ORACLE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS

A secret treasure house of Oracle books

2012-09-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

One of the most prolific publishers of Oracle technology and application books - Packt Publishing just published its 1000 cover. Packt books are written by experts, many of whom are Oracle certified professionals. The books full of tips and how-to about new features and functionality that are not covered in-depth in user manuals.

A treasure house of Oracle books is the online library of every Packt publication. To celebrate the 1000th title, Packt is offering free access to the library for a peek at the gems for a 7 day period. Also, one can download one free e-book.

Packt supports many of the Open Source projects covered by its books through a project royalty donation, which has contributed over $4,00,000 to Open Source projects up to now. As part of the celebration Packt is allocating $30,000 to share between projects and authors as part of the weekend giveaway, allocated based on the number of copies of each title downloaded.

Dave Maclean, founder of Packt Publishing based out of Birmingham, UK spoke recently to the media: “At Packt we set out 8 years ago to bring practical, up to date and easy to use technical books to the specialist tools and technologies that had been largely overlooked by IT publishers. Today, I am really proud that with our authors and partners we have been able to make useful books available on over 1000 topics and make our contribution to the development community.”

Meet The Experts: Matthew Morris

2012-05-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

OCP Advisor interviewed Matthew Morris, one of the earliest Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) and now a popular author of OCP study guides. Matthew was among the first hundred to be OCP DBA certified on Oracle 7.3 and has since upgraded his certification to releases 8i, 9i, 10g and 11g.

OCP Advisor: Hello Matt, on behalf of OCP blog readers we are delighted to have you as our featured Oracle Expert. Please tell us something about your professional experience.

Matthew Morris: In early 1996, I started working for Oracle Support as part of the RDBMS Server Technologies team. Over the first few months, I read every Oracle Press book I could get my hands on from cover-to-cover! I was the top rated support analyst and was asked to develop and deliver courses for team members. After four years of DBA support, I changed my focus to PL/SQL and Web development. I developed database tools and applications to assist managers and analysts in the Oracle Support team. Currently I work at Computer Sciences Corporation and is responsible for developing custom database applications using PL/SQL and Oracle APEX.

OCP Advisor: Please tell us about your Oracle Certification path and what motivated you on this path.

Matthew Morris: Two years after I started working for Oracle, Oracle Certified Professional program was launched. Sylvan created at testing center in our office building. I was interested in demonstrating my knowledge, so I took and passed all four of the OCP DBA tests. I learned that this made me one of the first hundred people to become an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)! Later that year, Oracle introduced the Oracle Developer Certification and I took the four developer tests in a single day and became one of the first hundred Oracle Certified Developers. Since then, I have tried to keep my certifications current.

OCP Advisor: You are a popular author of several Oracle Certification guides. Please let us know how you started writing them.

Matthew Morris: In May 2011, I developed a study guide for 1Z0-050: New Features for Administrators. Then in late 2011, I began studying for 1Z0-450: Oracle Application Express 4: Developing Web Applications. For almost every exam, my preparation includes creating a study sheet with key testing points. For 1Z0-450, this sheet rapidly became much larger and more elaborate than usual. It seemed reasonable at the time to go the extra mile and make it into a publishable study guide. Ultimately, I found that doing this did not add an extra mile but rather an extra ten to fifteen miles! However, once it was published, the result was heartening. I modified the 1Z0-050 course material I had developed earlier into a second study guide and published it as well. Since those first two, I have published study guides for the SQL Expert and SQL Fundamentals exams. Currently, I am developing exam guides for the OCP DBA I and DBA II exams.

OCP Advisor: Please share with our blog readers about the content of the Oracle Certification Guides you have published?

Matthew Morris: The Oracle Certification Prep series targets two groups of candidates. The first group consists of Oracle professionals who want to get certified in a subject they are experienced in and would like a reference guide to help them ‘bridge the gaps’. The second group are those who are already using another source of information in their study plan but would like to have a second reference. It is especially valuable for candidates using only Oracle documentation but would like to have an inexpensive reference against which to determine how well they did. To help both these audiences, the study guides present information about the test topics in a very condensed format. The intent is to deliver facts that candidates need to know, functions and features they need to recognize, in a compact format enough to revise several times.

