70-339: Managing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2016 certification video training course by prepaway along with practice test questions and answers, study guide and exam dumps provides the ultimate training package to help you pass.

Exam 70-339: Planning and Administering Microsoft SharePoint

Introduction to the Course

This training course is designed to prepare learners for the Microsoft Exam 70-339, Planning and Administering SharePoint. The exam is intended for IT professionals who want to demonstrate their ability to manage, configure, and administer SharePoint environments within enterprise organizations. This course has been carefully developed to align with the exam objectives while also offering a comprehensive learning path for those who want to strengthen their skills in SharePoint administration.

Purpose of the Course

The main purpose of this training is to equip learners with the knowledge and confidence required to implement, plan, and manage SharePoint solutions in real-world scenarios. By the end of the course, learners will understand how to design SharePoint environments, manage service applications, optimize availability, and provide governance. The course also helps professionals connect theoretical knowledge with practical administration skills.

Why This Exam Matters

SharePoint is one of Microsoft’s most widely adopted platforms for collaboration, content management, and enterprise services. Professionals who achieve the 70-339 certification showcase their ability to handle large-scale deployments and complex configurations. Organizations seek certified professionals because they can manage environments that support thousands of users, integrate with Microsoft Office 365, and ensure security compliance. Passing this exam demonstrates both credibility and technical mastery.

Structure of the Training

The course is divided into five major parts, each containing around three thousand words of content. Every part builds on the last, starting with foundational knowledge and progressing into advanced topics. Each section also mirrors the official exam objectives so learners can track their progress toward certification success.

Overview of Modules

This training course has multiple modules spread across the five parts. They cover topics such as designing a SharePoint architecture, configuring service applications, managing search and content services, implementing business continuity, and monitoring environments. Each module combines descriptions, scenarios, and explanations to ensure a well-rounded learning experience.

Requirements for the Course

Learners are expected to have experience with Windows Server administration, Active Directory, and SQL Server. Familiarity with networking concepts and Office 365 is recommended. Prior knowledge of SharePoint fundamentals will help, but this training also serves as a guide for those who are still building confidence. The course requires dedication and practice in lab environments to reinforce theoretical knowledge with real-world skills.

Who This Course Is For

This course is designed for IT professionals, system administrators, and solution architects who work with enterprise collaboration platforms. It is suitable for those who want to prepare for the 70-339 exam, as well as anyone managing SharePoint within their organization. Professionals who aim to advance their careers in enterprise IT roles will benefit most from this structured training.

The Learning Approach

The training balances theory with practical insight. Complex SharePoint concepts are explained in straightforward terms, with examples of how they apply to everyday administration. Learners are guided through scenarios that replicate real-world challenges such as designing a resilient SharePoint farm, managing hybrid deployments, and optimizing service availability.

Exam Alignment

Exam 70-339 focuses on planning and administering SharePoint environments. This includes designing information architecture, planning authentication and security, configuring productivity services, and optimizing performance. The course is built around these objectives, ensuring that each part contributes directly to exam readiness.

Preparing for Success

Success in this course requires consistent study and practice. Learners should commit time each week to reviewing modules and setting up test environments. Practicing in labs helps reinforce lessons and prepares learners for scenario-based exam questions. A mix of reading, hands-on practice, and review is the best approach.

Understanding SharePoint

Before diving deep into administration, learners should develop a strong understanding of what SharePoint is and how it fits into enterprise IT. SharePoint is both a collaboration platform and a content management system. It integrates tightly with Microsoft technologies and provides organizations with tools for teamwork, document management, workflows, and secure access to information.

SharePoint in the Enterprise

In enterprise environments, SharePoint plays a central role in unifying business processes and content management. It allows organizations to build portals, manage records, and connect employees across regions. Administrators are responsible for ensuring the platform is stable, secure, and available. This course equips learners with the skills to handle those responsibilities.

Key Themes of the Training

Several key themes repeat throughout the training. High availability ensures that SharePoint remains accessible despite failures. Security and governance guarantee that data remains safe and compliant. Performance optimization allows for smooth user experiences. Each theme is essential, and this course introduces learners to the tools and strategies required for mastery.

