Oracle Certification

Oracle University has released the new PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Human Capital Management, Human Resources Consultant Certified Expert (OCE) certification.

Testing began April 1, 2009 for the "PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 HRMS Fundamentals" certification exam (1Z0-218) at Prometric testing centers worldwide. This exam tests proficiency and knowledge in implementing, configuring and customizing the PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Resources Management System. This 70-question exam is the only requirement to earn the new PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Human Capital Management, Human Resources Consultant Certified Expert (OCE) certification. Test candidates are allowed as long as 120 minutes to complete the exam, and a minimum score of 66% is required to pass. Score details and completion status are available immediately at the end of the exam.

Although training is not a mandatory requirement for this certification, it is highly encouraged to best prepare for the certification. Oracle offers the PeopleSoft Human Resources Rel 9 training course (# D46229GC20). In this class, students learn through real-life examples and hands-on lab activities the key knowledge and skills necessary to implement and manage the PeopleSoft HRMS system.

Candidates can register for the exam now online at Prometric.

QUICK LINKS:

• Oracle Certification Track: PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Human Capital Management, Human Resources Consultant Certified Expert (OCE)
• Oracle Certification Exam: PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 HRMS Fundamentals (1Z0-218)
• Oracle Training: PeopleSoft Human Resources Rel 9 (D46229GC20)
• Prometric: Register Now

We’ve had some recent issues with non-partners falsely claiming to be Oracle partners. So please remember that if you are not taking your class directly from Oracle University while trying to meet your hands-on course requirement, make absolutely sure that your training facility is authorized to provide Oracle training.

There are several types of centers through which you can complete required certification training – Oracle University, Oracle Authorized Education Partners (OAEP), Oracle Authorized Education Centers (OAEC), Oracle Academy (OA) or Oracle Workforce Development Program (WDP). Only training from Oracle or its authorized partners may count towards certification.

Unfortunately, we have recently had some issues with a non-partner facility in Southern California claiming that their training is accepted toward Oracle Certification (when it is not) and some candidates have been misled.

What can you do to protect yourself? Don’t take their word for it.

If the center you plan to attend allows you to schedule on the Oracle website then it is a partner. If not, then it still may be a partner. To find out, you can verify partner status of training centers through the websites below.

For further assistance, please contact Oracle University.

Paul Sorensen,
Director, Oracle Certification

QUICK LINKS:

• Find an Education Center (includes OU, OAEP, OAEC)
• Oracle Academy (OA)
• Oracle Workforce Development Program (WDP)
• Contact Oracle University

This is the last week to take advantage of beta testing on three Oracle E-Business Suite R12 certification exams.

On April 15, 2009, beta testing will close for the following three EBS R12 certification exams:

• Oracle E-Business Suite R12: General Ledger and Payables Fundamentals (1Z1-215)
• Oracle E-Business Suite R12: General Ledger and Receivables Fundamentals (1Z1-216)
• Oracle E-Business Suite R12: Advanced Supply Chain Planning (1Z1-244)

Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultants (OCE) certifications

Exam 1Z1-215 is one of two exams required to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Payables (OCE) certification.

Exam 1Z1-216 is one of two exams required to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Receivables (OCE) certification.

The Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultants (OCE) certifications (Payables / Receivables) endorse the high-level of IT practitioner expertise in the successful design and implementation of Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Payables and Receivables and managing the accounts payable/receivables processes respectively.

Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE) certification

Exam 1Z1-244 is one of two exams required to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE) certification.

The Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE) certification endorses those who have demonstrated key knowledge and skills including modeling supply chains, generating plans, using the Planner Workbench, filtering and executing action messages, analyzing demand and supply, and running what-if simulations

Register Now

Candidates are encouraged to register now for these beta exams while they are still available at the special beta price of $50 USD. Oracle beta exams are an excellent way to directly provide your input into the final version of the certification exam as well as be one of the very first certified in the track. Furthermore – passing the beta counts for full final exam credit.

