Competency Training News Digest
April 2014
Dear partner
We’re trying fun, new training methods at MPN Training including videos, infographics, and
games. For those of you looking to attain the Digital Advertising competency, we highly
recommend you check out the new Microsoft Digital Advertising Learning Path game and
sweepstakes—see the Digital Advertising competency section, below. You can find information
about our videos and infographics below in the appropriate competency section, too.
Speaking of fun—don’t forget to register to attend Worldwide Partner Conference 2014. It’s
coming up soon!
What’s new
Last full month to save 40% off certification exams
Microsoft Partner Network competencies show your customers that you have proven
capabilities and expertise on the latest Microsoft technologies. Right now, you can purchase
packs of certification exams at up to 40% off. In addition, each voucher comes with a Second
Shot if retakes are needed. Order packs before May 31, 2014 and be sure to use them before
they expire at the end of the year.
US partners have an additional offer to sweeten the deal. Individuals who are associated to a
Microsoft Partner Network member organization and who pass a qualifying Microsoft
Certification exam between February 3 and April 27 earn an entry** into a sweepstakes:

Weekly drawings – Two $500 Microsoft Store gift cards

Monthly drawings – Two Surface Pro 2 tablets
List of qualifying exams. You will receive a drawing entry for each exam you pass.
**NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes ends April 27. Open only to authorized
representatives of companies enrolled in the Microsoft Partner Network with a valid MPN ID who
are legal residents of the US, age 18 and older. For details, including free alternate method of
entry, see Official rules.
MPN training and requirements updates to competencies
With the launch of the MPN changes on February 24, 2014, many requirements for sales,
presales, and technical capability were updated to reflect the latest products in market. Get an
overview of the changes in the Disclosure Guide. Also find out more about these changes from
these blog posts:

December 9, 2013 – Burke Fewel blog post

January 15, 2014 – Julie Bennani blog post

February 28, 2014 – Burke Fewel blog post
What’s is Practice Accelerator?
This short video shows the benefits of Practice Accelerator to Microsoft partners in a fun,
informative way.
WPC 2014: travel discounts and awards nominations
Follow us!
MPN competencies
Application Development
Application Integration
Application Lifecycle Management
Business Intelligence
Collaboration and Content
Communications
Customer Relationship Management
Data Platform
Devices and Deployment
Digital Advertising
Enterprise Resource Planning
Hosting
Identity and Access
Intelligent Systems
Learning
Management and Virtualization
Messaging
Midmarket Solution Provider
Mobility
OEM
Project and Portfolio Management
Server Platform
Small Business
Software Asset Management
Airline discounts are available for many regions to help with your expenses for WPC.
Additionally, local Washington, D.C. venues are offering discounts as well. Visit the Digital WPC
Logistics page to learn more.
Competency specific information
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
APPLICATION INTEGRATION
APPLICATION LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
SQL Server 2014 available now + April 15 live streaming keynotes
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 is generally available as of April 1. Learn more about
the latest offering here. And mark your calendar for April 15 to watch the
Accelerate Your Insights keynotes—featuring CEO Satya Nadella, COO Kevin
Turner, and CVP of Data Platform Quentin Clark—live from San Francisco,
California. Hear about data platform strategy including how you can drive your
business in real-time, from apps to insights, using all of your data.
Exam updates
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) SQL exams are scheduled to be
updated on April 24, 2014 to cover solutions based on both Microsoft SQL Server
2012 and 2014 products. The exam numbers will not change, but the product
version (2012) will be removed from the titles of the exams. Review details on the
exam updates now—see the Skills Measured section of each Exam Detail web page
below, and review the "content covering SQL Server 2014" section:
 Exam 70-466: Implementing a Data Warehouse with SQL Server 2012
 Exam 70-467: Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL
Server 2012
Do you know about Practice Accelerator?
Practice Accelerator sessions, designed for technical consultants and architects,
enable you and your organization to increase skills in a specific solution or services
area. Learn more about Practice Accelerator through this fun, informative, short
video.
April 30: Microsoft Corporate BI and SAP BI Integration Jump Start
How do you successfully deliver business intelligence (BI) to business users in your
organization? With so much data and so many users, BI can be tough to navigate.
To see how other teams have done it, join this no-cost Jump Start training session
and walk through a set of real-world case studies with Sanjay Soni and a team of
experts.
COLLABORATION AND CONTENT
Do you know about Practice Accelerator?
Practice Accelerator sessions, designed for technical consultants and architects,
enable you and your organization to increase skills in a specific solution or services
area. Learn more about Practice Accelerator through this fun, informative, short
video.
SharePoint Conference
Did you miss the SharePoint Conference in Vegas last month? Get current with
your competency with MPN learning paths for SharePoint. Then catch up on the
conference by visiting Channel 9.
COMMUNICATIONS
Lync Depth Support Engineer exam to be added to competency requirements
In order to help Lync partners meet the growing demand for solution providers
who also have support knowledge, Exam 74-338: Lync Depth Support Engineer will
be added to the exam requirements for gold status in the Communications
competency Systems Integration track, effective May 12, 2014. Gold Systems
Integration partners who have not had a qualified individual pass this exam by May
12 will receive an email notification of non-compliance, and will need to meet the
new exam requirement by their anniversary date in order to retain their gold
status.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Save the date for Convergence 2014 Europe: November 4-6, Barcelona
Convergence is the premiere event where you can join other members of the
Microsoft business community to network, learn and meet with industry experts.
You'll also get to see how opportunity and innovation meet to deliver real business
value. Save the date on your calendar for this upcoming Convergence and visit the
event website for more details. Questions? Contact MBS Events Inbox and find
more info here.
Microsoft Dynamics will be at WPC 2014
Microsoft Dynamics will be part of this year’s Worldwide Partner Conference
coming up in Washington, DC July 13-17, 2014. Build credibility and strengthen the
Microsoft Dynamics partner channel, share best practices, and choose to attend
Dynamics-focused sessions. Visit the WPC event website for more
details. Questions around the Microsoft Dynamics presence at WPC 2014? Visit
PartnerSource or email the MBS Events Inbox.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Spring Wave launch portal
Get ready for the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics CRM Spring Wave of releases.
There is a vast amount of new readiness content now available, including Getting
Ready Guides and preview session recordings; more content continues to be
added as the releases draw near.
DATA PLATFORM
SQL Server 2014 available now + April 15 live streaming keynotes
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 is generally available as of April 1. Learn more about
the latest offering here. And mark your calendar for April 15 to watch the
Accelerate Your Insights keynotes—featuring CEO Satya Nadella, COO Kevin
Turner, and CVP of Data Platform Quentin Clark—live from San Francisco,
California. Hear about data platform strategy including how you can drive your
business in real-time, from apps to insights, using all of your data.
Exam updates
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) SQL exams are scheduled to be
updated on April 24, 2014 to cover solutions based on both Microsoft SQL Server
2012 and 2014 products. The exam numbers will not change, but the product
version (2012) will be removed from the titles of the exams. Review details on the
exam updates now—see the Skills Measured section of each Exam Detail web page
below, and review the "content covering SQL Server 2014" section:

Exam 70-464: Developing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases

Exam 70-465: Designing Database Solutions for SQL Server 2012
DEVICES AND DEPLOYMENT
Do you know about Practice Accelerator?
Practice Accelerator sessions, designed for technical consultants and architects,
enable you and your organization to increase skills in a specific solution or services
area. The Flexible Workstyle offering relies on Microsoft Consulting Services
leading practices for delivering enterprise mobility solutions to Microsoft
customers. Attend this Practice Accelerator to learn how to effectively assess,
scope, plan, build, and deploy solutions using MCS IP with support from Partner
Technical Services. Learn more about Practice Accelerator through this fun,
informative, short video.
DIGITAL ADVERTISING
Microsoft Digital Advertising Learning Path Game Sweepstakes
Pass one of the required assessments or exam for Digital Advertising competency
April 7-May 7, 2014, and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win
US$1,000 gift card. Complete entry details and rules.
*No Purchase Necessary. Open only to authorized reps of companies actively
enrolled in MPN. Game ends 5/7/14. For details, see Official Rules.
ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING
Save the date for Convergence 2014 Europe: November 4-6, Barcelona
Join other members of the Microsoft business community to network, learn, and
meet with industry experts. You'll also get to see how opportunity and innovation
meet to deliver real business value. Save the date on your calendar for this
upcoming Convergence and visit the event website for more
details. Questions? Contact MBS Events Inbox.
Microsoft Dynamics will be at WPC 2014
Microsoft Dynamics will be part of this year’s Worldwide Partner Conference
coming up in Washington, DC July 13-17, 2014. Build credibility and strengthen the
Microsoft Dynamics partner channel, share best practices, and choose to attend
Dynamics-focused sessions. Visit the WPC event website for more
details. Questions around the Microsoft Dynamics presence at WPC 2014? Visit
PartnerSource or email the MBS Events Inbox.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 readiness and launch portal
Get ready for the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 release. There is a
vast amount of new readiness content now available, including Getting Ready
Guides and preview session recordings; more content continues to be added as
the release draws near.
HOSTING
IDENTITY AND ACCESS
INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
Enroll in the new Intelligent Systems competency
By now, you’ve probably noted the Internet of Things (IoT) catchphrase that is
trending throughout industry media outlets, but did you know that intelligent
systems are the Microsoft way of addressing the IoT partner opportunity? With the
launch of the new Intelligent Systems competency, Microsoft is demonstrating its
commitment to leading the way in this exciting new space. Learn more about the
partner opportunity that the Internet of Things represents by visiting
www.InternetofYourThings.com. And purchase exam packs containing 5 or 20
vouchers (up to 40% off).
LEARNING
MANAGEMENT AND VIRTUALIZATION
Do you know about Practice Accelerator?
Practice Accelerator sessions, designed for technical consultants and architects,
enable you and your organization to increase skills in a specific solution or services
area. Learn more about Practice Accelerator through this fun, informative, short
video.
MESSAGING
MIDMARKET SOLUTION PROVIDER
New video: Office 365 training
Grow your cloud expertise and help your customers move to the cloud. Learn how
to get started with Microsoft Office 365 training—for sales and technical
professionals—through this fun new video.
Do you know about Practice Accelerator?
Practice Accelerator sessions, designed for technical consultants and architects,
enable you and your organization to increase skills in a specific solution or services
area. Learn more about Practice Accelerator through this fun, informative, short
video.
MOBILITY
OEM
Updated OEM competency requirement
New Silver and Gold requirements for passing a qualifying exam or certification
and passing a new business-focused assessment: MCPs must pass Exam 70-684 or
Exam 74-697 and a Device Sales Business Assessment. Also, new exams 74-324
and 74-325 have been added and are now available. Access details via the
Disclosure Guide.
PROJECT AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
SERVER PLATFORM
SMALL BUSINESS
New video: Office 365 training
Grow your cloud expertise and help your customers move to the cloud. Learn how
to get started with Microsoft Office 365 training—for sales and technical
professionals—through this fun new video.
Do you know about Practice Accelerator?
Practice Accelerator sessions, designed for technical consultants and architects,
enable you and your organization to increase skills in a specific solution or services
area. Learn more about Practice Accelerator through this fun, informative, short
video.
SOFTWARE ASSET MANAGEMENT
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