The Role of a SharePoint Administrator

SharePoint administrators handle more than just day-to-day tasks. They plan architectures, configure services, and troubleshoot performance issues. They also collaborate with developers, security teams, and business leaders to ensure SharePoint meets organizational needs. Understanding this role is central to preparing for both the exam and professional growth.

Benefits of Completing This Course

Completing this training course provides both immediate and long-term benefits. In the short term, learners gain knowledge to pass Exam 70-339. In the long term, they develop a skill set that helps them manage enterprise-level SharePoint environments. This enhances career opportunities, improves job performance, and builds professional credibility.

Introduction to Architecture Planning

Planning the architecture of a SharePoint environment is one of the most critical tasks for administrators and architects. A well-designed architecture ensures scalability, stability, and performance. Poor planning often leads to costly redesigns, downtime, and security risks. This section provides a structured approach to designing SharePoint farms, choosing services, and aligning the environment with business needs.

The Importance of a Solid Architecture

SharePoint serves as the backbone for enterprise collaboration and content management. An organization’s ability to store, manage, and secure data depends on the foundation built during the architecture phase. A strong design reduces complexity, improves user adoption, and ensures that governance policies can be implemented effectively.

Farm Topology Basics

A SharePoint farm is the core unit of the platform. It consists of servers that host services and databases required to run SharePoint. Farm topology refers to the layout of these servers and services. Common topologies include single-server deployments, small farms with dedicated roles, and large farms with distributed workloads. Understanding farm topology helps administrators match infrastructure to organizational requirements.

Planning for Scalability

Scalability is essential in enterprise deployments. Administrators must plan for both vertical scalability, which involves adding resources to a single server, and horizontal scalability, which means adding more servers. Proper planning prevents bottlenecks and ensures that the environment can grow with user demand.

Service Applications in SharePoint

Service applications provide specialized functionality such as search, user profiles, and managed metadata. Each service can be deployed in a way that balances performance with resource efficiency. Planning service application placement requires careful consideration of performance, availability, and fault tolerance.

Designing the Logical Architecture

Logical architecture defines how services, site collections, and web applications are structured. It focuses on how users and content are organized rather than physical hardware. Administrators design logical architectures to align with business requirements such as security boundaries, departmental structures, and content management policies.

Designing the Physical Architecture

Physical architecture deals with the actual hardware, virtual machines, and networking components. It defines where servers are placed, how databases are distributed, and how network traffic is managed. A strong physical design ensures that performance expectations are met while also providing redundancy.

High Availability in Architecture Planning

High availability is a key requirement for organizations that rely heavily on SharePoint. Planning involves redundant front-end servers, clustered SQL Server databases, and load balancing. The goal is to ensure that SharePoint remains available even during hardware failures or maintenance activities.

Disaster Recovery Considerations

Disaster recovery planning is essential to protect business continuity. Administrators must design backup strategies, secondary farms, and recovery procedures. SharePoint integrates with SQL Server to provide backup and restore features, but the architecture must support recovery objectives such as recovery time and recovery point requirements.

Governance and Information Architecture

Governance defines policies, roles, and responsibilities for managing SharePoint. Information architecture is the structure of content, metadata, and navigation. Together, they ensure that SharePoint supports organizational goals. Governance should be considered early in the architecture design to avoid uncontrolled growth and compliance issues.

Authentication and Security Planning

Authentication is how users are identified, while authorization controls what they can access. SharePoint supports Windows authentication, claims-based authentication, and integration with external identity providers. Planning authentication strategies ensures that security is strong while user access remains seamless.

Planning for Hybrid Deployments

Many organizations use hybrid deployments where on-premises SharePoint integrates with Office 365. Hybrid configurations allow organizations to leverage cloud services while keeping sensitive data on-premises. Designing hybrid architectures requires careful planning around networking, authentication, and service configuration.

Network Planning for SharePoint

The network infrastructure is a vital part of any SharePoint deployment. Latency, bandwidth, and firewall configurations all affect performance. Administrators must ensure that servers communicate securely and efficiently. Proper network planning prevents slowdowns and ensures consistent user experiences.

Storage and Database Considerations

SharePoint relies heavily on SQL Server databases for content storage, service application data, and configuration. Administrators must plan storage capacity, database growth, and performance tuning. Storage design includes using fast disks, configuring RAID levels, and optimizing database placement.

