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MicroStrategy Education

Business Intelligence Training for
Technology and Business Professionals

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Frequently Asked Questions

Course Selection

  1. I'm new to using MicroStrategy products. Which course should I take first?
  2. What should I take after Desktop: Reporting Essentials?
  3. Can I focus on a particular MicroStrategy knowledge area?
  4. Can I waive a course prerequisite?

Class Schedules and Locations

  1. Where can I find a course schedule?
  2. What time does class begin?
  3. What time does class end?
  4. Where are classes held?
  5. Do you offer online (distance learning) classes?

Registration and Payment

  1. How do I register for class?
  2. How do I send you the registration form?
  3. How much is tuition?
  4. How do I pay for class?
  5. Can you send me a bill for class?
  6. Can I use a purchase order?
  7. When do I receive my confirmation?
  8. What if I have to cancel my enrollment?

Exams and Certificates

  1. How does one get MicroStrategy Certified?
  2. Will I get a certificate at the end of class?
  3. What's a passing grade for a certification exam?
  4. When will I know my grade?
  5. What If I fail an exam? What's the retake policy?
  6. Can I take exams to get certified without attending class?
  7. When do Certifications expire?
  8. Can I take an old or prior version of an exam?
  9. I have a prior version of Project Designer, Report Designer, or Document Developer certification. Can I attempt a newer version MCD Project?

Everything Else

  1. Do you have online classes?
  2. May I just buy the books?

Course Selection

1. I'm new to using MicroStrategy products. Which course should I take first?
We suggest Desktop: Reporting Essentials. This course provides an overview of the extensive reporting capabilities of MicroStrategy Desktop. It's also a prerequisite for many other MicroStrategy courses.

Alternatively, if you're a beginning to intermediate user who would like to learn how to read, analyze, and manipulate a pre-built MicroStrategy report - but your role requires little technical knowledge beyond that - we suggest Web for Reporters and Analysts followed by Web for Professionals.

2. What should I take after Desktop: Reporting Essentials?
Please review our courses by role section to put together a training path based on your role and responsibilities.

3. Can I focus on a particular MicroStrategy knowledge area?
Sure. If you'd like to master the MicroStrategy features and capabilities that are most relevant to the job you have now, you can combine some of the courses to create a program of study specific to your role.

We suggest, though, that you consider taking courses as part of a certification program so that you can earn an industry-recognized credential for your work.

4. Can I waive a course prerequisite?
Prerequisite courses are recommended, but not required. However, if you skip the prerequisite course, you may miss learning key concepts that will help you understand the more advanced courses.

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Class Schedules and Locations

1. Where can I find a course schedule?
Use the Course Search Wizard to find our scheduled classes. You may search by calendar month, location, or course name.

2. What time does class begin?
Training center classes begin at 9:00 a.m. local time. Distance learning classes begin at 10:00 a.m. EST for students in North America.

3. What time does class end?
Training center classes officially end at 5:00 p.m. However, this may vary slightly due to the size of the class, the number of questions, and the audience's comfort with the material. If you have an earlier flight out, please notify the instructor the morning before you leave so arrangements can be made to exit without disturbing the rest of the class. Distance learning classes begin at 10am and end at 6pm EST for students in North America.

4. Where are classes held?
Classes are held online or at one of our education centers.

To attend at an education center, check the locater to find the one that's most convenient for you. Your enrollment confirmation will include directions to the center and hotel suggestions. (Please don't call the center to register. Follow the process described on the registration page instead.)

5.Do you offer online (distance learning) classes?
Yes! If an instructor-led course isn't available at a convenient public training center, you now have the added flexibility of participating in that same course in a distance learning format.

We use Microsoft® Live Meeting technology and a hosted lab environment for distance learning. We'll send you joining instructions after you enroll.

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Registration and Payment

1. How do I register for class?
PEP members can register online with their user ID and password. Everyone else will need to complete a registration form and send it to us. (Alternatively, you can request a registration form via the toll-free information line at 877-232-7168.)

2. How do I send you the registration form?
Fax it to 703-848-8602 or email it to education@microstrategy.com.

3. How much is tuition?
All of our public, regional classes are US$650 per person, per day. Certification exams are $200 per exam and are administered on MicroStrategy Testing Days. These fees are waived for active PEP members.

If you have learning units, your rate is calculated in learning units instead of currency. If you're a MicroStrategy global alliance partner or have a partnership agreement with us, you may be eligible for a discounted rate. Contact us to find out. All non-standard rates are subject to verification by MicroStrategy Education.