OCP Advisor: What advice do you have for candidates preparing for an Oracle Certification exams?

Matthew Morris: From the posts on the various certification forums I frequent, there are many candidates who are studying just to pass the exams rather than to gain knowledge. Learning how to pass a test does not prepare someone to perform well at professional level. Use the opportunity when studying for Oracle certification to make a concerted effort to learn the concepts first.

OCP Advisor: Please share with our blog readers one habit that has contributed most to your professional success?

Matthew Morris: Setting a realistic expectation determines whether you succeed or fail. I try to set a reasonable time frame and give my very best to deliver ahead of every deadline.

Thanks Google Adsense! Sponsors Wanted!

2012-02-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of clicks every week on this blog adds pennies to the dollar. The generous folks at Google Adsense check the meter reading and send in a small check once in a few months (actually when the total crosses a hundred dollars).

This blog is a not-for-profit exercise and I hope to pay back the amount I received from Google in the form of Oracle Certification Exam Vouchers for a lucky reader or two. Greatly appreciate the Pay Per Click (PPC) spend of Google advertisers on my blog.

On a related note, the blog author invites sponsors to display their ads on the blog in return for sponsorship of exam vouchers to our loyal readers. Corporations interested in sponsorship may e-mail OCP Advisor at ocp.advisor@gmail.com

OUM Certified Implementation Specialist Certification

2012-01-31T23:27:00.000-08:00

Oracle is shortly launching the production release of Oracle Unified Method (OUM) Certified Implementation Specialist Certification. OUM certified professionals would be skilled in Oracle’s all inclusive methodology. The certification covers the core features the Oracle Unified Method suite including Focus Areas, Uses Cases, and Requirements Gathering. The certification proves a baseline of the consultant’s knowledge and allows the implementation team to work as a cohesive team from day one.

This certification is available to all candidates but is geared toward members of the Oracle Partner Network (OPN) who are focused on selling and implementing this technology. OPN Members earning this certification will be recognized as OPN Certified Specialists, which helps their companies qualify for the Oracle Unified Method Specialization.

There is only one exam for this certification called Oracle Unified Method 5 Essentials (1Z0-568). Details about the exam is available in the OUM Exam Study Guide. Oracle provides OUM training for partners. DevelopMentor is offering OUM training to the general public. For details about the OUM training, click here. The blog author attended the Level 3 training at Oracle Global User Group Leaders Conference in 2011. Read his OUM blog and begin your certification journey for OUM.

Have you taken the latest survey from OCP Program team?
Click here to take the Oracle Certification Program Salary and Satisfaction Survey 2012.

OCP Advisor To Present At COLLABORATE12

2012-01-06T00:29:00.000-08:00

Your blog author will be presenting at COLLABORATE12 - The Annual Oracle User Group jointly hosted by OAUG, IOUG and Quest. This will be OCP Advisor's 55th presentation at an Oracle conference. Since the conference is being hosted at Las Vegas, the presentation title is appropriately named: Show Me The Money!

The session abstract and objectives are reproduced below:
Equinix implemented Oracle Credit and Collections Suite to automate credit review and improve cash flow through automated collection strategies. This implementation case study describes rolling out Oracle Credit Management, Oracle Advanced Collections, Dun & Bradstreet Toolkit and integration with Oracle Order Management, Oracle Customer Online and Oracle Receivables. The presenters will share how the functionality was extended to include support for consolidated billing. This project promises to be a ROI winner!

Objective 1: Learn how to automate credit review using Oracle Credit Management
Objective 2: Learn how to automate collection strategies using Oracle Advanced Collections
Objective 3: Migration to Oracle Advanced Collections for Oracle Receivables Users
Objective 4: Extend functionality of Advanced Collections to support Consolidated Billing feature.

Oracle OpenWorld 2011: OCP Advisor Presents

2011-10-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

Robert Bungenstock from Kaplan Learning Technologies wins The Audience Prize!
One OCP Exam Voucher will be reaching Robert's inbox shortly ! Congratulations!