Planning for Performance Optimization

Performance is a top concern for users. A slow SharePoint environment discourages adoption and frustrates employees. Administrators can optimize performance by planning caching strategies, optimizing SQL Server, and balancing service loads across multiple servers. Planning also involves capacity testing and proactive monitoring.

Designing for Search Services

Search is one of the most resource-intensive and business-critical services in SharePoint. Administrators must plan crawl servers, index components, and query servers. Designing search involves balancing speed, accuracy, and storage requirements. A well-planned search architecture ensures that users can quickly find relevant information.

Designing for Collaboration Services

Collaboration features such as document libraries, team sites, and communication portals require thoughtful planning. Administrators should consider site hierarchy, template usage, and permissions. The architecture should encourage collaboration while maintaining control over sensitive data.

Designing for Business Intelligence Services

SharePoint integrates with business intelligence tools to deliver dashboards, reports, and analytics. Planning for BI services requires consideration of Excel Services, PerformancePoint, and PowerPivot. Administrators must ensure that servers are equipped to handle the processing needs of BI workloads.

Designing Multi-Tenant Architectures

Some organizations require multi-tenant environments where multiple business units or clients share the same SharePoint infrastructure. Designing for multi-tenancy involves partitioning services, managing isolated site collections, and enforcing strict governance. This approach requires careful planning to prevent conflicts between tenants.

Planning Service Distribution

Distributing services across servers improves performance and resilience. For example, administrators may host search services on dedicated servers while placing user profile services on another set of servers. The distribution strategy should align with resource availability and organizational priorities.

Aligning Architecture with Business Needs

Every organization has unique goals, policies, and compliance requirements. The architecture should reflect these needs rather than being a one-size-fits-all solution. Administrators must gather requirements from stakeholders and design environments that support those goals.

Capacity Planning

Capacity planning ensures that hardware and software resources are sufficient for expected workloads. Administrators estimate user numbers, document volumes, and growth rates. These estimates drive decisions on server sizing, storage capacity, and network design. Proper capacity planning prevents performance issues as demand increases.

Monitoring and Health Planning

A good design includes plans for monitoring and maintaining system health. Administrators should configure logging, diagnostic tools, and health analyzers. Proactive monitoring identifies issues before they affect users. Planning for monitoring ensures that the architecture remains sustainable.

Common Pitfalls in Architecture Planning

Many organizations make mistakes during architecture planning. Common pitfalls include underestimating growth, neglecting governance, and failing to plan for disaster recovery. Avoiding these mistakes requires careful attention to detail and adherence to best practices.

Real-World Scenario Planning

Consider an enterprise with 20,000 employees spread across multiple regions. The organization needs collaboration, secure document management, and business intelligence. The architecture must support multiple farms, hybrid integration with Office 365, and advanced search features. Designing for such a scenario requires balancing cost with functionality while ensuring security and availability.

Preparing for the Exam Objective

Exam questions on architecture planning often present scenarios and ask which design best meets requirements. Learners should practice analyzing business requirements and translating them into architecture decisions. This skill is critical for both the exam and real-world success.

Summary of Architecture Design Principles

Architecture planning is about aligning technical design with business goals. A strong design considers logical and physical structures, governance, security, performance, and scalability. By mastering these principles, learners are equipped to design environments that meet both organizational needs and exam objectives.

Transition to Next Section

The next part of this training will focus on configuring service applications. Learners will dive into the details of planning and deploying critical services such as user profiles, managed metadata, and business connectivity services. With a strong foundation in architecture, learners will be ready to move into the practical aspects of service configuration.

Introduction to Service Applications

Service applications are the building blocks that give SharePoint its advanced features. Unlike earlier versions that bundled features together, service applications allow administrators to deploy and manage functionality independently. This modular approach provides flexibility and control over how resources are used across farms.

The Role of Service Applications in SharePoint

Service applications deliver critical functionality such as search, user profiles, and business connectivity. They allow organizations to manage information, connect to external systems, and provide rich collaboration experiences. Understanding how to configure and manage these services is essential for delivering a successful SharePoint environment.

Planning Service Application Deployment

Deployment begins with understanding business requirements. Not every service is needed in every environment. For example, small organizations may not require business intelligence services, while large enterprises might depend heavily on them. Planning ensures that only necessary services are deployed, reducing overhead and complexity.

