Exam #1Z0-031, Oracle 9i Database: Fundamentals I Vendor Oracle Status Live Reviewer's Rating "Despite some easy questions, overall it's a challenging exam that's sure to discourage 'paper' Oracle professionals." Test Price $125 Who Should Take This Exam? Those looking to become 9i OCAs, OCPs that aren't already Oracle certified. (Those previously certified in 8i can take upgrade exam instead). Exam Details 60 multiple-choice questions in two sections: Basic and Mastery. Passing Score: 39 out of 60 questions -- 25 from the Basic section and 14 from Mastery section. Registration available through Prometric Objectives Click here

First Impressions
I must admit that writing this exam was a welcome experience; however, I suspect that some of you may not feel that way when you sit down to it yourselves. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of most of the questions being asked they required some thought to determine the correct answer. I did find some questions to be so easy my grandma should know the answer. Why this inconsistency? The reason goes back to the way the exam is broken down into a Basic and Mastery section, with questions to match. Taking this exam, you will get some quite challenging questions that test your knowledge of several elements of Oracle 9i, followed by a question on which process is used to write to the redo log files, for example. This is the Mastery and Basic knowledge testing at work.

The test itself covers exactly what Oracle states it does in their candidate guide, available here. The focus of the exam, like its Oracle 8i and earlier predecessors, is to ensure that a candidate has the knowledge to administer an Oracle 9i database effectively. This includes understanding the Oracle architecture, the allocation of storage to database objects such as tables, indexes, partitions and how to properly implement security. Of course, skills like creating a database and using National Language Support (NLS) are also tested.

Main Study Points
Be ready to answer questions on all the 9i features, including:

• The SPFILE and how to create it.
• How to dynamically change PFILE and SPFILE contents.
• The new integration with various directory services.
• The new architectural components that support Real Application Clusters/

Knowing how to configure all of the extended capabilities in Oracle 9i is not necessary, but understanding parts of the architecture that are used is.

Tip: Don't forget 9i's new security features, including disabling well-known users by default when a new database is created, dictionary accessibility, etc.

Many Oracle initialization parameters have also changed in Oracle 9i. A warning to you OCP 8is out there who take this exam instead of the upgrade: It will present perfectly valid answers for Oracle 8i as options when testing your knowledge of 9i. I have to admit this was one of the hardest things about the exam for me -- I had to go back and verify that the answer I provided was correct for 9i and not one based on previous knowledge. If you are currently working as an Oracle 8i DBA (and maybe have not certified in Oracle 8i yet), spend some time focusing on what has changed in the latest release so you dont fall into the same trap. Even with that little problem, I passed the exam with room to spare, which leads to the next topic.

Feedback Is Good
There has been a lot of noise made recently about Microsoft going to a pass/fail system for their exams and not providing any feedback on what areas you should study to do better next time. I believe that section by section scores are probably not a good thing, as you may focus too much on one area at the expense of others in retaking a test. Oracle no longer provides section scores on their exam reports either, but, if you did not pass the exam,they do list areas that you may want to spend more time studying in advance of your next attempt. If you passed the exam, that part of the score report is empty you passed!! I think this is a nice compromise between telling you everything and nothing. You also find out on the score report the number of questions you got correct in both the Basic and Master sections of the exam, but thats about it. Adequate but not overwhelming information in all cases.

The Bottom Line
As some of you may already know, Im a firm believer that easy exams make for unqualified people. On the other hand, making things too tough defeats the point of having any certification process if nobody can pass the exam, whats the point? Oracle, in this exam and others in the 9i stream, has nicely combined testing of the requirement to have a basic understanding of the concepts of the product with the ability to put the knowledge to work in solving actual problems. The concept may not be new, but it goes beyond what other vendors are doing and further diminishes the likelihood of paper Oracle Certified Professionals calling themselves DBAs. Good luck!

What's your take on this exam? Rate it below!

More articles by Damir Bersinic:

• Maybe, Just Maybe, I Was Wrong…
  
• Getting on the Grid: The Fundamentals
  
• Just Ask Damir II: The DBA Job Hunt
  
• Just Ask Damir!