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Given increased environmental awareness, high gas prices and a continually slumping economy, it’s no wonder that more fuel efficient cars are all the rage these days. The best deal going may be Honda’s hybrid, the 42 miles-per-gallon (MPG) Insight ($18,350). Meanwhile, the newest version of Toyota’s flagship hybrid, the Prius ($23,015), garners an impressive 50 MPG. Other solid choices include Toyota’s 41-MPG Camry hybrid ($25,900), Ford’s 39-MPG Fusion hybrid ($28,700), Lexus’ 42-MPG CT 200h ($29,120) and Lincoln’s 39-MPG MKZ Hybrid ($34,755).

For even greater efficiency and lower sticker prices, consider going electric, whereby you can charge your vehicle at ordinary electric outlets at home or work. Mitsubishi’s new MiEV ($29,125) electric is the most fuel efficient car available to U.S. consumers in the 2012 model year, achieving 112 “MPG-equivalent” (the U.S. Environment Protection Agency’s rating for electric vehicles that swaps in electricity for gas in its calculations) and a 62 mile range per full charge—not bad considering four adults can fit fairly comfortably inside. Another option is Smart’s FourTwo Electric ($28,752), a two-seater with an 87 MPG-equivalent. And Nissan’s all-electric Leaf ($35,200) achieves 99 MPG efficiency for a range up to 100 miles, learn more about Effuel benefits.

So-called “plug-in” hybrids also allow drivers to charge their vehicles’ electric batteries via common power outlets, but also can use gasoline as needed for a longer range. Though pricey at $39,145, the Chevy Volt may save you money in the long run because it gets a whopping 94 MPG-equivalent in its preferred all-electric mode. An onboard gas generator produces more electricity as the vehicle is driven, extending the car’s range with a full tank of gas to some 375 miles. Toyota released a plug-in version of its Prius ($32,760) this year, as well. It gets 87 MPG in electric mode (but this will only get you 15 miles without gas assistance) and a respectable 49 MPG in regular hybrid mode.

Another factor to consider when deciding which of these new uber-efficient vehicles may be right for you is the availability of additional incentives. Buyers of a new Volt, MiEV, FourTwo Electric or Leaf, for example, can cash in on a federal tax credit of $7,500—and some states may offer additional incentives—bringing the overall cost of these cars down to within the range of similarly sized traditional car models. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) posts all of the relevant federal tax incentives online at its Fuel Efficient Vehicle Tax Information Center website. For state-by-state incentives, check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), a free online resources maintained by the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

There has been a lot of things happening in my life recently. For example, yesterday was my first wedding anniversary, I was speaking at SQL Saturday 122 (Louisville, KY) in the weekend, last Monday I finally took my road test and got my driving license in the USA, and tons of other stuff which you would be least interested in. And the week before last, I managed to pass my 70-462 exam, which makes me a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) in the BI track now; I thought at least some of you who are thinking of going through the certifications might be interested to know about my experience.

You must have already heard about the new certification structure from Microsoft and there are tons of blogs out there which talk about this change. For the SQL Server 2012 certification, you have the MCSA (similar to MCTS for SQL 2008) and MCSE (similar to MCITP for SQL 2008) now. The MCSE has two tracks – SQL Server and BI and I would be talking only about the BI track here. The MCSA is a pre-requisite for the MCSE, and the way to obtain MCSA is given below

After you have got your MCSA, you can follow the path below to get your MCSE in BI

As you can see from the above images, you just have to write three exams for the upgrade path to your MCSE BI compared to the five if you are new to certification. Even though I was eligible for it, I decided to go through the longer path as I had got the codes to write the beta exams. I decided to write 4 of the 5 exams required for my MCSE in BI. 3 of them (463, 466, 467) were completely BI related while the other one (461) was more testing the SQL coding skills. As I had already starting working with SQL Server 2012, I was not that worried about the three BI exams. I consider my SQL skills also to be good (even though my TSQL skills are not that great) and since all the exams were free (because they were still in beta), I decided to try it anyway (else it would cost me $150 per exam). The only exam I didn’t write was 462 and the reason is something that will strike with most if not all of the BI guys – I had no clue on how how to administer the SQL Server side. I am more of the guy who would keep the phone numbers of a couple of DBAs in my hotkeys, and call them the moment I hear something on migration strategies, replication, mirroring, security, etc. Anyways, I scheduled the 4 beta exams in 2 weeks (as seats & dates were limited), and managed to pass all four of them. Even though I can’t disclose the exam content, I would give a couple of advices:-

1) Make sure that you read this book – Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012. This book is free and is the easiest way to make sure that you at least get acquainted with all the new features of SQL 2012.

2) As long as you have experience and are familiar with the SSIS, SSAS (including multi-dimensional, tabular, MDX, DAX) and SSRS, you just need to do some general reading which is what I did. Else you might need to pick up a few books and start preparing for those topics. I know that the tabular side is something that is completely new and is a challenge for most BI professionals that I know. I would recommend Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services: The BISM Tabular Model as a great guide to get you to that intermediate to expert level.

3) Make sure that you go to the Skills Measured tab of the exam page and at least read something on each point that is there. The internet has a lot of articles and you can find almost everything if you just search for them.

4) For me, the easiest way to remember things is by doing. If it is the same for you, make sure that you have installed the entire BI suite and do a couple of exercises. If that is not possible for you, try to hit the Virtual Labs.