Service Application Topology

Service applications can run on a single server or be distributed across multiple servers. A dedicated topology allows heavy workloads to be isolated, while shared topologies reduce hardware requirements. Administrators must balance performance, cost, and fault tolerance when designing their service application topology.

Configuring the Managed Metadata Service

The managed metadata service provides centralized term stores and taxonomies. These structures improve consistency across content and make information easier to find. Administrators configure term sets, manage permissions, and connect multiple farms to the same metadata service. Proper planning ensures that metadata reflects business vocabulary.

Configuring the User Profile Service

The user profile service is one of the most complex service applications. It stores personal information, powers social features, and integrates with Active Directory. Configuration includes setting up synchronization, creating profile properties, and managing audiences. This service is vital for personalizing user experiences.

Configuring the Search Service

Search is the backbone of productivity in SharePoint. The search service crawls content, builds indexes, and delivers results to users. Configuration involves setting crawl schedules, defining query rules, and optimizing result sources. Administrators must also plan for scaling components such as crawl servers, query servers, and index partitions.

Configuring the Business Connectivity Service

The business connectivity service (BCS) enables SharePoint to connect to external data sources such as SQL databases, ERP systems, and web services. Administrators configure external content types, secure store service credentials, and permissions. BCS allows organizations to present external data seamlessly within SharePoint.

Configuring the App Management Service

The app management service supports the use of SharePoint apps. It provides a framework for installing, licensing, and managing apps from the SharePoint Store or internal catalogs. Administrators configure app domains, app URLs, and service accounts to ensure apps run securely and efficiently.

Configuring the Secure Store Service

The secure store service manages credentials for external systems. It maps user identities to backend credentials, allowing seamless integration with systems such as SQL Server or SAP. Configuration involves creating target applications, assigning permissions, and managing encryption keys. This service improves security while simplifying user access.

Configuring Excel Services

Excel services allow organizations to publish Excel workbooks to SharePoint and interact with data directly in the browser. Administrators configure trusted data connections, libraries, and authentication settings. Excel services are especially important in business intelligence scenarios.

Configuring PerformancePoint Services

PerformancePoint services deliver dashboards, KPIs, and scorecards. Administrators configure service accounts, application settings, and secure data connections. This service empowers business users with visual analytics and decision-making tools.

Configuring PowerPivot and Power View

PowerPivot extends Excel capabilities by allowing large data models and advanced analysis. Power View provides interactive reporting. Administrators configure SQL Server Analysis Services integration and ensure that resources can handle data-intensive workloads. These services support advanced analytics in SharePoint environments.

Configuring the Visio Services

Visio services enable rendering of Visio diagrams in a web browser. Users can interact with diagrams without needing the desktop client. Administrators configure trusted data providers and libraries. This service is often used in business process visualization.

Configuring the Word Automation Services

Word automation services allow automated document conversions between formats. For example, Word documents can be converted into PDF. Administrators configure service accounts, queues, and resource usage. This service reduces manual work and standardizes document formats.

Configuring the Machine Translation Service

The machine translation service provides automated language translation for documents and sites. It supports scenarios where organizations operate across multiple regions. Administrators configure translation quotas, schedules, and language settings. This service improves collaboration across language barriers.

Configuring Access Services

Access services allow users to publish Access databases to SharePoint. Administrators configure the service application, enable app services, and manage permissions. While usage has declined with newer tools, Access services still provide solutions for lightweight data management.

Configuring Workflow Manager

Workflow Manager is used to run and manage workflows in SharePoint. It extends SharePoint’s capabilities by integrating with external workflow engines. Administrators configure connections, certificates, and permissions. Workflows are essential for automating business processes.

Best Practices for Service Application Management

Managing service applications requires adherence to best practices. Administrators should avoid deploying unnecessary services, isolate heavy workloads, and use least-privilege principles for accounts. Regular monitoring ensures that services remain healthy and responsive.

Securing Service Applications

Security is critical when configuring service applications. Administrators should use dedicated service accounts, configure minimal permissions, and encrypt communication. Secure configuration protects sensitive data and prevents unauthorized access to services.

