What first began as an agricultural research project at North Carolina State University eventually grew into a full-fledged software and services company by 1976. SAS has gone on to develop a solid customer base in the banking and pharmaceutical industries as well as in academia and at numerous agencies at all levels of government. Today, SAS is a leader in business analytics, data warehousing and data mining.
SAS has been recognized as one of the best places to work by organizations like Fortune and the Great Place to Work Institute. Coming in at No. 37, SAS made its 21st appearance in Fortune’s list of 100 best companies to work for in 2017 and No. 23 in Fortune’s list of top 100 best workplaces for millennials in 2018. Indeed, the company’s low turnover rate (4 percent in 2016) is an indicator of its commitment to its employees and, indirectly, to its customers as well.
Of the top 100 Fortune Global 500 companies, 96 are SAS customers. SAS customers span the globe with more than 83,000 instances installed in 144 countries.
SAS certification program overview
SAS has awarded more than 100,000 certifications since the program’s introduction in 1999, according to Brightcove. Today, the SAS Global Certification Program offers 23 credentials across seven categories:
- Foundation Tools
- Advanced Analytics
- Business Intelligence and Analytics
- Data Management
- Administration
- JMP
- Partners
SAS certifications, along with required exams and costs, are described in more detail in the following sections. Although experience levels aren’t specifically indicated for each certification, a good rule of thumb is a minimum of eight months of experience on the base SAS system for Base Programmers and two to three years of relevant, hands-on experience for all other certifications before candidates tackle their respective exams.
All exams are administered by Pearson VUE or through a SAS-sponsored certification exam session (typically in conjunction with a training course). SAS also offers online proctored exams for all certification credentials through their partnership with Pearson VUE. Note that all certifications covered below are based on SAS 9.4.
SAS Foundation Tools certifications
Foundation Tools credentials aim at SAS professionals whose workdays revolve around writing and managing SAS programs. The company currently offers three Foundation Tools certifications:
- SAS Certified Base Programmer for SAS 9: The Base Programmer knows how to query databases and perform analyses, including importing and exporting raw data files, manipulating data, combining SAS data sets and creating reports. The certification exam features 50 to 55 multiple-choice questions, a 100-minute time limit, and candidates must answer at least a 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
- SAS Certified Advanced Programmer for SAS 9: The Advanced Programmer must be skilled in writing advanced DATA step programming statements and solving complex problems as well as interpreting SAS SQL code and writing SAS macros. The certification exam features 60 to 65 multiple-choice questions, a 100-minute time limit and candidates must answer at least 65 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
- SAS Certified Clinical Trials Programmer Using SAS 9: This programmer works exclusively with clinical trials data, transforming raw data into polished, validated reports. There are two different paths to achieving this certification:
- Clinical Trial Programmer Exam: The certification exam features 90 to100 multiple-choice questions, a three-hour time limit and candidates must answer at least a 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam. There are no prerequisites required to take this exam.
- Clinical Trial Programmer – Accelerated Exam: The certification exam features 70 to 75 multiple-choice questions, a 120-minute time limit, and candidates must answer at least a 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam. Candidates must already have completed the SAS Base Programmer certification before they can sit for this accelerated exam.
| Certification | Required Exam(s) | Exam Cost* |
|---|---|---|
| SAS Certified Base Programmer for SAS 9 | SAS Base Programming for SAS 9 exam (A00-211) | $180 |
| SAS Certified Advanced Programmer for SAS 9 | SAS Advanced Programming for SAS 9 exam (A00-212)
Must possess SAS Certified Base Programmer for SAS 9 credential |
$180 |
| SAS Certified Clinical Trials Programmer Using SAS 9 | Clinical Trials Programming Using SAS 9 exam (A00-280)
OR Clinical Trials Programming Using SAS 9 – Accelerated Version exam (A00-281) Requires the SAS Certified Base Programmer for SAS 9 credential |
$180 each exam |
* SAS offers a 50 percent discount on the cost of all exams to instructors, students, faculty and staff at schools and higher education institutions as well as to SAS employees. See the SAS FAQs for details.
SAS Advanced Analytics certifications
The Advanced Analytics credentials are designed for SAS professionals who gather, manipulate and analyze big data using SAS tools, run reports and make business recommendations based on complex models. The certifications in this category include:
- SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9: Data scientists can use both open source and SAS tools to manipulate data, form conclusions and make recommendations, and deploy SAS solutions. Rather than being a stand-alone certification, the Certified Data Scientist credential is attained by completing the Certified Big Data Professional and Certified Advanced Analytics Professional credentials.
- SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9: An Advanced Analytics Professional uses predictive modeling and statistical analysis methods and techniques to analyze big data sets. Candidates must pass three exams to complete this certification:
- Predictive Monitoring Using SAS Enterprise Miner 7, 13 or 14
- Advanced Predictive Modeling
- Text Analytics, Time Series, Experimentation and Optimization
- SAS Certified Predictive Modeler Using SAS Enterprise Miner 14: A Predictive Modeler prepares data and then builds, assesses, and implements predictive models. The certification exam features 55 to 60 multiple choice and short-answer questions, a 165-minute time limit, and candidates must achieve a score of at least 725 points from a possible point range of 200 to 1,000 points to pass the exam. Find out more about scaled scores via the exam FAQs. There are no credential prerequisites required to take this exam, though a thorough knowledge of a number of related skills and techniques is required.
- SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9 Regression and Modeling: The Statistical Business Analyst uses SAS software to perform statistical analyses and predictive modeling, including linear and logistic regression, variance analysis and model performance measurements. The certification exam features 60 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a two-hour time limit, and candidates must answer at least 68 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam. There are no credential prerequisites required to take this exam, though a thorough knowledge of a number of related skills and techniques is required.
| Certification | Required Exam(s) | Exam Cost |
|---|---|---|
| SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9 | No exam is required. Credential is awarded to candidates who possess the following two certifications:
SAS Certified Big Data Professional Using SAS 9 (2 exams, $180 each, $360 total) SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9 (3 exams, $610 total) |
$970 |
| SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9 | Predictive Modeling Using SAS Enterprise Miner 13 (Candidates with SAS Certified Predictive Modeler Using SAS Enterprise Miner 7, 13 or 14 do not need to take this exam.), $250
SAS Advanced Predictive Modeling (A00-225), $180 SAS Text Analytics, Time Series, Experimentation and Optimization (A00-226), $180 |
$610 |
| SAS Certified Predictive Modeler Using SAS Enterprise Miner 14 | Predictive Modeling using SAS Enterprise Miner 14 exam | $250 |
| SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling | SAS Statistical Business Analysis Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling exam (A00-240) | $180 |
SAS Business Intelligence and Analytics certifications
The Business Intelligence and Analytics credentials are designed for IT professionals who create interfaces and reports for SAS 9 or who use SAS Visual Analytics routinely. For the following certifications, there are no credential prerequisites required to take these exams, though a thorough knowledge of a number of related skills and techniques is required. The three certifications in this category are:
- SAS Certified BI Content Developer for SAS 9: The BI Content Developer focuses mainly on creating, implementing and customizing SAS interface applications (such as reporting applications), including data management and dashboard creation. The certification exam features 60 to 65 multiple-choice questions, a two-hour time limit, and candidates must answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
- SAS Certified Visual Business Analyst Exploration and Design Using SAS Visual Analytics: This credential targets analysts who use SAS Visual Analytics, Visual Analytics Explorer, and Visual Analytics Designer to add, manipulate and explore data, and create reports. The certification exam features 60 to 65 multiple-choice questions, a 100-minute time limit, and candidates must answer at least 68 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
- SAS Certified Visual Modeler Using SAS Visual Statistics 7.4: The Certified Visual Modeler targets analysts who perform model fitting and analysis as well as predictive and exploratory modeling in business environments using SAS Visual Statistics. The certification exam features 50 multiple-choice, short-answer and interactive questions, a 90-minute time limit and candidates must answer at least 68 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
| Certification | Required Exam(s) | Exam Cost |
|---|---|---|
| SAS Certified BI Content Developer for SAS 9 | SAS BI Content Development for SAS 9 exam (A00-270) | $180 |
| SAS Certified Visual Business Analyst: Exploration and Design Using SAS Visual Analytics | SAS Visual Analytics 7.4 Exploration and Design exam (A00-277) | $180 |
| SAS Certified Visual Modeler Using SAS Visual Statistics 7.4 | SAS Interactive Model Building and Exploration Using SAS Visual Statistics 7.4 exam (A00-272) | $180 |
SAS Data Management certifications
Professionals whose workdays (or career aspirations) revolve more around managing data and platforms rather than deep statistics, analysis and modeling will gravitate to data management credentials. For the following certifications, there are no credential prerequisites required to take these exams, though a thorough knowledge of a number of related skills and techniques is required. The three certifications in this category are:
- SAS Certified Big Data Professional Using SAS 9: The Big Data credential is designed for professionals who conduct statistical analyses using SAS and open source data-management tools. This credential is comprised of two separate exams:
- Big Data Preparation, Statistics and Visual Exploration
- SAS Big Data Programming and Loading
- SAS Certified Data Integration Developer for SAS 9: The Data Integration Developer works with data to prepare it for analysis and reporting. Candidates must know how to define the platform architecture for SAS Business Analytics as well as create metadata, transform data and tables, and run jobs. The certification exam features 76 multiple-choice questions, a 105-minute time limit, and candidates must answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
- SAS Certified Data Quality Steward for SAS 9: The Data Quality Steward validates the skills of professionals who use the SAS DataFlux Data Management Studio. The certification exam features 75 multiple-choice questions, a 110-minute time limit, and candidates must answer at least 68 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
| Certification | Required Exam(s) | Exam Cost |
|---|---|---|
| SAS Certified Big Data Professional Using SAS 9 | SAS Big Data Preparation, Statistics, and Visual Exploration exam (A00-220)
SAS Big Data Programming and Loading exam (A00-221) |
$180 each, $360 total |
| SAS Certified Data Integration Developer for SAS 9 | SAS Data Integration Development for SAS 9 exam (A00-260) | $180 |
| SAS Certified Data Quality Steward for SAS 9 | SAS Data Quality using DataFlux Data Management Studio exam (A00-262) | $180 |
SAS Administration certifications
The administration category has a single credential – the SAS Certified Platform Administrator for SAS 9 – designed for professionals responsible for supporting the SAS Business Analytics platform from installation through day-to-day maintenance. Candidates must know how to set up folders, manage user accounts, monitor system performance, apply security techniques, perform backups and complete other administrative tasks. The certification exam features 70 multiple-choice questions, a 110-minute time limit, and candidates must answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass the exam.
