Studying for 1Z0-055: Oracle Database 11g: New Features for 9i OCPs

If your most recent Oracle DBA certification is for 9i, then it is starting to get a little bit dusty. There are still companies running release 9i of Oracle for their database, but that number is steadily shrinking. When Oracle 12c is released, that trend will likely accelerate. Beyond that, taking new features exams keeps you aware of the current capabilities of the Oracle database. While studying for the upgrade certifications I have often found new additions that are useful to me on the job. Information Technology professionals who do not update their skills as technology changes will soon be left behind. That said, if you are reading this article than you are presumably planning to take the 1Z0-055 exam. In it I will try to provide some insight into the test to help guide your study plan..

All of the objectives that will be covered in the 1Z0-055 exam are listed on the Oracle Education website. There are a considerable number of features that were introduced either in Oracle 10G or 11G that are not on that list. There will be no test questions for these features. The topic lists from Oracle Education are always complete. The New Features for 9i OCPs exam has eighty-four questions that must be answered in two hours. The questions are split into seventeen subject areas. Each topics will generally have one or two questions asked.

The majority of the test is on features that were introduced in 11G. There are a couple of areas with 10G-specific enhancements -- namely Data Pump (which was a major new feature of 10G) and some Backup and Recovery enhancements that were introduced with 10G. The Automatic Storage Management subject area is particularly large because ASM was introduced in 10G and had significant upgrades in 11G. Likewise the SQL Tuning area is sizeable on the exam due to significant changes in both releases.

When you are studying, don't get caught up in the wrong details. New features exams will not be testing whether you can administer an Oracle database. The only candidates taking this exam should already be Oracle Certified DBAs and so your ability to administer the database is taken as a given. The types of questions that you are likely to see on the exam includes:

Issues that might be encountered when upgrading an existing database to 11G.
New or removed parameters or settings and how they will affect database functionality.
How the administration of the database might be affected by new features.
What must be done in order to configure, enable, disable the features.

For the last, the test will not require detailed knowledge of a graphical interface or have you developing PL/SQL statements. Questions for features that involve coding or use of Enterprise Manager can not be tested directly. 1Z0-055 is primarily verifying that you know what new features have been added to Oracle, as well as the purpose of those features, and the steps to enable or disable them. When enabling a new feature requires a parameter change or a new command, you should know the parameter and all of its possible values or the command and its valid syntax. If a feature requires significant PL/SQL code to implement, you might need to know the basic implementation steps, but you won't be required to look at a page full of code and determine whether or not it will work.

1Z0-050 will be testing your knowledge of facts rather than experience-based questions. This is a necessity for upgrade tests given the nature of the material. Reading the relevant portions of the New Features documentation available with the Oracle 10G and Oracle 11G is one place to begin studying, but will not be sufficient to pass the exam. If you are using the manuals as your study source, you will also need to use the Administration Guide, Installation Guide, the Backup and Recovery Guide, and the ASM Guide (among others) to find the information you need. Before you schedule the test, you should be familiar with all of the objectives. Good luck on the exam.

Matthew is an experienced DBA and developIf your most recent Oracle DBA certification is for 9i, then it is starting to get a little bit dusty. There are still companies running release 9i of Oracle for their database, but that number is steadily shrinking. When Oracle 12c is released, that trend will likely accelerate. Beyond that, taking new features exams keeps you aware of the current capabilities of the Oracle database. While studying for the upgrade certifications I have often found new additions that are useful to me on the job. Information Technology professionals who do not update their skills as technology changes will soon be left behind. That said, if you are reading this article than you are presumably planning to take the 1Z0-055 exam. In it I will try to provide some insight into the test to help guide your study plan..

All of the objectives that will be covered in the 1Z0-055 exam are listed on the Oracle Education website. There are a considerable number of features that were introduced either in Oracle 10G or 11G that are not on that list. There will be no test questions for these features. The topic lists from Oracle Education are always complete. The New Features for 9i OCPs exam has eighty-four questions that must be answered in two hours. The questions are split into seventeen subject areas. Each topics will generally have one or two questions asked.

The majority of the test is on features that were introduced in 11G. There are a couple of areas with 10G-specific enhancements -- namely Data Pump (which was a major new feature of 10G) and some Backup and Recovery enhancements that were introduced with 10G. The Automatic Storage Management subject area is particularly large because ASM was introduced in 10G and had significant upgrades in 11G. Likewise the SQL Tuning area is sizeable on the exam due to significant changes in both releases.

When you are studying, don't get caught up in the wrong details. New features exams will not be testing whether you can administer an Oracle database. The only candidates taking this exam should already be Oracle Certified DBAs and so your ability to administer the database is taken as a given. The types of questions that you are likely to see on the exam includes:

Issues that might be encountered when upgrading an existing database to 11G.
New or removed parameters or settings and how they will affect database functionality.
How the administration of the database might be affected by new features.
What must be done in order to configure, enable, disable the features.
For the last, the test will not require detailed knowledge of a graphical interface or have you developing PL/SQL statements. Questions for features that involve coding or use of Enterprise Manager can not be tested directly. 1Z0-055 is primarily verifying that you know what new features have been added to Oracle, as well as the purpose of those features, and the steps to enable or disable them. When enabling a new feature requires a parameter change or a new command, you should know the parameter and all of its possible values or the command and its valid syntax. If a feature requires significant PL/SQL code to implement, you might need to know the basic implementation steps, but you won't be required to look at a page full of code and determine whether or not it will work.

1Z0-050 will be testing your knowledge of facts rather than experience-based questions. This is a necessity for upgrade tests given the nature of the material. Reading the relevant portions of the New Features documentation available with the Oracle 10G and Oracle 11G is one place to begin studying, but will not be sufficient to pass the exam. If you are using the manuals as your study source, you will also need to use the Administration Guide, Installation Guide, the Backup and Recovery Guide, and the ASM Guide (among others) to find the information you need. Before you schedule the test, you should be familiar with all of the objectives. Good luck on the exam.

Matthew is an experienced DBA and developer. He holds Oracle DBA Certifications for releases 7, 8i, 9i, 10G and 11G; and Oracle Expert Certifications for SQL and Application Express; and is an Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate. He is the author of several Oracle certification guides, including one for 1Z0-055. His web site, www.oraclecertificationprep.com, is dedicated to providing links to resources forer. He holds Oracle DBA Certifications for releases 7, 8i, 9i, 10G and 11G; and Oracle Expert Certifications for SQL and Application Express; and is an Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate. He is the author of several Oracle certification guides, including one for 1Z0-055. His web site, www.oraclecertificationprep.com, is dedicated to providing links to resources for