Randomly Applied Thoughts by Steven Mather

First Impressions of the SOA Analyst training for certification

2011-06-14T05:01:40Z

I’m starting with module 4, ‘SOA Project and Delivery Methodology.’ I have yet to listen to either the Audio Tutor or Exam CD’s. I’m just reading through the workbook first. As with all of the workbook material, each page is a PowerPoint slide with half the page left over for notes. When your studying this without the classroom lecturer, note taking seems pointless unless you like to just write what you read to ingrain it in your head. That sometimes works for me. Possibly when I fire up the audio tutor it will go hand in hand with the workbook. I suspect it will.

As with all of Thomas Erl’s training material, a fair amount of it comes directly from one of his published textbooks and the case studies in them.

I;m glad he doesn’t send a lot of time on analysis basics and any one process. He sticks to defining the steps required to identify entity, utility, task, and orchestrated services. This includes defining candidate to concrete capabilities. He also relies upon an iterative approach more emphasized by RUP than Agile, although he makes references to the Agile methodology.

As expected, the first part of this is just the basics and a common lexicon carried over from modules 1. 2. & 3. As titled, this module is more aligned toward methodology and delivery than modeling and identifying specific services.

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Final Comments on SOA School.com SOA Architect Certification

2011-06-13T00:34:17Z

I realized that I wrote lengthy posts on this topic as I was going through the classroom training, self-study kits, and exams. I felt it needed a summation. I’m starting the self-study kits for the SOA Analyst certification and my experience will be different this time since I’ll be listening to Thomas Erl’s audio tutor’s on the modules instead of the classroom lecturer.

My recommendations on the offerings by SOA School.com will differ depending on your needs. For someone, an executive or project manager, the classroom training would probably be sufficient. It highlights the salient points of what SOA is, how it fits into an enterprise, a common lexicon, and high level topics. They would probably only need to attend the lectures for modules 1, 2., and 3. The other 20 modules are specific to their respective certifications and delve deeper into agnostic and non-agnostic solution topics.

For someone directly involved with delivering a SOA solution or desiring to take the exams for certification, the classroom training isn’t sufficient to gain a solid understanding of the certification topics. The self-study kits main workbooks are identical to the ones used in the classroom lectures. It’s the exam tutor audio CD, preparation booklet, and the supplemental audio tutor where the information required to pass the exams is available.

Unless you are a very seasoned SOA specialist who has used Thomas Erl’s books for learning, the exams can be a challenge and they require you know the information presented in the course materials. As with any area of technology, while there is usually a common language, there are also differences in different shops. The lexicon of SOA terminology composed by Thomas Erl is specific to passing the exams.

Overall, I rate the knowledge gained from taking the full program for certification an 8 out of 1-10. As I’ve stated, much of the material is delivered with a high level of vendor neutrality and technology agnostic. Also, no one solution can cover all scenarios, but Thomas Erl does a good job of providing a level of knowledge that can easily be leveraged in particular scenarios.

This was time and money well spent.

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The Innovation Race

2011-06-08T00:30:34Z

On Monday, June 6th 2011, CNN had a special presentation on innovation titled ‘Restoring the American Dream.’. It was hosted by Fareed Zakaria. I hope this is just the first in a series of programs on the same topic; American Innovation.

As an American, I found it very frightening but not at all surprising. I’ve been aware of this issue for quite some time. The signs are everywhere. Find something in your home manufactured in the USA.

One of the things that I found most disturbing was the fact that Apple, kings of innovation, employ 50,000 people yet 1 million Chinese fill the manufacturing jobs to produce Apple products. With that kind of model, only a small percentage of Americans will be involved in innovation and a huge amount of foreign workers will get the jobs to implement them. What good is innovation if jobless Americans can’t avail themselves of them?

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Review of SOA Architect training and certification

2011-06-07T22:34:19Z

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.

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.

Attend the classroom lecture only and then take the module exam.
Use the self-study kit only and then take the module exam.
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.

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SOA Training and Certification

2011-06-07T22:29:31Z

During my 28 years in IT, I have predominantly held positions as a consultant or non-employee. Because of this distinction, things like training and certification were frowned upon for non-employees. I understand the reasoning behind this. In an ideal world, employees are long-term assets and sinking money into expensive training can be acceptable since the company is enhancing their long-term assets. I stated before that this is understandable in an ideal world, but in today’s turbulent economy we all know that long-term employment is a hope, not a reality.

As a consultant I can’t count the times when new technologies, applications, processes, and many other things required training if the company wanted to adopt any of these in their enterprise. Consultants were almost always never approved for expensive training due to their status as short-term assets. This required the, hopefully, higher-paid consultant to get the training on their own however they needed to.