| Certification | Required Exam(s) | Exam Cost |
|---|---|---|
| SAS Certified Platform Administrator for SAS 9 | SAS Platform Administration for SAS 9 exam (A00-250) | $180 |
JMP certifications
SAS JMP is data analysis and visualization software that allows users to explore, mine and share data analyses in a graphical format. The JMP credential includes two exams:
- JMP Certified Specialist – JMP Scripting Using JMP 14: Using the JMP Scripting Language (JSL), candidates will demonstrate their proficiency in completing various programming and scripting tasks.
- JMP Certified Specialist – Design and Analysis of Experiments Using JMP 14: Successful candidates will demonstrate their abilities and skills in designing and analyzing various industrial experiments, including evaluating model assumptions and process optimization.
Both of these certification exams feature 50 to 60 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a 150-minute time limit, and candidates must achieve a score of at least 725 points from the possible point range of 200 to 1,000 points. Find out more about scaled scores via the exam FAQ.
| Certification | Required Exam(s) | Exam Cost |
|---|---|---|
| JMP Certified Specialist: JMP Scripting Using JMP 14 | JMP Scripting Using JMP 14 exam (A00-908) | $180 |
| JMP Certified Specialist: Design and Analysis of Experiments Using JMP 14 | Design and Analysis of Experiments Using JMP 14 (A00-909) | $180 |
Partner certifications
SAS offers credential programs for certified SAS resellers, VARs, and consultants though its partner program. There are six partner credentials available to SAS partners:
Access to the Partner credentialing portal is restricted to authorized SAS partners only. As a result, some details of the partner exam process are hidden from public view. If you work for a SAS partner, ask your company SAS liaison or your SAS sales team for more details about partner certifications.
Training and resources
SAS offers links to SAS classroom and eLearning courses, trial exam questions and full practice exams. Refer to the exam Preparation tab for each certification on the SAS Certification website. Candidates can purchase certification packages that include training courses, preparation materials and exam vouchers with typical discounts of 35 to 40 percent.
SAS training can be pricey, depending on factors such as delivery method and class length.
Individual courses range from lows around $1,100 to highs of $4,000. Candidates should be sure to check out the SAS Discounts web page for information on current discount programs, best value deals, veteran’s discounts and more before enrolling.
The SAS Training and Books webpage provides links to certification prep books, training courses, eLearning opportunities (SAS onDemand) and the SAS Global Academic Program. SAS also offers trial exam questions and training software may be accessed through the SAS University Edition.
Many colleges and universities, such as Philadelphia University, Florida State University and the University of Missouri, to name just a few, also offer SAS certificate programs to their undergraduate and graduate students. If you’re in (or thinking of going to) getting SAS certified as part of your degree program, it pays to check out your SAS certification options before choosing an institution of higher learning.
Ed Tittel
Ed is a 30-year-plus veteran of the computing industry, who has worked as a programmer, a technical manager, a classroom instructor, a network consultant and a technical evangelist for companies that include Burroughs, Schlumberger, Novell, IBM/Tivoli and NetQoS. He has written for numerous publications, including Tom’s IT Pro, and is the author of more than 100 computing books on information security, web markup languages and development tools, and Windows operating systems.
Earl Follis
Earl is also a 30-year veteran of the computer industry, who worked in IT training, marketing, technical evangelism and market analysis in the areas of networking and systems technology and management. Ed and Earl met in the late 1980s when Ed hired Earl as a trainer at an Austin-area networking company that’s now part of HP. The two of them have written numerous books together on NetWare, Windows Server and other topics. Earl is also a regular writer for the computer trade press with many e-books, white papers and articles to his credit.
Red Hat Inc. provides open source software solutions to more than 90% of the Fortune 500 companies, including internet service providers, airlines, healthcare companies and commercial banks. The company has been around for more than two decades and is well known for its Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) distribution. Red Hat provides a fully open technology stack, which you can alter to suit your needs – you’re not locked into the vendor’s vision of the software or stack components. Red Hat’s portfolio of products and services also include JBoss middleware, cross-platform virtualization, cloud computing (CloudForms and OpenStack) and much more.
Red Hat offers numerous professional certifications based on its software products, including operating systems, virtualization, storage and cloud-based solutions.
Red Hat certification program overview
The Red Hat certification program aims at system administrators, engineers, architects, enterprise developers, and application administrators, as well as cloud and virtualization administrators, who use RHEL in their IT infrastructures. The certification program aims to ensure that candidates are proficient in RHEL by requiring them to pass performance-based certification exams. Whereas many certification exams ask multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank questions about specific technologies, Red Hat requires you to perform and complete real-world tasks using Red Hat technologies to pass its exams.
