This book is an excellent study guide for the MCSD exam. I passed the exam easily with this as my only resource. But...(there's always a but), this guide doesn't go into depth on the inner workings of InterDev or teach you how to use it. If you want to lean Visual Interdev 6.0, get a different book. PROS: If you need to study for the MCSD exam, get this book. The MTS section is excellent! The ADO and RDS sections are also very good. The book (and the exam) concentrates on interactive database-driven web site design.
CONS: Like all MS Press books, there are several inconsistancies, and the labs have errors. Look at it this way, by figuring out what's wrong with the labs, you actually learn a lot.
TIPS: A couple hints, if you're taking the exam, brush up on HTML, HTTP, and web technologies in general. Don't overlook the architecture section of this book! Understand the sections dealing with why to use Client side as opposed to Server side scripting.
I took 70-152 today with a score of 938 (I'm a very experienced ASP developer with some Interdev knowledge), and I only used two sources for my studying - MeasureUP testing software and this book.Ultimately 70-152 is for developers who have already been developing in HTML, ASP/ADO and Visual Basic (preferably under MTS) for at least a year, and possibly longer. Also, some experience with the Visual Interdev product helps, but there's not a lot of coverage of Interdev either in the book or on the test.
But there is a particular reason you have to use THIS book, as opposed to just going on your own knowledge, or using another book - and that is Chapter One. Take a look at the list of what is covered on the test, and you notice that most of it has to do with "Analyzing Business Requirements." It's obviously emphasized in the list of topics, it's also strongly emphasized in the MeasureUp exams, and (though to a lesser extent than I thought) the test itself.
If you've already passed both of the VB tests -- review Chapters 5 and 6 (which are all database related, mostly focusing on ADO) but don't study too hard. Skip chapters 7 and 8 -- there should be nothing new here. A warning though, be able to understand COM from the C++ point of view on the test.
If you are an experienced ASP developer, you should still give chapters 3 and 4 a read as they deal with topics you probably haven't encountered before or could use review on (scriptlets, PageObject, etc.)
Chapters 1,2,9 and 10 are the chapters you should focus on with regards to the test -- unless you aren't an experienced VB/ASP developer, in which case you should look for a different test to take.
Unlike some past study guides, most of chapter 1 can't be found in MSDN :( So you need the book. You won't pass without knowing chapter 1 most likely. It seems simple, but it isn't.
Be warned, neither this book nor the MeasureUP exams will fully prepare you for the test. It helps if you've dealt with quirks and problems before. Some topics that could have been covered better are Content Replication Server, Index Server, FrontPage (98) Server Extensions, Posting Acceptor (3.0), Site Server Replication capabilities, testing and debugging, and of course deployment and replication. Also give yourself a HTML review, particularly on tags whose function is implied in MS's study outline.
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