View the presentation and find one more way you can win an OCP Exam Voucher!

Oracle Openworld 2011 Schedule Builder is Now Live

2011-08-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Oracle OpenWorld 2011 Content Management team announced today that the conference Schedule Builder is now online. Registered attendees can log in to search through hundreds of sessions, partner exhibits, and Oracle demos and find content of interest to enroll in sessions and build your conference agenda.

A recommendation engine powered by Oracle Data Mining provides a list of sessions, demos and exhibits that are most relevant to you. Once a session is added to the personal agenda, any session change information or communication is automatically sent. It also provides the conference organizers an idea about the popularity of a session. In case the designated room is overbooked on the schedule builder, then the session is often moved to a location with more seating capacity. It is always a good idea to use the Schedule Builder to enroll in sessions and get early access. In order to gain early access attendees must be enrolled in the session and arrive at least ten minutes before the session start time. Enrolled attendees are seated first and then non-enrolled attendees are seated for the most popular sessions.

Those who are yet to register, please view the Content Catalog to see list of session topics, demos and exhibits. Please add Session # 8042 on your agenda for a session on Oracle Certification at Moscone Center West Room 3000 from 5.00pm - 6.00pm. One lucky attendee will win an Oracle Certification Exam exam voucher as the audience prize!

Plagiarism: The Sincerest Form of Flattery

2011-07-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

As the saying goes, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Copying published articles with acknowledging the author is called plagiarism. There are several sites on the world wide web that have copied blog posts from this blog and posted it in its entirety without any mention of the author or even a link to the original post. Some of the sites are selling illegal 'brain dump' question banks and that devalues the intent of this blog author to provide a forum for hard working certification candidates to prepare for exams and pass them with proper preparation and effort. There is no shortcut to success. Without publishing the URL of the offending sites, here are some snippets of plagiarism that pervades the Internet with links to the actual blog post below them. Plagiarism seems to be the sincerest form of flattery!

Here is the link to the original post: Introducing Nano 9s - A Practice Test While You Take A Coffee Break

Here is the link to the original post: New OCP Beta Exam For Technical Track

At least there are some sites that provide links to the original blog post like the one from OraComp. Here is the link to the original post: Oracle Tutor Patches Revisited

It is heartening that there are sites like ITSNewcast that acknowledges the blog author for their posting. Here is the link to the original post: Get Certified on Oracle Unified Method (OUM)

163 ACEs In This Deck

2011-07-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

If Oracle OpenWorld 2011 content catalog was a deck of cards, there would be 163 Aces in the deck. The Oralce Technology Network (OTN) Blog lists the Oracle ACE holders presenting at Oracle OpenWorld in a blog post appropriately titled: Are You Kidding Me? 163 Oracle ACE Sessions at Oracle OpenWorld

The Who's Who of the Oracle Universe is presenting and it is a very humble feeling to be included in the list. I hope to feature some of the illustrious names in the 'Meet The Experts' section of this blog. If you are attending Oracle OpenWorld 2011, add the ACE sessions to your schedule. Here is my wish list of ACE sessions to attend (apart from the one I am presenting!):

Andy Katz - Upgrading to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1 Without Losing Your Hair or Your Wallet
Benjamin Prusinski - Lockdown: Secure Your Database in a Day
Brian Huff - Creating a Global E-Commerce Site with Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle Fusion Middleware
Chris Muir - Angels in the Architecture: An Oracle Application Development Framework Architectural Blueprint
Debra Lilley - Do I Upgrade or Go Straight to Oracle Fusion Applications?
Elke Phelps - Advanced Oracle E-Business Suite Architectures: Maximum Availability, Security, and More
Floyd Teter - The ABCs of Implementing Oracle Fusion Project Portfolio Management
Jerry Ireland - Interfacing with Oracle E-Business Suite by Using Oracle SOA Suite
John Stouffer - 12 Steps to Oracle E-Business Suite 12 Upgrade: Hazelden Foundation Release 12 Lessons Learned
Kaberi Nayak - Upgrading to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1: Technical/Functional Panel
Karen Brownfield - Maximize Efficiency of Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and 12 Through Diagnostics
Michael Brown - Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10.2 to Release 12.1.3: A Technical Perspective
Pat Dues - Best Practices for Maintaining Oracle E-Business Suite 12
Raimonds Simanovskis - Extending Oracle E-Business Suite with Ruby on Rails
Wilfred van der Deijl - Four Ways to Transition from Oracle Forms to Oracle ADF

