As I recently posted, I enrolled in the classes and program to receive certification as a SOA Architect. The program is offered by SOA Schools, a company created and founded by Thomas Erl, one of the world’s leading experts in Service Oriented Computing. I am also pursuing certification as a SOA Analyst; another program offered by SOA Schools. If time and my wallet allow, I will probably pursue training and certification in several other of the programs offered by SOA Schools such as Consultant or Governance Specialist. Depending on future client needs, I may opt to get training in a specific vendor product or tool (i.e. Oracle SOA Suite, WebMethods, etc.)

SOA Schools offers an array of training and certification in both Service Oriented Computing and Cloud Computing. Both topics have a close relationship and are evolutionary solutions and concepts.

In my previous post, SOA Training and Certification , I detailed why I chose the programs offered by SOA Schools in deference to ones offered by vendors of SOA products.

What does SOA School.com offer?

SOA Schools offers certification as a SOA Professional, Consultant, Analyst, Architect, Security Specialist, Java Developer, .NET Developer, Governance Specialist, Quality Assurance Specialist, and Trainer. The training is delivered through combinations of their 23 specialized modules. Certification in one area can overlap some of the modules required in another area. Overall, SOA Schools has covered the complete spectrum of knowledge required to qualify as a specialist in Service Oriented Computing. As an evolutionary science, the material is, and needs to be, progressive and continually updated. They claim to continue to modify and update their materials every six months to stay in alignment with industry trends and improvements. Much of the material is originally derived from the expert knowledge of Thomas Erl. He has published  at least seven books through Prentice-Hall on SOA and service oriented computing. He remains one of the front runners on the topics of SOA and Cloud Computing. The materials and approach to all of the training is vendor agnostic, focusing on the fundamentals of the sciences and not on any one vendors platform or interpretation.

Okay, that’s enough on my soapbox endorsement of the offerings by SOA Schools and Thomas Erl.

How beneficial was the training and certification as a SOA Architect?

As I mentioned, the programs utilize a combination of the 23 modules for the different certifications. Each module has a corresponding exam. Certification as a SOA Architect required getting a passing grade on all five of the modules.

• Module S90.01: Fundamental SOA & Service-Oriented Computing
• Module S90.02: SOA Technology Concepts
• Module S90.03: SOA Design & Architecture
• Module S90.08: Advanced SOA Design & Architecture
• Module S90.09: SOA Design & Architecture Lab

The first two modules are requisites for each certification and serve as the fundamental baselines for speaking a common language of the concepts. Vendor and language neutrality are seriously enforced in all of these modules. Only the modules that are language specific (e.g. SOA Java Developer) contain any information that cannot be applied across the board when discussing Service Oriented Computing.

The neutrality emphasized is critical to understanding SOA and applying it to real world scenarios. At first, I found it frustrating because I was unable to relate topics and ideas to some previous concrete knowledge I had. That is one of the ways I learn. If I can relate a new concept to something I’m already familiar with, my grasp and ability to integrate the new concept is simplified. SOA,. however, by it’s very nature requires the technologist to be able to step away from any given implementation and abstract from it. This encompasses vendor products, languages, methodologies, and styles.  The successful deployment of a SOA solution requires the drastic emphasis on neutrality. That is the beauty of it and the complexity of it.

The following are my observations and opinions about the materials, classroom lectures, and exams required for certification as a SOA Architect. through SOA School.com There are three options for preparing for each exam. I chose the third option and am glad that I did.

1. Attend the classroom lecture only and then take the module exam.
2. Use the self-study kit only and then take the module exam.
3. Attend the classroom lecture, use the self-study kit, and then take the module exam.

Personally, I don’t think attendance of just the classroom lecture  (Option 1) is sufficient for passing the associated exam while also developing a solid understanding of the material for actual implementation. This is not a ding on the instructor or the information. As a matter of fact, I had what I felt was one of the best instructors I’ve  ever encountered. The exams are not simple and meant to be a quick grade and showing of expertise. They require you to truly understand the material. I’ve taken other training and certifications programs that I believe were just designed so that someone can say ‘I’m certified’ without truly teaching anything useful. They were simply expensive corporate badges to look good on someone's CV or satisfy the whim of an executive. I believe that Thomas Erl developed these programs with the intent of ensuring that you walked away with some modicum of useable knowledge.

For the cost, I was very impressed with the self-study kits. They are professionally packaged and include:

• The module course booklet
• An exam preparation booklet
• Flash cards
• An audio CD of the classroom lecture
• An audio CD for the exam preparation

Additionally Included as part of the five day program for the certification, SOA Schools also gave each student hardback copies of three of Thomas Erl’s textbooks on Service Oriented Computing. I don’t know if they supply these if you only purchase the self-study kits. If you purchase just the self-study kits be sure to ask about the textbooks. They are quite informative and are good supplemental material to the modules. I provide a brief comment about each textbook, but the publisher links for each give you a much better review and understanding of the material in them. My biggest question is when did Thomas Erl find the time and energy to develop all of the material attributed to his name?

Required Modules for Architect Certification:

Module S90.01: Fundamental SOA & Service-Oriented Computing

Most of this module is dedicated to  the basic terminology and concepts of Service Oriented Computing as identified by Thomas Erl and the associated governing bodies such as W3C and Oasis. What is a service? What are the seven basic principles to achieve a SOA solution? What business guideline drive a SOA solution? How is SOA positioned in the enterprise? Obviously, all of the other 23 modules have a dependency on understanding the information in this module. The audience for this module could be absorbed by technical and non-technical people to gain a basic understanding of the SOA paradigm. The materials prepare you well for the exam.