4. How do I pay for class?
The Global Perennial Education Pass (Global PEP) is an annual program that enables subscribers to take any or all of the courses we offer for one flat fee. It's our most cost-effective option for those who anticipate taking multiple MicroStrategy courses. Contact us to sign up for this program.

Alternatively, for classes, we accept credit cards and checks (sent in advance of the class start date). For certification exams, we accept credit cards only. You also may trade learning units for classes and certification exams.

5. Can you send me a bill for class?
We're sorry, but we don't accommodate direct invoicing at this time.

6. Can I use a purchase order?
Purchase orders may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us.

7. When do I receive my confirmation?
You'll get a confirmation via email after we receive your registration form and payment. Please allow up to two business days, although usually we can send your confirmation within 24 hours. Our hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

8. What if I have to cancel my enrollment?
Our cancellation policy requires 10 business days advance notice or a penalty fee will be charged. For more information, please see the registration page.

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Exams and Certificates

1. How does one get MicroStrategy Certified?
MicroStrategy offers its certifications onsite, at testing centers, and also Anytime/Anywhere environments.

Proctored certifications are available to be taken onsite and at testing centers for the following and can be scheduled by contacting us:

  • MicroStrategy Certified Developer (MCD) project
  • Certified Platform Administrator (CPA),
  • Certified Engine Specialist (CES),
  • MCD Upgrade
  • MCE Upgrade

Anytime/Anywhere exams are available for the following and can be scheduled by contacting us:

  • Certified Report Developer (CRD)
  • Certified Project Designer (CPD)
  • Certified Document Developer (CDD)

2. Will I get a certificate at the end of class?
Yes. Certificates are given out for successful completion of the certification exams and the MCE or MCD Project classes. We only send certificates electronically, so long as you complete the course feedback survey. Please send a request to either your instructor or to education@microstrategy.com at the end of class.

3. What's a passing grade for a certification exam?
A passing grade for an exam or retake exam is 75 percent or higher.

4. When will I know my grade?
For most exams, you will receive your grade after completing your exam.

5. What if I fail an exam? What's the retake policy?
For the following focused area certifications please refer to our MicroStrategy Certification Retake Policy

  1. Certified Project Designer (CPD)
  2. Certified Report Developer (CRD)
  3. Certified Document Developer (CDD)
  4. Certified Engine Specialist (CES)
  5. Certified Platform Administrator (CPA)

To retake a certification, please contact us.

For MicroStrategy Certified Developer and MicroStrategy Certified Engineer upgrade certifications, you get one retake. If you fail the retake, the only way to recertify is to go through the certification program again. That includes taking the applicable exams and completing the project.

6. Can I take exams to get certified without attending class?
Certification on the MicroStrategy product suite is now modular in format and easier than ever to fit into your schedule. But if you think you have enough MicroStrategy knowledge, you may bypass the prerequisite classes and register for the exam.

7. When do Certifications expire?
Our focus area exams and enterprise level certification projects are valid indefinitely for the MicroStrategy courseware version to which they correspond. For example, any student who passes a Certified Project Designer (CPD) exam on a specific MicroStrategy version will always be CPD certified on that MicroStrategy version. Note, however, that when a newer exam is available, students certified on previous versions may have a significant knowledge gap. To learn more, see Certifications.

8. Can I take an old or prior version of an exam?
Yes. For a certain period of time, which may vary by release, customers and partners can take prior version certifications even though newer version exams are available. We encourage students to take the latest version of the exams so that their certification status is up to date with our most recent certification offerings.

9. I have a prior version of Project Designer, Report Designer, or Document Developer certification. Can I attempt a newer version MCD Project?
Yes, but we don't recommend it. The newer MCD project assesses knowledge of features and functionality not taught in prior versions. Students certified in a prior versions should consider taking any necessary missing courses on the newer version before attempting the newer MCD project. As a general guideline, students are encouraged to take exam versions identical to those learned in previous classes.

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Everything Else

1. Do you have online classes?
Yes. You can attend instructor-led courses online if you can't get to one of our training centers. Please check the schedule for dates and times.

We also offer self-paced online training that's free of charge.

2. May I just buy the books?
We now have condensed eBook versions of many of our course manuals on the iTunes Store at no charge! You can find them by searching for "MicroStrategy University" in the iTunes Store on your iPhone, iPad, or computer. We strongly encourage students to take the courses, since they're the only opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience through exercises. Receiving a course manual without formal instruction does not provide the same value or benefits as attending the course itself.

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