(70-230) BizTalk Server 2000

SYNOPSIS • MCAD .NET ^vs • MCSD .NET ^vs • MCSE 2000 ^vs

Microsoft’s exam 70-230, “Designing and Implementing Solutions with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000, Enterprise Edition� 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 medium to very large computing environments that use Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000.�
There is no specific prerequisite for this exam, but Microsoft recommends that candidates have “one year's experience designing and developing distributed applications by using Microsoft technologies� in the type of environment described here.

As well, candidates “must have expertise with XML, and experience with XSLT is recommended. Candidates must have a working knowledge of COM+, including development tools such as Microsoft Visual Basic and Microsoft Visual C++, and a working knowledge of Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), ASP, and Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition.�

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

At one time this exam may provide no score other than Pass/Fail, but this is subject to change. “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.� In the past, though, this exam was form-based multiple choice.

The topics covered by this exam include:

• Planning and Designing BizTalk Server Solutions
• Installing BizTalk Server
• Building Document Interchanges
• Creating Auxiliary Components for BizTalk Server Solutions
• Administering BizTalk Server Solutions
• Creating Schemas and Transformations
• Implementing Business Processes by using BizTalk Orchestration Designer

For more information:
http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/exams/70-230.asp