With the release this week of SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft has also rolled out some new training and certification options. What’s interesting to me is how much the new certifications are serving niches that are becoming more and more narrow. For example, there’s now a “Microsoft Certified IT Professional Database Administrator” and a “Microsoft Certified IT Professional Database Developer.” That’s probably a good distinction. However, there’s also a “Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist for SQL Server 2005.” Why is that one needed if you’ve got the other two?

On the dev side of the family, there’s now a “Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Web Developer” and a “Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Windows Developer” (focused more on traditional client-server apps). Again, that’s probably a good distinction. However, there’s also a “Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Enterprise Application Developer.” How does that one differ from the first two? I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation, but the bottom line is that too many certs leads to lots of confusion in the industry and the marketplace.