QUICK LINKS:

• Register for exams:
  • Prometric registration
• Certification Tracks:
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Payables (OCE)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Receivables (OCE)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE)
• Certification Exams:
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12: General Ledger and Payables Fundamentals (1Z1-215)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12: General Ledger and Receivables Fundamentals (1Z1-216)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12: Advanced Supply Chain Planning (1Z1-244)
• More Information:
  • Oracle Certification Beta Exams

Oracle University has released the new Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP) certification.

Testing began April 1, 2009 for the new "Oracle Database 11g Advanced PL/SQL" certification exam (1Z0-146) at Prometric testing centers worldwide. This exam tests the proficiency and knowledge in key areas of PL/SQL design and tuning to ensure the most efficient interface with the database and other applications. This 68-question exam is the only requirement to upgrade the Oracle PL/SQL Developer OCA to Oracle Certified Professional (OCP). Test candidates are allowed as long as 90 minutes to complete the exam, and a minimum score of 65% is required to pass. Score details and completion status are available immediately at the end of the exam.

Although training is not a mandatory requirement for this certification, it is highly encouraged to best prepare for the certification. Oracle offers the Oracle Database 11g: Advanced PL/SQL training course (#D52601GC10). In this class, students learn through real-life examples and hands-on lab activities to use advanced features of program design, packages, cursors, extended interface methods, large objects and collections as well as to write powerful PL/SQL programs. Additionally, students are taught programming efficiency, use of external C and Java routines, fine-grained access and safeguarding code against SQL Injection attacks. Course attendees will receive a downloadable eKit containing the training materials for this course.

Certification exam candidates can register now online at Prometric.

QUICK LINKS:

• Oracle Certification Track: Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP)
• Oracle Certification Exam: Oracle PL/SQL Developer (1Z0-146)
• Oracle Training: Oracle Database 11g: Advanced PL/SQL (D52601GC10)
• Prometric: Register Now

The extended beta period continues until June 30, 2009 for two Oracle Database 11g certification exams:

• 1Z1-053 – Oracle Database 11g: Administration II
• 1Z1-054 – Oracle Database 11g: Performance Tuning

Exam 1Z1-053 is a single exam requirement for those holding the Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Associate (OCA) to upgrade to Oracle Certified Professional (OCP).

Exam 1Z1-054 is a single exam requirement for Oracle 11g DBA OCPs to earn the Oracle Database 11g Performance Tuning Certified Expert (OCE) certification.

Beta exams are an excellent way to directly provide your input into the final version of the certification exam as well as be one of the very first certified in the track. Furthermore, passing the beta counts for full final exam credit.

Certification exam candidates can register now online at Prometric.

QUICK LINKS:

• Certification Tracks:
  • Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional (OCP)
  • Oracle Database 11g Performance Tuning Certified Expert (OCE)
• Certification Exams:
  
  • 1Z1-053 – Oracle Database 11g: Administration II
  • 1Z1-054 – Oracle Database 11g: Performance Tuning
• Learn More:
  • Oracle Certification Beta Exams
    
• Register for exams:
  • Prometric Registration

Oracle University has just released two new certifications for E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain. Users, implementers and consultants can now earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certified Expert Consultant, Purchasing (OCE) and/or the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certified Expert Consultant, Order Management (OCE) certifications.

Two new exams were launched April 1, 2009 at Prometric testing centers worldwide as components of these two new E-Business Suite R12 certifications from Oracle:

The "Oracle EBS R12: Inventory and Purchasing Fundamentals" certification exam (1Z0-225) tests the proficiency and knowledge in key areas of Oracle Inventory as well as using R12 Oracle Purchasing to managing the purchasing process. This 110-question exam is one of two exams needed to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certified Expert Consultant, Purchasing (OCE) certification. Test candidates are allowed as long as 150 minutes to complete the exam, and a minimum score of 60% on the Inventory Section and 60% on the Purchasing Fundamentals section is required to pass. Note that there are two sections to this exam; both sections of the exam must be passed in order the pass the exam. Score details and completion status are available immediately at the end of the exam.