Red Hat traditionally offered certification exams only upon completion of a training course. Now you can take a Red Hat exam on your own schedule, outside of training, if you like. Each exam session is performed on a secured system in a professionally proctored testing center. These centers are located in select cities throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Once you earn a Red Hat certification, you become a Red Hat Certified Professional. This gives you access to Red Hat Certification Central, which allows you to connect with potential employers, join the Red Hat community, create study groups and collaborate on projects. In addition, you can explore Red Hat’s training options and easily schedule individual exam sessions. Discounts on recertification exams are offered there as well.
Red Hat Administrator, Engineer and Architect certifications
The largest group of Red Hat certifications is geared toward system administrators, engineers and architects. Some of the most popular and sought-after Red Hat certifications reside in this category, such as the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) and Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).
The RHCA is probably Red Hat’s most versatile credential. In 2018, Red Hat implemented several changes to the RHCA program. The most notable change is that Red Hat now offers two separate RHCA credentials: the Red Hat Certified Architect in Enterprise Applications and the Red Hat Certified Architect in Infrastructure. Over the past year, Red Hat has retired a great many of its credentials, as you can see from the long list of “Retired Certifications” on the company’s All Certifications page. Candidates who have previously passed certification exams that are now retired may still be able to apply those retired certifications to current certification tracks. Check the certification overview page for each certification to find more details.
RHCSA: Red Hat Certified System Administrator
The RHCSA certification is designed for experienced Red Hat administrators and is required by some organizations to meet U.S. Department of Defense Directive 8570. It’s also a prerequisite credential for the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE).
Red Hat recommends three training classes to prepare for the RHCSA certification. The Windows admin classes are Red Hat System Administration I (RH124) and Red Hat System Administration II (RH134). Candidates may also take a Linux/UNIX admin class – RHCSA Rapid Track Course RH199 – to prepare for the RHCSA exam.
To obtain RHCSA certification, candidates must pass the 2.5 hour RHCSA exam (EX200).
RHCE: Red Hat Certified Engineer
The RHCE certification is geared toward experienced senior system administrators and fulfills requirements of U.S. Department of Defense Directive 8570.
To obtain the RHCE certification, you must first become RHCSA certified. The recommended training for the RHCE certification is based on your skill level. Windows admins with minimal Linux experience should take the Red Hat System Administration I and II (RH124 and RH134) courses, along with the Red Hat System Administration III (RH254) course to prepare for the exam.
Linux or UNIX admins with one to three years of experience should take both the RHCSA Rapid Track Course (RH199) and the Red Hat System Administration III (RH254) courses to prepare for the exam. RHCEs looking to recertify, or candidates who’d like the opportunity to engage in a lab-based review before taking the RHCE exam, should take the RHCE Certification lab (RH299). The certification lab is a four-day, instructor-led opportunity to work through all of the labs from the Red Hat System Administration I, II and III courses, along with the Rapid Track course.
To complete the RHCE certification, you must pass the 3.5-hour RHCE exam (EX300), which is currently based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.
RHCA: Red Hat Certified Architect
The RHCA certification is the pinnacle cert in the Red Hat Certification program. Red Hat has changed the RHCA program to be more flexible that previous incarnations of the program, depending on the candidate’s particular areas of interest and expertise. Currently, Red Hat offers two RHCA credentials:
- RHCA in Infrastructure for Red Hat Certified Engineers (RHCE); and
- RHCA in Enterprise Applications for Red Hat Certified Enterprise Microservices Developer (RHCEMD) or Red Hat Certified JBoss Developers (RHCJD)
Red Hat recommends certain specific certification combinations to achieve the RHCA in Infrastructure or RHCA in Enterprise Applications. Candidates are free to follow the recommended path or select their own certifications based on their professional interests and requirements.
The RHCA in Enterprise Applications has three recommended certifications combinations: application acceleration, and integration; application automation; or DevOps, containers, and OpenShift. While not required, Red Hat recommends that all candidates obtain the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Application Development and Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Server Administrations.
There are four recommended certification combinations for the RHCA in Infrastructure: open hybrid cloud; DevOps, containers, and OpenShift; Red Hat OpenStack Platform; and Linux mastery.
RHCA Exams
| Certification | No. of Req’d Certifications | Qualifying Certifcations List |
|---|---|---|
| RHCA in Infrastructure | 5 | Complete five certifications from the following (listed by recommended combinations):
Open Hybrid Cloud
DevOps, Containers and OpenShift Red Hat OpenStack Platform Linux Mastery
|
| RHCA in Enterprise Applications | 5 | Complete five certifications exams from the following (listed by certification combinations):
Recommended certifications regardless of certification combination:
Application, Acceleration and Integration
Application Automation
DevOps, Containers and OpenShift
|
The number of recommended training courses varies for each RHCA concentration (RHCS means “Red Hat Certified Specialist” in the preceding table). At present only candidates who’ve already taken the retired exams in the DevOps category can earn RHCA: DevOps (hopefully, Red Hat will rectify this situation, or retire the credential). There is also some overlap in training course recommendations as shown in the table below.
Red Hat Cloud and Virtualization Administrator certifications
Formerly, Red Hat offered certifications geared toward IT professionals familiar with Red Hat virtualization and cloud technologies. In addition to the RHCA: Cloud (mentioned previously in this article), one could find the Red Hat Certified Virtualization Administrator, Red Hat Certified System Administrator in Red Hat OpenStack and the Red Hat Certified Engineer in Red Hat OpenStack. Today, that last item – namely, RHCE in Red Hat OpenStack – is the only remaining member of this category still available.