Oracle Certified Specialist - Time To Get Specialized

2011-07-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

About 2 years ago, Oracle Partner Network (OPN) launched the OPN Specialized program. Specialization achievement has a key component of competency development. Partners who earn specialization in at least one area (and up to four areas) are eligible for entry to the Gold level. Those partners who obtain five or more specializations qualify for the elite Platinum partner program level, which is the highest partner program level offered by Oracle.

Oracle Certification Program team has launched Oracle Certified Specialist credentials to certify Oracle Partners for their specialization level. OPN Certified Specialist credential identifies those Oracle Partners who have completed specified requirements for select Oracle Certified Associate (OCA), Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), Oracle Certified Expert (OCE), and Oracle Certified Specialist (OCS) certifications.
Oracle Partner employees who complete the certification requirements (for these select certifications) using their official OPN company ID will now also be awarded the OPN Certified Specialist designation for the technology as well as the original underlying OCA, OCP, OCE, or OCS credential, and their achievement is credited toward their company's OPN Specialized recognition.

Oracle Certified Specialist certification typically consists of just one exam. For example, passing 1Z0-518 Oracle EBS R12.1 Receivables Essentials qualifies one for Oracle E-Business Suite 12 Financial Management Certified Implementation Specialist: Oracle Receivables certification. For the corresponding Oracle Certified Expert certification one has to write two exams - Oracle E-Business Suite R12: E-Business Essentials and the Oracle E-Business Suite R12: General Ledger and Receivables Fundamentals mega exam. Even those who are not employees of Oracle Partners can register for the exams and qualify for Oracle Certified Specialist credentials. With a lesser number of exams to take to qualify for certification, this can be a great certification to aim if you have not enough time to prepare for more extensive exam content. It is time to get specialized!

6 Degrees of Separation

2011-07-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Oracle Certification Program (OCP) Team has become social-media savvy over the years. Today, there are less than six degrees of separation between you and the tirelessly working Oracle Certification Team who have launched more than 100 new certification exams in the last 3 years. Gone are the days where you e-mailed the OCP Team and waited weeks for an answer. Now there are 6 social media channels to reach them.

They are as follows:

Facebook - Like their Facebook page and get status updates on latest announcements
Twitter - Follow @oraclecert
YouTube - Subscribe to the Oracle Certification channel
Blog - Subscribe to the blog feed and book mark the blog page
E-Magazine - Subscribe to the monthly e-magazine delivered to your e-mail inbox
Linkedin - Join more than ten thousand members on this active online community discussing almost everything about Oracle Certification and with lot of job postings from resourcing managers

Certification Preparation Showcase: uCertify PrepKit

2011-07-20T00:11:00.000-07:00

Oracle Certified Professionals Blog is introducing a new feature called Certification Preparation Showcase to introduce blog readers to certification preparation education providers and their products. These independent review will highlight the features available in the offerings so that blog readers are aware of the vendors. This blog does not endorse or recommend any specific vendor. Certification candidates should use their best judgement before buying any products or services reviewed on this blog. OCP Advisor hopes that Certification Preparation Showcase will assist blog readers in the evaluation of certification related products or services.

The first product which is being reviewed in the Cert Prep Showcase is uCertify PrepKit from uCertify LLC. The company has been offering certification preparation study kits for more than a decade. The current portfolio covers certification study material for leading companies such Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, IBM and others. The Oracle certification exams that are covered by uCertify include OCA and OCP 11g, Oracle EBS 11i DBA OCP and OCP Java EE among others.

