measured.� - Microsoft Exam and Testing Procedures FAQ

Note that Microsoft does not document the format of a particular exam: “Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented.�

The topics covered by this exam include:

• Analyzing Business Requirements
• Designing a Commerce Server Solution
• Installing and Configuring Commerce Server 2000
• Developing a Commerce Server Solution
• Deploying a Commerce Server Solution
• Maintaining and Supporting Your Commerce Server Solution