The Red Hat Certified Engineer in Red Hat OpenStack focuses on IT professionals who possess the skills necessary to install, deploy, and work with Red Hat Ceph Storage, including creation of block devices for Ceph and integration of services with Ceph Storage devices. In addition, Certified Engineers in Red Hat OpenStack can create and manage devices for virtual networks and use the OpenStack Neutron Service. Candidates must possess the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 8 to qualify for the credential. In addition to the RHCSA exam (EX210), candidates must also pass Red Hat Certified System Engineer in Red Hat OpenStack (EX310), a three-hour performance-based exam. Red Hat recommends that candidates take the Red Hat OpenStack System Administration Red Hat OpenStack Administration I (CL 110), II (CL210) and III (CL310) courses to prepare.
Red Hat training and resources
Red Hat offers an extensive training program: in-classroom, online, virtual, remote classroom, onsite team and online learning lab formats are available. Most courses are three to five days in length, depending on delivery format. A remarkably helpful resource is the Red Hat Training Resource Center, which contains links to online tools, references, student guides, a skills assessment and more.
Red Hat now offers the Red Hat Learning Subscription, which gives certification candidates access to a multitude of online, on-demand classes and exam prep videos for an annual subscription fee that varies depending on the specific certification you seek. In addition, Red Hat offers multiple ways for you or your company to save on certification and training costs. Browse the Red Hat Ways to Save page for training bundles and success packs.
You can also find lots of third-party study guidebooks to prepare for certification exams. Just search for “Red Hat Certification” on Amazon and be prepared for a lot of results.
MongoDB has secured certification from Australia’s Information Security Registered Assessor Program (IRAP) that will enable federal government agencies to use its Atlas multicloud database service for workloads that deal with classified information.
The certification provides the assurance that Atlas has the appropriate security controls in place to process, store and transmit information classified up to, and including, the protected level.
Most Australian government agencies currently use MongoDB on-premise. MongoDB said the IRAP certification will now enable them to use Atlas’s multi-cloud infrastructure and take advantage of embedded encryption, text-based and generative AI based search, and stream processing for high-volume, high-velocity data to build modern applications with less complexity.
“Government agencies are expected to offer citizens flawless and secure digital services, as well as easier ways to engage with government entities,” said Simon Eid, senior vice-president of Asia-Pacific at MongoDB.
“Internally, teams are pressured to make data-driven decisions that are accurate and timely, while improving efficiency without jeopardising security. Legacy database models have become a real hindrance and government agencies are looking at new ways to build and deliver the government services of tomorrow.
“Now, with the completion of the IRAP assessment, government agencies in Australia can empower their development teams to build new classes of applications that reimagine citizen experiences using MongoDB Atlas. We think this will actively contribute to Australia’s reaching its goal of being the most cyber-secure nation in the world by 2030,” he added.
With MongoDB Atlas, organisations can store and synchronise data on multiple public clouds at the same time rather than on a single provider to ensure high levels of resilience for government services. Its multi-region capability also allows organisations to use multiple cloud regions within the same geography, making applications more resilient while meeting data sovereignty requirements.
The company recently introduced Queryable Encryption, an encryption scheme that lets organisations search for and return encrypted data that is visible to application users only when it is decrypted with customer-controlled cryptographic keys. The data remains encrypted in-use throughout the query process, in-transit over networks, and at-rest in storage.
MongoDB has been driving skills development and investing in local manpower in a bid to expand its Australia and New Zealand business, which has been growing at around 20%. It has more than 1,200 local customers, including Bendigo & Adelaide Bank, Ticketek and Humanitix.
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on ByDanJohnson.com.
FAA proposed regulation has powerfully captured the attention of many pilots. Pilots have tons of questions. We have some answers. Everyone has a lot to read.
Overall, FAA’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) regulation proposal has been warmly received as it opens the door to more capable aircraft that a sport pilot can fly. That’s good, but the document has problems, too. Following are four examples.
MOSAIC’s language invigorated many readers when the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) expressed support for a sport pilot certificate holder to fly at night, with proper training and a logbook endorsement. Yet the proposal refers to other FAA regulations requiring BasicMed or an AvMed. If you must have a medical, you are not exercising the central privilege of a sport pilot certificate. Why suggest that a sport pilot can do things that are blocked by other regulations? This conflict should be resolved.
Another opportunity gap involves aerial work. We’re pleased the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA’s) request was included, but it requires a commercial certificate to fly for compensation, and this requirement eliminates powered parachutes and weight shift trikes, for which no commercial certificate is available. This is discriminatory and should be fixed.
Maintenance experts have lots of questions; see the video at bottom.
ASTM standards writers raised questions about the value of noise regulations included for no present gain, “requiring solutions before the problem exists.” This appears to have political motivations.
You may find other aspects of MOSAIC that urge you to comment. If so, you may find the following helpful.
MOSAIC Study Guide
I can’t imagine anyone genuinely enjoys practicing MOSAIC. The NPRM encompasses many pages in dense language; it’s tedious to review.