As a science, SOA is an evolutionary trend that has now been defined and recognized as a definitive specialty of the IT industry. As the result of evolutionary process, there is nothing significantly new under the SOA umbrella. What has happened is standardization. Tools and understanding have evolved into the creation of this specialty and it can now be widely recognized, categorized, and used very successfully.

Until recently, the term SOA has been loosely used to define methods for integration and application development. Anything using a IP address that served up logic was considered a web service, or a SOA implementation. The use of XML to exchange data between environments was considered SOA. The list of pseudo-SOA implementations is extensive and this is not the place to cover them all. While all of this was happening, tools and understanding have matured to the point where when we apply the label SOA, there can be an explicit and industry approved set of technologies, principles, patterns, and solutions that validate the label. The point is that in it’s purest sense, SOA can be now be defined with a common understanding that, with enforcement, provides all of the benefits desired. Training at the higher label of SOA now has value instead of just training at the lower levels of a specific technology, methodology, or implementation. A complete understanding of SOA will allow the technologist to bring together all the collective knowledge and create something that is standardized and reap all of the benefits that SOA promises.

What is SOA? The answer will depend on who you ask. That alone creates confusion. Experience shows that when we all speak the same language with the same level of understanding the results are greatly magnified. My work experience gave me one perspective of SOA that I found was lacking. I also wanted to capitalize on the trend for everything SOA. This prompted me to explore the world of SOA training and certification. Without corporate sponsorship the costs were on me. Of course this led me to make sure that my money would produce the greatest benefits.

There aren’t yet a plethora of courses or programs for SOA training and certification. Most are centered around a given vendor solution such as Oracle, WebMethods, J EE, etc.. I have nothing against this bias except that it is bias. If I worked in an Oracle shop and that was our primary tool for implementing SOA solutions, it would make some sense to take their training. There is also an inherent perspective bias that a given vendor would build into any of their training programs. As a consultant, I can’t be sure what vendor solutions will be used in future client environments. This forced me to look at the available training with an eye toward an agnostic approach to SOA.

I found SOA Schools on the web. These programs are all based on the writings and experience of Thomas Erl the founder and president of the company. I won’t go into his resume here but he is the author of the most successful books on SOA topics. If you take a cursory look at his background and contributions to the industry in regards to SOA you will see that he is a predominant figure in defining, exploring, and documenting SOA as a specialty. Thomas Erl can easily be considered a front running expert on SOA and to some extent Cloud Computing, He has published a dozen or so books on all aspects of SOA and is a contributing member of.the predominant SOA governing organizations.His company offers a wide range of classes and programs on SOA and Cloud Computing along with a variety of certifications such as a SOA Architect or SOA Analyst. There products are reasonably priced but are they worth it?

If I was a full time employee in a shop committed to using Oracle’s SOA suite I would more than likely be initially inclined to take Oracle’s training and certification over the competitors. As an employee I would more than likely be expected to take the training and come back to work to apply and share my knowledge immediately on specific projects. There is nothing wrong with this and it certainly helps with job security. I, however, have no idea what vendor or technology will be used to implement SOA for any future clients. This would also limit my overall understanding of SOA as Oracle-centric. I wanted the most agnostic perspective allowing me to concentrate on fundamentals instead of any given product, language, process, or business specific solution.

The majority of the courses and programs offered are by vendors of SOA technologies such as an ESB or Orchestration platform, Their emphasis is understandably biased toward the usage of their perspective products. I wanted knowledge and understanding of SOA as an overall enterprise solution architecture that didn’t focus on any one vendor implementation over general SOA principles and guidelines. SOA is an evolutionary embracement of advancements in technology across the board, and one of the most fundamental reasons for adopting SOA is the long term ROI derived from avoidance of implementation lock-in due to reliance on a specific vendor or approach. Due to the extensive amount of differing technologies, solutions, languages, business scenarios, and much more, no single answer can definitively address SOA and simplify it. However, it can be distilled at its higher levels with a specific set of principles and guidelines that allow the technologist to govern SOA adoption to maximize and leverage the excess of all things labeled SOA. This can allow them to deliver a solution that embraces the best of breed from all that has been learned in the last several decades.

After careful review of the limited programs available, I chose the courses required to obtain certification as a SOA Architect and SOA Analyst. offered by SOA Schools. For my purposes, Thomas Erl’s training and certification through SOA Schools fit. They provide programs for various SOA titles such as architect, analyst, consultant, and developer. All of the training is based upon Thomas Erl’s published titles and current industry standards.