Monitoring and Troubleshooting Services

Administrators must monitor service health, logs, and performance counters. SharePoint includes diagnostic logging and health analyzers that help identify issues. Troubleshooting often involves checking service accounts, reviewing event logs, and validating configuration.

Backup and Recovery for Service Applications

Service applications store valuable data such as metadata, user profiles, and search indexes. Administrators must plan for regular backups and test recovery procedures. SQL Server backups, SharePoint backup tools, and PowerShell scripts provide multiple recovery options.

Scaling Service Applications

Large organizations often require scaled service applications. Administrators can distribute components across servers, increase crawl capacity, or partition user profile databases. Scaling ensures that service applications meet performance demands as environments grow.

Common Challenges in Service Application Configuration

Administrators face challenges such as failed service provisioning, synchronization errors, or performance bottlenecks. Understanding logs, using PowerShell, and following deployment guides help resolve issues quickly. Avoiding misconfigurations during initial setup prevents long-term problems.

Real-World Service Application Scenarios

In a multinational organization, service applications may need to support multiple languages, integrate with SAP systems, and deliver BI dashboards. Administrators must plan secure store mappings, configure machine translation, and optimize search indexes. Such real-world scenarios test both technical skill and architectural planning.

Service Applications and Exam Preparation

Exam questions often focus on choosing the right service application configuration for given requirements. Learners should understand service application capabilities, dependencies, and configuration steps. Practicing with labs strengthens the ability to answer scenario-based exam questions.

Summary of Service Application Management

Configuring and managing service applications is central to SharePoint administration. Services such as search, user profiles, and metadata provide core functionality, while BI and workflow services extend capabilities. Proper configuration ensures that SharePoint environments are secure, scalable, and aligned with business needs.

Introduction to Business Continuity

Business continuity ensures that critical systems remain operational during unexpected disruptions. In a SharePoint environment, continuity planning includes strategies to minimize downtime, protect data, and restore services quickly. Administrators must design environments that can withstand failures and continue to support business needs.

The Importance of Continuity Planning

SharePoint often supports core business processes such as document management, collaboration, and workflow automation. Downtime affects productivity, compliance, and revenue. Proper planning reduces risks, reassures stakeholders, and ensures organizational resilience.

Understanding Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery focuses on restoring systems after catastrophic failures. This could involve hardware crashes, natural disasters, or major system corruption. Administrators must design recovery solutions that meet organizational recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives.

Key Concepts of Recovery Planning

Recovery planning revolves around two metrics. Recovery Time Objective defines how quickly services must be restored. Recovery Point Objective defines how much data loss is acceptable. Together, these metrics shape the design of backup, replication, and failover strategies.

High Availability Versus Disaster Recovery

High availability ensures that services remain online during small failures such as a single server outage. Disaster recovery addresses large-scale failures that require switching to an alternative environment. Both strategies complement each other, and administrators must implement them together for comprehensive protection.

Backup Strategies in SharePoint

Backup is the foundation of disaster recovery. Administrators can use built-in SharePoint tools, SQL Server backups, or third-party solutions. Backup strategies must cover farm configuration, service applications, and content databases. Regular testing ensures backups are valid and restorable.

Using SQL Server Backups

SQL Server is at the heart of SharePoint storage. Backing up databases protects content, configuration, and service data. Administrators schedule full, differential, and transaction log backups to minimize data loss. SQL Server management tools provide flexible and reliable backup options.

SharePoint Native Backup and Restore

SharePoint includes native backup and restore tools accessible through Central Administration or PowerShell. These tools allow administrators to back up entire farms, service applications, or site collections. While flexible, they require careful planning to avoid performance impacts.

Granular Backup Approaches

Granular backup focuses on smaller units such as site collections or libraries. This approach reduces recovery time for localized issues. Administrators balance granular and farm-wide strategies to provide layered protection.

Restoring SharePoint Environments

Restoration requires careful planning to avoid further downtime. Administrators must verify backups, restore databases, and reconnect services. Testing restores regularly ensures procedures are effective and staff are prepared for real events.

Configuring SQL Server High Availability

SQL Server provides technologies such as AlwaysOn Availability Groups, failover clustering, and database mirroring. These features improve resilience and reduce downtime. Administrators must configure SQL Server high availability features to align with SharePoint’s architecture.