It just got a lot easier, thanks to Roy Beisswenger. [Beisswenger is founder and proprietor of Easy Flight]
Beginning in 2014—well before MOSAIC existed—Beisswenger and I spent years advocating on behalf of the LSA industry and the pilots that fly those light aircraft to the FAA. Beisswenger was the lead author on several white papers LAMA submitted to support each of its requests. They went over so well with the FAA that they are mentioned in the footnotes.
As you will see in the attached PDF study guide, Beisswenger has done a monster amount of work in reformatting the documents so that you can walk through it and find what you want much easier.
Beisswenger also addressed specific comments I had, whereupon practicing one section, the FAA refers to another, and then to another. Before long, you forget where you started and struggle to retrace your steps. You also need internet access to study the FARs published outside the NPRM. The continuous back-and-forth makes studying the document slow, yet the clock is ticking on public comments. At this writing we have just over 60 days left.
Reviewing the NPRM is far easier with this PDF study guide because of the bookmarks, links, and backlinks, plus already-highlighted text which shows what current FARs could be changed plus some lightly-colored text that illustrates where the FAA will insert new language.
MOSAIC will still take a significant effort to review carefully, but Beisswenger made the task much easier and faster.
The Magic of Bookmarks
If you open the study guide with Adobe Acrobat on almost any device or computer—or if you use Preview on Apple laptops/desktops—you will gain access to the bookmarks (look for a small icon in the upper right of a tablet or a smart phone; in Preview, show the Table of Contents. On both, use the triangles to drop down further and further). Bookmarks are your navigation friend, helping you jump to places of interest or study.
Beisswenger even embedded back buttons on some pages when reviewing the FARs. This helps readers not get lost in their investigations.
Of course, within Acrobat (or Preview), you can search for specific text.
I observe for you that such ease of review was not possible when the SP/LSA regulation was released in 2004 (three years before the iPhone was introduced).
When reviewing MOSAIC I recommend you follow aspects of particular interest to you rather than try to absorb the whole thing.
However deep you go, Beisswenger made it much easier.
When you are ready to comment to FAA, use this link. We’ll have more advice on commenting as soon as possible but here’s some basic tips:
- Keep your remarks to a purpose; ask for something.
- Make specific requests.
- Reference language when changes are needed.
- Be constructive; no ranting.
- Be original; use your own words.
To see MOSAIC comments already made, use this link.
More About MOSAIC
John Zimmerman, president of Sporty’s, thought our conversation in this edition of the “Pilot’s Discretion” podcast conveyed a lot of good information (audio—42 minutes). John was an excellent interviewer.
Recently certified technicians reveal the exam preparation techniques that helped them ace the test
For more than 30 years, the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) has been administering a nationwide voluntary certification program for laboratory animal technicians. Depending on educational background and work experience, a technician may sit for an exam to become a certified Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT), Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT), or Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG).
Each of the multiple-choice exams is designed to measure the test-takers' competency in animal husbandry, facility management, and animal health and welfare. Nowadays, many laboratory animal care positions require AALAS certification.
Here we asked several technicians who recently passed the ALAT, LAT, or LATG certification exam what advice they would give to someone preparing to take the test themselves.
“The best study aid I had was a set of AALAS in a FLASH cards. They helped all the way until my test date. Also, we have a training coordinator here at Penn who gives us study sessions once a week.”
Deborah A. Whitehouse, RALAT
University of Pennsylvania
“Have a designated place to study and study a little every day. The designated study area helps you to focus on your task and you can let others know not to disturb you while you are there. Studying a little every day helps you to make steady progress toward your goal and keeps you from cramming right before your test.”
Julia B. Drake, MS, CMAR, RLATG
National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
Priority One Services Contractor
“Get as much hands-on training as possible. I could read the information and remember most of it but getting to work with the equipment or performing a procedure is what really helped me understand the subject. I would even suggest getting in contact with other facilities to access some equipment/procedures that you may not have the opportunity to be exposed to at your current job site.”
National Institutes of Health
Priority One Services Contractor
“We highly recommend taking a review course—it was a great review of the information in all three AALAS books and provided additional information that was not in the books. Definitely review the Animal Welfare Act, PHS Policy, and the Guide, and pay close attention to the GLPs. Also during the test be familiar with real lab animal facility situations to answer questions, as the test focused less on straight knowledge and more on situational knowledge.”
Karen Keeran, LATG Gayle Zywicke, LATG
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
“When I received my confirmation letter to take the test I made sure to schedule my test a month before the genuine deadline so that I would push myself to study harder. A few days before test date I felt I was not ready and I decided to push back the test date. The new test date was the last chance I had to take the testand I knew that it was all or nothing.”
“Study for the AALAS exams by working in small groups—it is easier to brainstorm, and fosters a team spirit.”
“While practicing the books I would take notes on what I read, but instead of writing down what was in the book I would write it down how I understood it or how I could remember it (mnemonic devices).”
Jose D. Chinchilla, LVT, ALAT
National Institutes of Health
Priority One Services Contractor
“Making flash cards while studying from the AALAS Training Manual really aided me in remembering the information that I found to be difficult to understand or remember. I would test myself by randomly picking a card and answering them correctly, which helped me to retain the information. I found this especially helpful with the 'Species Characteristics and Breeding Data' appendix.”