The "Oracle EBS R12: Inventory and Order Management Fundamentals" certification exam (1Z0-226) tests the proficiency and knowledge in key areas of Oracle Inventory as well as utilizing effective order capture and order fulfillment flows with Oracle Order Management. This 110-question exam is one of two exams needed to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certified Expert Consultant, Order Management (OCE) certification. Test candidates are allowed as long as 150 minutes to complete the exam, and a minimum score of 60% on the Inventory Section and 60% on the Order Management Fundamentals section is required to pass. Note that there are two sections to this exam; both sections of the exam must be passed in order the pass the exam. Score details and completion status are available immediately at the end of the exam.

Certification candidates must also take exam Oracle E-Business Suite R12: E-Business Essentials exam (1Z0-204), which may be taken directly online. Additionally, candidates may choose from among 25 training courses to fulfill the single-course training requirement. As a new feature, Oracle University now offers downloadable eKits with training materials to attendees for many of these courses.

Certification exam candidates can register now for these exams online at Prometric.

QUICK LINKS:

• Certification Tracks:
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certified Expert Consultant, Purchasing (OCE)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certified Expert Consultant, Order Management (OCE)
• Certification Exams:
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12: E-Business Essentials (1Z0-204)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12: Inventory and Purchasing Fundamentals (1Z0-225)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12: Inventory and Order Management Fundamentals (1Z0-226)
• Certification Training:
  • Eligible training courses
  • Oracle University eKits
• Register for exams:
  • Prometric Registration

The April 2009 edition of the Oracle Certification E-Magazine is now online.

Get the latest certification track updates, program news, and details on new Oracle certifications, upgrades, and beta testing.

In this edition:

• Whatʼs The Difference: Oracle Certification & the OPN Sales Champion
• Are You Getting Your Training From an Authorized Provider?
• Oracle Certification Salary Survey Update
• Beta Testing Opportunity Continues for Two Database Certification Exams
• Oracle University Releases New PL/SQL Certification: Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP)
• Coming Soon: New PL/SQL Exam
• Oracle University Releases Two New E-Business Suite R12 Supply Chain Certifications
• Beta Testing Opportunity Continues for Exam 1Z1-206 – Oracle E-Business Suite R12: System Administration
• Beta Period Now Closed for Three EBS R12 Certification Exams
• Oracle University Releases New PeopleSoft Certification: PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Human Capital Management, Human Resources Consultant Certified Expert (OCE)
• Oracle University Releases New PeopleSoft Certification: PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 Financial Management, General Ledger Consultant Certified Expert (OCE)

QUICK LINKS:

• Oracle Certification E-Magazine: April 2009 Edition
• Oracle Certification E-Magazine: Archives
• Oracle Certification E-Magazine: Subscribe
  

Oracle University will soon be releasing a new exam option for those pursuing the Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (OCA) and/or the Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP) certifications.

Registrations for the new “Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL” certification exam (1Z1-144) will begin late this month for testing appointments to start next month (May 2009). This test will be offered as an alternative option to taking existing exam 1Z0-147 (Program with PL/SQL) in both the Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (OCA) and Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP) certification tracks.

Exam details - including exam objectives, test details, training options, and register information will be available on the 1Z1-144 exam page. Exact test release dates and details will be announced here on the Oracle Certification Blog.

QUICK LINKS:

• Oracle Certification Exam: Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL (1Z1-144)
• Oracle Certification Track: Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (OCA)
• Oracle Certification Track: Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP)
  

The beta periods closed on April 15, 2009 for the following three E-Business Suite (EBS) R12 certification exams:

• 1Z1-215 – Oracle EBS R12: General Ledger and Payables Fundamentals
• 1Z1-216 – Oracle EBS R12: General Ledger and Receivables Fundamentals
• 1Z1-244 – Oracle EBS R12: Advanced Supply Chain Planning

Exam 1Z1-215 is one of two exams required to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Payables (OCE) certification.