Configuring SharePoint Farm Redundancy

Farm redundancy ensures that critical components are distributed across multiple servers. Redundant front-end servers, application servers, and search components protect against single points of failure. Administrators design redundancy to balance load and improve reliability.

Using Load Balancers

Load balancers distribute traffic across multiple servers, improving performance and availability. Hardware and software solutions can be used. Load balancing ensures that if one front-end server fails, users remain connected through another server.

Disaster Recovery Farms

A disaster recovery farm is a secondary SharePoint deployment that can take over when the primary farm fails. Replication keeps content databases and configuration consistent. Switching to a disaster recovery farm requires planning DNS updates, authentication, and synchronization.

Content Deployment and Replication

Replication technologies synchronize content between farms or regions. SQL Server log shipping, AlwaysOn replication, and third-party tools keep disaster recovery farms updated. Administrators must balance replication frequency with bandwidth and storage constraints.

Planning Recovery Sites

Recovery sites are physical or cloud-based locations that host standby environments. Administrators must plan capacity, networking, and security for recovery sites. Cloud platforms such as Azure can provide flexible disaster recovery options.

Testing Business Continuity Plans

Plans must be tested regularly. Testing verifies that staff know procedures, backups restore correctly, and failover systems activate as expected. Without testing, continuity plans are theoretical and unreliable.

Documentation of Recovery Procedures

Detailed documentation ensures that recovery steps are clear during emergencies. Documentation should include backup schedules, failover instructions, and escalation contacts. Clear guides reduce stress and errors during recovery events.

Security in Disaster Recovery Planning

Disaster recovery plans must protect sensitive data even during emergencies. Backup data should be encrypted, recovery sites should follow security policies, and access should be restricted. Security is non-negotiable in continuity planning.

Compliance and Legal Considerations

Organizations must follow regulations that govern data protection, retention, and recovery. Compliance requirements such as GDPR or industry-specific laws shape recovery strategies. Administrators must ensure continuity plans meet legal obligations.

Using PowerShell for Backup and Recovery

PowerShell provides automation for backups, restores, and monitoring. Scripts can schedule operations, validate results, and reduce human error. Mastering PowerShell is essential for efficient continuity management.

Monitoring System Health

Monitoring ensures that administrators detect failures before they escalate. SharePoint health analyzer, event logs, and third-party monitoring tools provide insights into system stability. Proactive monitoring reduces the need for full disaster recovery events.

Capacity Planning for Continuity

Disaster recovery sites must have enough capacity to handle workloads. Administrators estimate user numbers, content size, and service demands. Underestimating capacity leads to slow performance during failovers.

Cost Considerations of Continuity Planning

Continuity and disaster recovery involve costs for hardware, storage, licensing, and staff. Administrators must balance resilience with budget constraints. Cloud-based solutions often reduce costs by providing pay-as-you-go recovery options.

Challenges in Continuity and Recovery

Common challenges include unreliable backups, slow recovery procedures, and insufficient testing. Administrators must address these issues through regular reviews, investment in reliable tools, and continuous improvement of plans.

Real-World Recovery Scenarios

Imagine a regional office loses its primary data center to a natural disaster. SharePoint services fail over to a recovery site within hours. User data is restored from recent backups with minimal loss. Such scenarios demonstrate the importance of thorough continuity planning.

Aligning Continuity with Business Needs

Different organizations have different tolerance levels for downtime and data loss. Administrators must consult stakeholders to align recovery strategies with business priorities. A solution that works for one company may not be acceptable for another.

Exam Preparation for Continuity Topics

Exam questions often focus on recovery strategies, high availability configurations, and continuity planning. Learners must know the differences between backup types, the purpose of disaster recovery farms, and how to implement SQL Server high availability. Scenario-based practice is essential.

Summary of Business Continuity Management

Business continuity ensures SharePoint remains available despite disruptions. Disaster recovery restores environments after failures. Together, they protect business processes, safeguard data, and maintain productivity. Administrators who master continuity planning are valuable to any organization.

Transition to Next Section

The next section of this training will explore monitoring, optimizing, and maintaining SharePoint environments. Learners will study how to keep systems running smoothly, identify performance issues, and apply proactive maintenance strategies to support long-term stability.

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