National Institutes of Health
Priority One Services Contractor
“To prepare for any AALAS certification test, you should purchase the study bundle, which will include a manual, workbook, and CD. After each chapter you read, do the related worksheet and if you have any questions ask your supervisor. Next, go to the CD and take the quiz for that chapter. If any of your coworkers are taking the same exam as you, consider forming a study group to help answer confusing questions.”
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Grab your snacks and water, and start studying in the comfiest place of all — at home. If you're looking to break into the world of information technology, getting certified is a great place to start. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to prep for those IT certification exams, and one of them is the 2023 CompTIA and IT exam Study Guide and Training Bundle, which is now on sale for £23.52. This gives you access to 10 digestible study guides that are accessible on your desktop or mobile device.
The IT field is booming. And according to Statista, "As leading companies across industries push for further adoption of digital technologies, IT professionals have become some of the most in-demand members of today’s labor force." If you want in on this job-market action, you need to play it smart.
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CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2023 — MongoDB, Inc., today at its developer conference MongoDB.local Chicago, announced the general availability of MongoDB Queryable Encryption, a first-of-its-kind technology that helps organizations protect sensitive data when it is queried and in-use on MongoDB.
MongoDB Queryable Encryption significantly reduces the risk of data exposure for organizations and improves developer productivity by providing built-in encryption capabilities for highly sensitive application workflows—such as searching employee records, processing financial transactions, or analyzing medical records—with no cryptography expertise required. To get started with MongoDB Queryable Encryption, visit this link.
“Protecting data is critical for every organization, especially as the volume of data being generated grows and the sophistication of modern applications is only increasing. Organizations also face the challenge of meeting a growing number of data privacy and customer data protection requirements,” said Sahir Azam, Chief Product Officer at MongoDB. “Now, with MongoDB Queryable Encryption, customers can protect their data with state-of-the-art encryption and reduce operational risk—all while providing an easy-to-use capability developers can quickly build into applications to power experiences their end-users expect.”
Data protection is the top priority among organizations across industries today as they face a growing number of regulations and compliance requirements to protect personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI), and other sensitive data. A common data protection capability organizations use to protect data is encryption, where sensitive information is made unreadable by cryptographic algorithms using an encryption key—and only made readable again using a decryption key customers securely manage. Data can be protected through encryption in-transit when traveling over networks, at-rest when stored, and in-use when it is being processed. However, working with encrypted data in-use poses significant challenges because it needs to be decrypted before it can be processed or analyzed. Organizations that work with highly sensitive data want to Boost their security posture and meet compliance requirements by encrypting their data throughout its full lifecycle—including while it is being queried. Until now, the only way to keep information encrypted during the entire lifecycle was to employ highly specialized teams with extensive expertise in cryptography.
With the general availability of MongoDB Queryable Encryption, customers can now secure sensitive workloads for use cases in highly regulated or data sensitive industries like financial services, health care, government, and critical infrastructure services by encrypting data while it is being processed and in-use. Customers can quickly get started protecting data in-use by selecting the fields in MongoDB databases that contain sensitive data that need to be encrypted while in-use. For example, an authorized application end-user at a financial services company may need to query records using a customer’s savings account number. When configured with MongoDB Queryable Encryption, the content of the query and the data in the savings account field will remain encrypted when traveling over the network, while it is stored in the database, and while the query processes the data to retrieve relevant information. After data is retrieved, it becomes visible only to an authorized application end user with a customer-controlled decryption key to help prevent inadvertent data exposure or exfiltration by malicious actors. With MongoDB Queryable Encryption, developers can now easily implement first-of-its-kind encryption technology to ensure their applications are operating with the highest levels of data protection and that sensitive information is never exposed while it is being processed—significantly reducing the risk of data exposure.
The MongoDB Cryptography Research Group developed the underlying encryption technology behind MongoDB Queryable Encryption, which is open source. Organizations can freely examine the cryptographic techniques and code behind the technology to help meet security and compliance requirements. MongoDB Queryable Encryption can be used with AWS Key Management Service, Microsoft Azure Key Vault, Google Cloud Key Management Service, and other services compliant with the key management interoperability protocol (KMIP) to manage cryptographic keys. The general availability of MongoDB Queryable Encryption includes support for equality queries, with additional query types (e.g., range, prefix, suffix, and substring) generally available in upcoming releases.
Since the release of MongoDB Queryable Encryption in preview last year, MongoDB has worked in partnership with customers including leading financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies in the healthcare, insurance, and automotive manufacturing industries to fine-tune the service for general availability.
Renault Group is at the forefront of a mobility that is reinventing itself. Strengthened by its alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, and its unique expertise in electrification, Renault Group comprises four complementary brands—Renault, Dacia, Alpine, and Mobilize—offering sustainable and innovative mobility solutions to its customers. “MongoDB Queryable Encryption is significant for ensuring data protection and security compliance,” said Xin Wang, Solutions Architect at Renault. “Our teams are eager for the architecture pattern validation of Queryable Encryption and are excited about its future evolution, particularly regarding performance optimization and batch operator support. We look forward to seeing how Queryable Encryption will help meet security and compliance requirements.”