For all of their courses, SOA Schools offers classroom lectures, self-study kits, and the exams. The program for certification as a SOA Architect is comprised of five classes. I decided to take the classroom led training for the architect certification and I’m glad I did. Had I simply opted to use the self-study kits only I would have lost out on the excellent knowledge of the instructor, Paul Buhler. This gave me a comfortable level of context and understanding of the materials, how they are presented, and the goal of the training. Classroom training isn’t required to prepare for the associated exams and labs. The self-study kits and exam preparation books are sufficient to pass the exams with a good knowledge of the materials that you can retain, not simply memorize. Actually, without the self-study kits, I’m not certain that I would have been able to pass the exams. For me, the classroom training alone was not sufficient enough to prepare me for the exams. For those not opting to take the exams and certification, the classroom sessions still provide a strong level of understanding. My need to use the self-study kits may have just been an indication of my level of expertise and basic knowledge. I can’t punish SOA Schools for this. The lecturer, materials, and presentation were all excellent and the exams were not simply about rote information to be memorized today and forgotten tomorrow. The exams require you to have a solid understanding of the materials and I don’t think that this can be adequately obtained without studying. Homework is still the best way to go. The exams are not easy but reflect all of the information presented in the classroom and self-study kits. Additionally, the self study kits organized around each module are some of the best self-study materials I've encountered. They are professionally designed and come with lecturer CD’s, exam preparation CD’s flash cards, course books, and exam preparation booklets. Some of the self-study kits also come with a hard-back copy of one of Thomas Erl’s textbooks on the module topic. .

If your intent is to gain a solid overall level of knowledge with the associated title (i.e. architect, analyst, consultant, i.e.) then I highly recommend the certification offered by SOA Schools as a very good option. If you need enhanced expertise in a SOA product or language, training offered by the associated vendor may be a more beneficial option. However, simply gaining knowledge on how to use a specific tool or language may deprive you of the higher level understanding of SOA and the principles and guidelines that make it the evolutionary breakthrough that it is. Regardless of your level of expertise, job requirements, or immediate needs, the training and certification offered by SOA Schools and Thomas Erl will provide you with a solid understanding and base for truly adopting a Service Oriented solution.

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Welcome to my small corner of the internet

2011-05-30T22:35:00Z

I’ve had the ability to BLOG for a few years now but all of my writing has been dedicated to something else. I have a lot to say, most of it meaningful to me but probably irrelevant to others. I have opinions, ideas, beliefs, and sometimes thoughts about world domination, The internet is such a beautiful thing. There are almost 2 billion people using the internet. The numbers associated with this usage is staggering. My BLOG is only 1 out of 126 million others. However, this is the best one to read.

Email
* 90 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2009.
* 247 billion – Average number of email messages per day.
* 1.4 billion – The number of email users worldwide.
* 100 million – New email users since the year before.
* 81% – The percentage of emails that were spam.
* 92% – Peak spam levels late in the year.
* 24% – Increase in spam since last year.
* 200 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 81% are spam).

Websites
* 234 million – The number of websites as of December 2009.
* 47 million – Added websites in 2009.

Internet users
* 1.73 billion – Internet users worldwide (September 2009).
* 18% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year.
* 738,257,230 – Internet users in Asia.
* 418,029,796 – Internet users in Europe.
* 252,908,000 – Internet users in North America.
* 179,031,479 – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean.
* 67,371,700 – Internet users in Africa.
* 57,425,046 – Internet users in the Middle East.
* 20,970,490 – Internet users in Oceania / Australia.

Social media
* 126 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse).
* 84% – Percent of social network sites with more women than men.
* 27.3 million – Number of tweets on Twitter per day (November, 2009)
* 57% – Percentage of Twitter’s user base located in the United States.
* 4.25 million – People following @aplusk (Ashton Kutcher, Twitter’s most followed user).
* 350 million – People on Facebook.
* 50% – Percentage of Facebook users that log in every day.
* 500,000 – The number of active Facebook applications.

Images
* 4 billion – Photos hosted by Flickr (October 2009).
* 2.5 billion – Photos uploaded each month to Facebook.
* 30 billion – At the current rate, the number of photos uploaded to Facebook per year.

Videos
* 1 billion – The total number of videos YouTube serves in one day.
* 12.2 billion – Videos viewed per month on YouTube in the US (November 2009).
* 924 million – Videos viewed per month on Hulu in the US (November 2009).
* 182 – The number of online videos the average Internet user watches in a month (USA).
* 82% – Percentage of Internet users that view videos online (USA).
* 39.4% – YouTube online video market share (USA).
* 81.9% – Percentage of embedded videos on blogs that are YouTube videos.

So, it’s easy to see why the content that I add to the web is of little interest globally regardless of its significance to me. However, I am compelled to add my ramblings in hopes that someday, somehow they will have an impact on others.

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