Exam 1Z1-216 is one of two exams required to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Receivables (OCE) certification.

The Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultants (OCE) certifications (Payables / Receivables) endorse the high-level of IT practitioner expertise in the successful design and implementation of Oracle R12 E-Business Suite Payables and Receivables and managing the accounts payable/receivables processes respectively.

Exam 1Z1-244 is one of two exams required to earn the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE) certification.

The Oracle EBS R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE) certification endorses those who have demonstrated key knowledge and skills including modeling supply chains, generating plans, using the Planner Workbench, filtering and executing action messages, analyzing demand and supply, and running what-if simulations.

QUICK LINKS:

• Certification Tracks:
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Payables (OCE)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Financials Certified Expert Consultant, Receivables (OCE)
  • Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Advanced Supply Chain Planning Certified Expert Consultant (OCE)
• Certification Exams:
  • Oracle EBS R12: General Ledger and Payables Fundamentals (1Z1-215)
  • Oracle EBS R12: General Ledger and Receivables Fundamentals (1Z1-216)
  • Oracle EBS R12: Advanced Supply Chain Planning (1Z1-244)
• Further Information:
  • Oracle Certification Program Beta Exams
    

Joel Goodman [Oracle Certified Master & Technical Team Leader/Oracle DBA Certification Development Group] presents "Understanding and Preparing for the Oracle DBA Certification Exams" at the UK Oracle User Group's UNIX Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting on May 20, 2009.

This Oracle University presentation describes the DBA Certification Exam tracks from their inception more than 10 years ago for Oracle 7.3 to the present for Oracle 11g, and covers:

• Evolution of the DBA certification tracks
• Current and planned certification offerings of interest to DBAs
• Benefits to employees and employers of obtaining certification
• Insight into the design philosophy underlying both theory style certification exams used for OCA, OCP and OCE as well as performance style exams used for OCM
• Preparation methods for both styles of exam

QUICK LINKS

• When: May 20, 2009 (add to your calendar)
• Where: University of Wolverhampton
• Certification Presentation: Details (includes download)
• UK OUG Unix SIG Meeting: Details
• Contact: UK Oracle User Group
• Joel's Blog: The Blog from the DBA Classroom

We want to thank you for the suggestions that you submit to us!

We get a great amount of feedback and suggestions from students and certification candidates about tweaks and changes that we should make to the Oracle Certification Program. The suggestions are very diverse and range from small to monumental.

Examples of small suggested changes include accept a new course towards the Hands-on Course Requirement or adding some information to our website. These types of changes are often easy to make and tend to get implemented more frequently than not.

On the other hand, we’ve also received large suggested changes. We even recently had some people become very insistent that we make major changes to the database-related tracks, such as scrapping the OCA, throwing out the course requirement. and making the OCP exams like the OCM exams. Because most of the changes that we make are on a limited and calculated scale and are incremental in nature, we won’t be doing anything drastic or major like that anytime soon.

Some of the reasons that we typically do not make sweeping significant modifications to the program include:

Disruption
Big changes are disruptive. There are literally thousands of people in the process of getting certified right now at one level or another. Major program changes interrupt their progress and their preparation.

Cost
Large changes are typically costly. Major changes would pose great cost to Oracle, which would in turn result in increased costs to the candidate. For example, re-formatting the OCP exam so it could be like the OCM exam would skyrocket the price to roughly $1,000 (USD) per exam – an astronomical increase from its current price of only $125 dollars (USD). Additionally, we could then be limited to only being able to offer the exams in a select few locations, resulting in candidates needing to travel great distances in order to sit the exam.

