SQL Server Experts a Big Sub-Community in the MPN

Microsoft normally plays it close to the vest when it comes to saying how many of its 430,000 enrolled partners have qualified for various competencies.

We recently got a rare glimpse into some of those numbers on the database end of the Microsoft Partner Network. In reporting the RCP "Partner's Guide to Cutting-Edge SQL Server Engagements," Alison Diana spoke with Betsy Pridmore, director of partner marketing for the Business Platform Marketing Group at Microsoft.

Pridmore said the MPN Data Management competency has about 4,000 members, the Business Intelligence competency has about 3,200 members and the Application Integration competency has about 3,000 members.

Given partners' overlapping competency enrollments and the pervasiveness of the SQL Server platform in the Microsoft stack, it's still hard to define the size of the SQL Server sub-community within the larger MPN.

"We realize we have a very large and diverse partner ecosystem with different skill sets," Pridmore told RCP. "Additionally, as SQL Server is a platform component for Dynamics and SharePoint, it's very hard to know the exact amount of partners and the real size of the ecosystem."

For more about what SQL Server-focused partners are doing with SQL Server 2008 R2, download the partner's guide here (registration is required, but it's free).

Posted by Scott Bekker on April 06, 2011 at 11:58 AM