Module S90.02: SOA Technology Concepts

At first blush, this module appears to contain a lot of redundancy information carried over from Module 1.  However, it begins to delve deeper into the associated technology and how they fit into a SOA solution. The module begins to introduces details on general industry standards and the associated Web Services that fall under the umbrella of the WS-*  standards and their place in implementing SOA solutions. Included are a basic introduction to WS implementation  technologies such as XPath, XQuery, XML Schema's, etc.  The materials prepare you well for the exam.

Module S90.03: SOA Design & Architecture

This module expands on Modules 1 and 2 with the am emphasis on the actual concept of a service and how they are defined and used by applying SOA principles and guidelines. Topics such as composition, orchestration, and ESB’s, are explored. What is a service? What makes a good service? How should services interact? A detailed discussion on agnostic vs. non-agnostic services is a fundamental concept explored in this module. The four basic types of services (Task, Utility, Entity, Orchestrated Task) and their interactions are explored. The concepts of orchestration of agnostic services forms much of what Thomas Erl defines as a SOA solution. The materials prepare you well for the exam.

Module S90.08: Advanced SOA Design & Architecture

This module is almost entirely focused on design patterns used to implement and deliver a SOA solution. The patterns, along with detailed information on what they are, what problems they address, and how they mix-and-match are discussed in great detail. As with all of the previous modules, this one requires that the knowledge learned so far be understood to a high level. The patterns are introduced in a neutral fashion, not relying on any one vendor’s implementation of the them. This is not a module that you can apply simple memorization to pass the exam. The exam requires that you not only understand the patterns but how they interact and depend on one and other.

Module S90.09: SOA Design & Architecture Lab

This module is the culmination of everything covered in the previous four. Case studies are presented and you are required to apply all of the terminology, concepts,. principles, guidelines, and patterns to solve the case studies. This is more of a lab type of study-module than informative-module. Examples of Company X, their current infrastructure and applications, state, and new requirements are detailed. By using all of the SOA knowledge gained in the pervious four modules you are expected to apply a SOA solution that best meets the stated problems. The material can only prepare you so much for the exam. It’s important to realize that a solid understanding of modules 3 and 8 are required.

Textbooks Included:

SOA Design Patterns

This textbook defines and details in great depth over 70 design patterns of Service Oriented Computing. It includes everything from the complex Enterprise Service Bus (ES pattern to the more simple Service Façade pattern. Along with the definitions and details of each pattern, in-depth, real-world case studies are referenced. The patterns in this textbook cover almost any aspect of SOA that I could think of. As expected, the details and solutions are agnostic and neutral to any vendor or platform.

SOA Principles of Service Design

Thomas Erl has identified seven core principles to a successful implementation of a SOA solution. He uses these seven principles as the foundation for the identification, design, development, and implementation of services. These core principles are exhaustively covered in this book with all of the supporting details that qualify them and their importance. Don’t let the small number of these core principles pre-dispose you to the depth and supporting information associated with them. In order to understand the paradigm as defined by Thomas Erl, these seven core principles are foundationally key to everything else.

Service-Oriented Architecture: Concepts, Technology, and Design

This textbook is aptly named and the information it contains is evident in its title. It is a primer for understanding and speaking in SOA. As a course book this one is fundamental to all of the training offered by SOA Schools.

Conclusion:

This exams and certifications are only useful if the technologist has a previous understanding of actual, real-world implementations using specific products and languages. prior knowledge of methodologies and processes are not as important for gaining the certification. The classroom lectures provide a different benefit.

As I previously mentioned, the classroom lectures are not sufficient to prepare you for the exams.For someone desiring to gain just a cursory understanding of SOA Architecture, they might suffice. I might send my project manager or sponsor executive to the classroom lectures without requiring them to take the exams. I would probably only want them to take modules 1 & 2. The real meat is in the self-study kits and supplemental material. Although the classroom lectures are informative, they can’t relay the understanding of the topics covered.

I found that in order to pass the exams, real attention had to be paid to the exam preparation booklet, flash cards, and the exam preparation audio CD.

Exams 1-4 are comprised of 50 random questions and a grade of 80% is required to pass. Each question is worth two points so you can miss 10 questions and still pass. The questions are in a variety of formats; multiple choice, true/false, and check all that apply. Careful attention is required when answering each question. Read them carefully. For example, instead of asking “Which of the following represent XYZ?”, the question may be phrased as “Which of the following does not represent XYZ?” The final exam is a 20 question lab with a two-hour time limit.

The ones that caused me the most problems where “Check all that apply.” That’s just me. Someone else may have no issue with this type of question at all.

Overall, I found that the course in its entirety was worth what I spent. I highly recommend the use of the self-study kits. In the future, I will forgo the classroom training. I’m not claiming it wasn’t beneficial and I would recommend attending the classroom lecture for modules 1 & 2 since they form the foundation of all the others. It’s a good opportunity to ask the teacher questions and ensure that you understand the fundamentals. However, once you get into the material specifically covering the certification you are pursuing the kits should be all that you need., 

Having said that, you might want to check back with any upcoming posts I will make on the training and certification as a SOA Analyst. For this, I have only ordered the self-study kits. Because I’ve already taken and passed modules 1 & 2, I only need to complete modules 4, 6, and 7. I may change my tune on the importance of the classroom training.

In ending, I believe that the training and certification offered by SOA Schools and Thomas Erl to be valid and respectful. Nothing can prepare you to become a specialist in any given field better than hands on trial and error. However, the agnostic and neutral approach provided by SOA Schools is very beneficial and worth the time and money.