The certification preparation material is available as a download with a list of 15 questions diagnostic test available for free. If you have bought the kit, a license key will reach your e-mail inbox to activate the complete features of the kit. The exam PrepKit consists of a Test Engine with multiple simulated tests. For review purposes, I had downloaded 1Z0-047: Oracle SQL Expert certification kit. There are 5 full-length practice tests and 1 'Final Test' to prepare oneself for the actual exams. One can also create a custom test and a fixed time test using the question bank in the test engine.

The test kit also provides nearly 300 flash cards, study notes and tips for taking the exam. The test kit covers all the sections mentioned in the exam content on the Oracle certification website. The test engine has been built to closely resemble the testing platform one would encounter for an actual exam. So preparing for a certification exam using the PrepKit will be a familiar experience on exam day. The best benefit of a Test PrepKit like this would be to use as a test simulation tool rather than a guide to learn concepts. There are several Oracle Press and other publications available for reference guides. A hands-on practice on any database is highly recommended. If one has no access to a test database, download Oracle XE and practice commands for Oracle SQL Expert Exam. Practice makes perfect and by taking the simulated tests multiple times, the chances of success is almost assured.

OCP Advisor interviewed Ron Dayal, Customer Happiness Manager at uCertify LLC about their certification preparing offerings.

OCP Advisor: Please tell us about your company. From when did you start offering Oracle Certification prep kits?

Ron: uCertify is a leading training provider for the IT Certifications exams. For the past 15 years, uCertify has specialized in exam preparation solutions for all major certification exams, from vendors, such as Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, CompTIA, Cisco, EC Council and more. We are available 24 x 7 x 365. All uCertify PrepKits come with a 100% money back guarantee, which is the best in the business. Students pass in their first attempt using our prepkits, else we refund the cost of the prepkit. uCertify is committed to serving its customers with innovative, reliable, and high-quality products through constant research and development, keeping in mind the latest pattern of the various exams.We began offering our prepkits for Oracle certifications back in 2003. Since then, we have continuously added to the Oracle test prep suite keeping up with Oracle’s certification offerings, including all Sun based prepkits.

OCP Advisor: When would you recommend a candidate to start using your prep kit?

Ron: We recommend that students begin using our prepkits as soon as possible. Our prepkits provides information about exam objectives, lots of study material and dozens of practice questions which not help reinforce concepts, but hones practice skills until they have achieved mastery of the subject.

OCP Advisor: Tell us how you develop the practice tests?

Ron: Our prepkits are crafted by industry experts from within uCertify, as well as from the field, They are typically certified professionals themselves, and are subject matter experts in the area of certification they are writing for. These professionals understand the problems that students face while preparing for their certification exams, and ensure that the prepkit material they author, helps student pass their certification exam in their first attempts.

OCP Advisor: You advertise a very high success rate in certification exams (98% plus) for your customers. What makes that possible?

Ron: uCertify places a very high emphasis on content quality. Our content authors, be it in-house uCertify employees, or contracted IT professionals with relevant experience, are held to extremely high standards. In addition to stringent checklists and peer reviews, several prepkits are also reviewed by ProCertLabs, a company regarded by many certification vendors, as being very qualified to review a test prep provider’s work. Every piece of material in our prepkits is authored and reviewed via a strict checklist to ensure high quality standards.

OCP Advisor: What advise would you give to Oracle certification candidates preparing for certification exams?

Ron: Practice, Practice, Practice! Invest in a high quality prepkit provider such as uCertify, and go through all study material, and take/retake the tests until they score 95% or higher in all the practice tests they take. Readers of OCP blog can use discount code: UCPREP when checking out and avail of a 10% discount.

Certification Test Preparation Vendors who are interested in having their products reviewed in the Certification Preparation Showcase, please e-mail OCP Advisor at ocp.advisor@gmail.com

Inviting Oracle Certified Professionals to Be Featured in OOW 2011 presentation

2011-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

OCP Advisor is presenting at Oracle OpenWorld on Monday, October 3, 2011 at Moscone West Room 3000 from 5.00-6.00pm. The presentation topic is 'OCP Advisor Tips on How to Become an Oracle Certified Professional'.

