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  Hi Larry,

  The MCSE 2003 certication is not yet on the retirement list so it should be valid until July 31:

  http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/retired-certifications.aspx#fbid=nTemxTEp9eN

  You can also have a look at post discussing exam retirement:

  http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/CertGeneral/thread/2e8c94e1-255d-4919-a013-4413357bb7e0

  Why invest in passing 10 year old certification?  Currently most enviroments run on Server 2008 and Server 2012 will become mainstream in the next few years.

  Having your staff achieve MCSA on Windows Server 2008 or MCSA on Windows Server 2012 certification might a better investment.

  MCSA on Server 2008: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mcsa-windows-server-2008-certification.aspx#fbid=nTemxTEp9eN

  MCSA on Server 2012:http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mcsa-windows-server-certification.aspx#fbid=nTemxTEp9eN

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  MCSE:Server Infrastructure, MCSE:Desktop Infrastructure, MCSA Server 2012, Citrix CCIA & CCEE, Cisco CCNA, VMware VCP 3/4/5 Blog: http://www.citrix-guru.com and http://www.rds-support.eu Twitter: @dnyvandam

  
  

  • Edited by Danny van DamMVP, Editor Thursday, May 23, 2013 8:50 AM

  Thursday, May 23, 2013 8:50 AM

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  Dear Danny,

  Thanks for your prompt reply.

  My reason is, there are some HRs in our area prefers "Certified Engineer" over "Solution Expert" for bidding government projects.

  I know that there are still few months to head for MCSE 2003 and i have to sent my technicians to earn that title, however, i today find out that Microsoft has very recently moved the  070-290/291/293/294/297 exams  to the "Retired Exam" list and marked those exams retirement date back to a previous point in time (JAN-31) which confused me.

  By the way, i also discover that my "MCP" title which i earned 13 years ago was now at "Inactive" state, sad.

  Regards,

  Larry

  Thursday, May 23, 2013 9:00 AM
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  Hi Larry,

  This is the official explenation for the Inactive state:

  http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2011/03/23/transcript-and-certificate-changes-coming-soon.aspx#fbid=u0CTlaxt0ns

  "many of our certifications now feature an “inactive date” which signifies either that your certification is no longer in mainstream demand, that Microsoft no longer supports the product on which the certification is based, or that you have not met recertification requirements (if any). You won’t always see this field on your transcript—only if and when we’ve determined an inactive date for that certification. For affected certifications, you’ll start seeing inactive dates show up in June. (You can find more information on inactive dates here.)

  Let’s take a moment to discuss the Inactive Date, because I’m sure that some of you are reading that phrase and thinking “that’s Microsoft-speak for decertification date.”  It isn’t—in fact, even if all of your certifications go inactive, you’ll still have access to your MCP benefits, and your inactive certifications will still appear on your transcript. All that’s changing is that we’re signaling to you, your clients, and employers that these particular certifications have outlived their market relevance.  Just to clarify what we mean by market relevance is that in most cases Microsoft isn't even supporting the technology through mainstream support.  In other cases, it may be that the way that the technology was used (many years ago or with cloud it could even be a few months ago) when it was first released has changed, because we all know that technology is ever evolving and changing at such a rapid pace.  This means the certification may have validated how to use the technology in a different way and since then we have not re-validated the skills necessary to use the technology in the market."

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  • Edited by Danny van DamMVP, Editor Thursday, May 23, 2013 3:26 PM
  • Marked as answer by Mike Corkery, Microsoft Certified Trainer Thursday, May 23, 2013 9:10 PM

  Thursday, May 23, 2013 3:25 PM

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  ... i today find out that Microsoft has very recently moved the  070-290/291/293/294/297 exams  to the "Retired Exam" list and marked those exams retirement date back to a previous point in time (JAN-31) which confused me.

  I find the Microsoft Learning website simply cannot be trusted as a source of accurate information. Frequently it contains conflicting information on different pages about exams and certification retirements. But the retired exams page goes a step further, with the 2003 exams listed as both retired on Jan 31, 2013 and due to retire on July 31, 2013:

  Exams scheduled to retire

  Find exams scheduled to be retired in the next 12 months, listed by technology.

  Windows Server

  Exam

  Retiring on July 31, 2013

  70-290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment 70-270: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional 70-291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure 70-293: Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure 70-294: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure 70-297: Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure 70-298: Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network 70-299: Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network

  Retired exams

  Windows Server

  70-290	Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment	January 31, 2013
  70-291	Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure	January 31, 2013
  70-293	Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure	January 31, 2013
  70-294	Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure	January 31, 2013
  70-297	Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure	January 31, 2013
  70-298	Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network	January 31, 2013
  70-299	Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network	January 31, 2013

  and I never understood why the 70-270: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional exam is in the Windows Server section and not the Windows section.  I doubt Microsoft cares though.

  • Marked as answer by Larry SK Chan Friday, May 24, 2013 3:26 AM

  Thursday, May 23, 2013 9:48 PM
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  Yes, that's why I'm so confused, I'm not concerning about the validity of those certifications, the industry would have their own conclusion.

  My primary concern is, for the remaining two months until 31-July, if my staff pass these Windows Server 2003 exams right before 31-July, will they be issued the MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification via the MCP portal?

  Friday, May 24, 2013 3:29 AM
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  I need to know the answer to Larry's question.   I have two more exams to pass for an MCSE on Windows 2003 server.   I want the certification so that I can get college credit.  This is the only thing holding back a diploma.  Additionally, the company I work for is still using Windows 2003 server and probably won't budge until there is no hardware left to run it.   This process has taken several years and I would like to see it blossom even if it is short lived.

  Monday, May 27, 2013 3:46 AM