Once I got to know that I passed for all four, I started preparing for my 70-462. I was really lax initially as I was more of the mentality that I don’t require to know all these in my daily job as a BI consultant. Once I got over that mind block, I started to appreciate the fact that at least now, I will have some basic understanding of what all these terms mean. My advice for this exam is

1) Get the official guide for the exam - Training Kit (Exam 70-462): Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases. After taking the exam, I feel that this is a great guide for the exam.

2) Make sure that you read and understand all that is written before you go forward. For example, there are different migration strategies and what you need to know is when to use which one. At the end, I was overwhelmed with all the information that I read and started to forget which one to use when. It might be a good idea to make small cards for each section, and put the different techniques in a tabular format.

3) Take all the practice tests in the CD accompanying the book. It is a great way to test your readiness for the exam.

4) Incase you are not buying the book, make sure that you go to the Skills Measured tab of the exam page and read as much as you can on each point that is there from the internet. Hopefully, this information would come in handy for those who are preparing for the exams. Meanwhile, let me start flaunting my new logo and certificate

For people who are connected with me, this would not come as much of a shock but yes, with this post comes a big change for me. By the time this post gets published, I would have already moved on from MindTree Ltd and started work at Mariner, my new work place. This would also mean that I have changed my base from London, UK to Charlotte, USA. I have lots of fond memories about MindTree and the decision to part was indeed very difficult. I will definitely miss my colleagues there and wish them all the very best for the future. At the same time, I am also very excited to join Mariner and look forward to working and learning from some of the most talented people I have known. Hopefully, I will also be able to contribute something. The new year has got me a new job and I am looking forward to a lot of things. I would like to end this post with a New Year wish that I had read sometime back, for all of my readers- I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind. I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself!

Just around a week ago, I had blogged about completing one year of active participation in the Microsoft communities. Today morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see the following mail in my inbox I am deeply humbled (and a little worried on where I would place the MCCA logo on my already overcrowded sidebar ) on receiving this and hopefully, the access to complimentary resources will act as an extra motivational factor for me to continue my activities. Well, enough of the boring acceptance speech and time to flaunt my latest logo

Even though I had joined the MSDN Forums way back in 2009, I started using it regularly only from 2010 February. Looking back, it’s been a wonderful journey and I should say I have learned a lot from all of you wonderful guys contributing there. I didn’t do pretty bad myself as I raked in 6556 points from 1158 posts with 392 answers, all in the past one year. My activity at the forums inspired me to take my career to the next level and even my blogs and networking are a direct result of this. In the past few months, my activity has reduced considerably but I intend to catch up soon and make up for it. I am also planning on getting more involved in the user group activities and taking some sessions, but more on it later.

To all those folks who have been wondering where I disappeared – I just relocated to London from Bangalore this Sunday, 25 July! I was extremely busy in the preparations and hence couldn’t blog much and by the looks of it, the next 2 weeks also looks pretty hectic. I have to find an accommodation somewhere in London within the next 12 days, my office is in 288 Bishopsgate (near the Liverpool Street Station). So if any of you guys know a decent place for a single guy, please do pitch in, I would appreciate it 🙂 Hopefully, I would be meeting a lot of you who are in London. Till then, adieus amigos.

Whoah! So finally I managed to clear my Microsoft Certified IT Professional exam in SQL Server 2008 BI after procrastinating it for almost 3 months. Well, ever since I cleared my MCTS exam in SQL Server 2008 BI, I was itching to get my hands on the the next title and so I scheduled my exam sometime in the first week of March. But as the doomsday appeared, I sort of started getting apprehensions whether I was actually prepared to write the exam as I had done no extra preparations (come on, there was no official book specified for the exam like the MCTS one. And no, don’t even start calling the reference books specified in the home page as official books) and I had no clue what sort of questions would be asked. Anyways, finally got the guts to write it yesterday and I cleared :). Now speaking about the exams, I would have loved to discuss the questions but then there is a non-disclosure agreement because of which I would not be able to divulge the questions, but then I will try to give a general feel of the exams. MCTS (70-448) This exam can be cleared by anyone who has got a decent 1 year hands-on experience in the tool. Most of the questions are related to development of the solution, and on top of that, the official book - MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-448): Microsoft SQL Server 2008-Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance is pretty much detailed. My view is that even if you don’t have the experience to back you, studying the book will definitely help you pass the exam. Number of questions were around 36 and data mining related questions were few and simple. Mostly it was centred around SSIS, SSAS and SSRS. As for my preparations, I had around 3 years of experience and just read the complete book as I would read a novel in 3 days and wrote the exam. Mission cleared! MCITP (70-452) The sort of questions which were asked in this exam were completely design related. So if you have been designing BI solutions for 2+ years, this should be a breeze for you. Unfortunately for me, I had been designing only the OLAP part in my company and hence had to ponder a bit more in the SSIS part. Some of the questions really made me think, and even after that, I would be stuck with 2 answers. But the SSAS and SSRS parts were pretty decent which makes me re-affirm what I said before – you would find the parts easy if you have sufficient experience in it. In the end, I scored around 90% in the sections related to SSIS, SSAS and SSRS, but scored a 0 in the data mining part. There were only a few questions related to data mining, so guys, no need to get scared if you don’t have experience in data mining like me. Worst case, you can still pass after getting a zero in data mining like I did ;). Number of questions were around 66. As for my preparations, I would say a bit of extra reading in SSIS and of course yes, reading tits and bits from my favourite SSAS guide - Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services Unleashed for maybe 3 days. Mission cleared! Now I can finally display the MCITP logo in my profile 😀