About MongoDB
Headquartered in New York, MongoDB’s mission is to empower innovators to create, transform, and disrupt industries by unleashing the power of software and data. Built by developers, for developers, our developer data platform is a database with an integrated set of related services that allow development teams to address the growing requirements for today’s wide variety of modern applications, all in a unified and consistent user experience. MongoDB has tens of thousands of customers in over 100 countries. The MongoDB database platform has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times since 2007, and there have been millions of builders trained through MongoDB University courses. To learn more, visit mongodb.com.
Source: MongoDB
Work-study is about earning money, but it’s also a great chance to learn more about NU and meet people you wouldn’t otherwise.
With Northwestern’s tuition rising an additional 4 percent for undergraduates for the upcoming academic year, finding ways to help manage these increasing costs is another thing to add to many students’ plates. One way nearly 2000 Wildcats do so is by participating in the work-study program.
Work-study can sound a bit confusing and overwhelming, especially for incoming students who have a barrage of new information coming their way. Luckily, the program is not as complicated as it may seem.
Work-study at NU is part of a student’s financial aid package and involves working specific jobs affiliated with the federal work-study program, which aims to provide part-time jobs to students who exhibit financial need.
In this program, the funding for a student’s wage is different from a regular student job, with up to 75 percent being funded by the federal government. Otherwise, it’s very similar.
Students are paid an hourly wage for their job and may accrue paychecks until a certain allotment of money stated on their financial aid package is obtained. At this point, the qualifying student may apply for an earning limit appeal to increase their allotment, or the position must be converted into a regular student temp job in which the student is paid outside of the work-study program. Otherwise, the position must be terminated, according to NU’s work-study website.
Students who qualify for work-study will be notified of their eligibility in their yearly financial aid award letter. Eligible students are not required to participate, but each student who chooses to must accept the allotment before beginning their affiliated positions.
Once the work-study package has been accepted, students may go onto the work-study website for more information about applying for work-study jobs, which can include everything from lifeguarding at Henry Crown Sports Pavilion to assisting with teaching preschoolers in the Evanston community.
On the website, employers list hourly pay for specific jobs as well as the average weekly time commitment expected from students. Though the idea of working a job while also juggling school, friends and clubs can sound daunting, most students only work 6-10 hours a week, with an absolute cap of 20 hours.
While supervisors tend to be flexible and understanding of the often chaotic schedule of an undergraduate, it is best to communicate other commitments upfront during the initial interview process.
After being accepted for a position, students must fill out hiring documents such as a Work-Study Authorization Form, which must be completed for both new and returning employees. After this, students will gain access to Northwestern’s myHR Employee Portal, where they can set up direct deposit and view paychecks. Work-study is not credited directly to a student’s tuition bill, but rather the payment is provided to the student either by check or direct deposit.
After this, qualifying students may begin working. If you end up feeling like the job you’ve chosen isn’t for you, you aren’t locked in. Students may apply to work-study positions at any point in the academic year.
Another way to make work-study more interesting is to split time between two jobs, which is allowed as long as the 20 hour weekly cap is not exceeded. Though this isn’t the most common route to fulfill your work-study allotment, it is available to students.
Another resource in understanding work-study and choosing the best option for you is your academic advisor, who can help to answer specific questions and help.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Work-study jobs on campus go unfilled, mirroring nationwide labor shortage
— Need to Know: Your guide to navigating work-study
— Despite compensation efforts, work-study communication falters
The cost of personal trainer certification programs varies, ranging in price from $400 to $2,000, according to American Fitness Professionals and Associates. Prices fluctuate depending on the organization providing the certification, the certification level, the study materials and support offered, and the price of the certification exam itself. While many programs offer payment plans to help with financing, some may not include the cost of earning a CPR/AED certification, which is required for most programs and can add about $75 to the total cost of certification.
Minton also recommends considering the costs of personal training once one obtains a certification. For instance, self-employed personal trainers may need to rent space in a gym or fitness club to work with clients. Many trainers also invest in liability insurance, which costs an average of $1,735 per year for small businesses. Equipment, such as hand weights, kettlebells, yoga mats, resistance bands or portable speakers for music, can also add to potential costs should a trainer need to purchase equipment for client use.
Lastly, many CPT certifications require trainers to participate in continuing education courses, keep their CPR/AED certification up to date and pay certification renewal fees every few years, all of which can add significantly to the total cost of maintaining their certification. Some continuing education courses can cost several hundred dollars, and recertification fees can exceed $400.
The course is an online, standardized, competency-based training program, designed to provide aspiring or established guides the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the industry, regardless of their area of outdoor expertise. If you are considering becoming or growing as a rock climbing, rafting, hunting, wildlife viewing, fishing, cycling, hiking, snowmobiling, ATVing, horseback riding, skiing, paddle sports (or any other form of outdoor guide) this training is specifically designed for you!
The course contains videos from industry experts, readings, discussions, knowledge checks, and short assignments. It is self-paced and flexible and should take approximately 32 hours to complete. Outdoor guide employers can use this course to supplement or enhance any internal training program already offered. Competency areas include 1) becoming a more effective outdoor educator, 2) improving naturalist skills, and 3) developing professional skills.