Confusion
Major changes create confusion to students, partners and employers. A few years ago we undertook a large effort when we modified the program in Japan in order to more closely align it with the global program. Significant changes were made to both the track structure and the certification naming conventions. An unwanted side effect of this update was noticeable confusion among people in understanding how the old credentials fit under the revised program. Version and level upgrades became confusing, and unfortunately - the number of participants dropped for several years afterward. Additionally, we received a countless number of complaints related to the change.

So we are sorry to disappoint those of your who look for wide and significant changes to the program, we will continue to work on incremental things that add value to our credentials, make them more accessible, and provide tools and offerings that to help enhance the careers of those whom we certify.

Paul Sorensen,
Director, Oracle Certification

Preparing for a certification exam? Then you know that dealing with information overload is a huge challenge in today's business environment. The explosion of information and continuous pressure to increase productivity make it necessary that we acquire techniques to learn faster, and process information in less time and with less stress.

Oracle University EMEA is offering the Business Brain Training Seminar on May 19-20th 2009 in London. This seminar combines speed reading, mind mapping, memory training, and and creative thinking to help you work smarter and more efficiently.

For more information or questions, call (800) 358-1058 / +44 845 777 7711, or email eduquery_uk@oracle.com.

QUICK LINKS:

• Business Brain Training Seminar: Find Out More
• Lean More: Email Oracle University

Beta testing has just begun for the new “Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL” certification beta exam (1Z1-144). This test is offered as an alternative option to taking existing exam 1Z0-147 (Program with PL/SQL) for both the Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (OCA) and Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP) certification tracks.

Candidates are encouraged to register for and take the beta exam while it is still available at the special beta price of $50 USD. Beta exams are an excellent way to directly provide your input into the final version of the certification exam as well as be one of the very first certified in the track. Furthermore – passing the beta counts for full final exam credit.

For more information and exam details - including exam objectives, test details, training options, and registration information - please visit the “Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL” certification exam (1Z1-144) exam page.

QUICK LINKS:

• Register For Exam:
  • Prometric Testing
• Certification Exam:
  • Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL (1Z1-144)
• Certification Tracks:
  • Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (OCA)
  • Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP)
• Learn More:
  • Oracle Certification Beta Exams

We’ve received many questions that basically ask, “How do you choose which certifications to build?” We think it’s a great question, and thought it would be good to share the answer with you here.

Obviously – given the sheer number of Oracle products – we are not able to build a certification for every Oracle product. But there are several major parameters that we use when considering new certification offerings.

DEFINITION
In order to build a certification, we first define that certification with (a) a clearly identifiable job role and (b) a reasonable level and scope of difficulty – based upon training and experience – that fits exactly how the product is administered, developed, deployed, etc. This is a large task that can be much more difficult than it may sound. Oracle University takes great care to avoid defining a certification that is too broad (making it inaccessible to most) or is too narrow (and hence, diluting its value).

Another key consideration is that the nature of some products may either be too diverse, or are packaged in such a manner that a certification would not be warranted.

An additional factor that we consider in defining the certification model is the actual product’s roadmap and revision cycles.

DEMAND
Based upon the certification’s definition, we then begin an assessment to determine how many people will actually certify once the certification is built, and compare this to the forecast cost of building the certification. Industry estimates currently put the cost of developing a single certification exam between $30,000 and $50,000.

The decision to build a certification therefore requires that we have a minimum number of people to participate – not only to justify the financial cost, but also to participate in the beta testing period, which is key to ensuring sound, statistical data for strong psychometric exam validity.

DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES
A large number of people are required to develop the exam, including SMEs (subject matter experts), project managers to manage the development, and psychometricians to guide the exam’s item selection, passing score determination and other analysis requirements. With each exam typically being a multiple-month project, the time and effort required of these development resources can be significant.

Although there are other minor factors as well, these considerations above are some of the key initial issues that we account for when making the decision whether to create a new Oracle certification. Ignoring or deviating from these decision points can result in disappointing results in the certification track. Consequently, we at Oracle University take great care to ensure that sound assessment principles are employed before making the decision to launch a new certification.

Paul Sorensen,
Director, Oracle Certification