If you are Oracle certified, you are invited to get in touch with me at ocp.advisor@gmail.com to be featured as one of the case studies in the presentation. As a token of appreciation, I will send Amazon gift certificates for $25 if you are selected for the case study. A special shout out to Oracle ACE and Oracle ACE Directors to participate in this collaborative presentation. The session abstract can be found here.

Oracle University Full Day Sessions at Oracle Open World 2011

2011-07-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

Oracle University is offering a one-day training event on October 2, 2011. There are eight deep-dive training sessions to choose on the first day of Oracle OpenWorld 2011. The sessions will be held at Hotel Nikko San Francisco. The registration fee for the Oracle University event is $800 for a full day of training.

The 8 training sessions are as follows:

Oracle and Exadata. The Perfect Fit!
OpenWorld Certification Exam Cram: Oracle Database 11g: New Features for Administrators
Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud Overview
Making the Most of Oracle User Productivity Kit (UPK)
Oracle WebLogic Server 11g: Administration Essentials
Oracle Business Intelligence 11g: Overview to Analyses and Dashboards
Oracle SOA Suite 11g: Administration
What's New in Oracle Solaris 11

Those preparing for Oracle Certification exams and attending Oracle OpenWorld 2011 may like to add this Sunday schedule to their conference calendar.

Oracle Certification Discussion Forum

2011-07-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

Oracle Technology Network hosts dozens of discussion forums online.

One of the Technology Network Community forum that every Oracle certification candidate should visit is the Certification forum.

One can post questions and answers on this forum for certification related topics. All discussions are threaded so it is easy to find a discussion topic.

Participation on the forum is encouraged with points awarded for postings, helpful answers and correct answers. As one adds points, there are recognition levels of Pro, Expert and Guru that are awarded.
You are not alone when you are preparing for certification. There are hundreds all over the world who are preparing for the same exam and maybe thousands who have taken the exam before. Many certified professionals are regular forum members and answer your questions in a matter of hours! It is the best expert advice and it is all free!

OCP Support Form - Help Is Just A Click Away

2011-07-16T00:13:00.000-07:00

Certification candidates have questions for the certification program team. These used to be answered via e-mail. The volume of e-mails was difficult to manage and tracking requests were quite a daunting task for the OCP Program Team. The OCP Support Form has made correspondence through e-mail redundant.

For any issues or questions about an OCP exam, please complete and submit the form below. An OCP customer service representative will contact you via email within 5 business days. It is always worthwhile to visit the OCP FAQ page before submitting the form. The answer may be already posted there.

Oracle Learning Library - A Hidden Treasure Trove

2011-07-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

The Oracle Learning Library is a hidden treasure trove of free online learning waiting for you to discover. The content originates from a variety of sources including Oracle Technology Network and Oracle Blogs.

There are Oracle by Example (OBE) tutorials that provide hands-on, step-by-step instructions on how to implement various technology solutions to business problems. There are automated demonstration of product features are also available. There are tutorials also available with explanation of concepts and and step-by-step instructions for a particular product or topic. Blog posts and white papers from Oracle Development and Oracle Product Managers complete the portfolio.

One hopes that Oracle Learning Library is adopted increasingly by Oracle product teams as a key channel for information sharing. I am sure in the coming months and years you will hear more about this site. Remember, you first learnt about it here!

Oracle Unified Method (OUM) Certification - Beta Exam Available

2011-07-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

Oracle Unified Method (OUM) is now the standard implementation and support methodology for all products. I had posted about OUM Training in a posting earlier this year. The training covered Level 3 instructor-led training and training material was provided for all levels.

Oracle Certification Program team has launched Oracle Unified Method 5 Certified Implementation Specialist certification. The exam content covers the following:

Level 1 - Oracle Unified Method Overview and Awareness
Level 2 - 3 Focus Area Specific Overview: Manage, Envision and Implement
Level 2 - Use Case Overview
Level 3 - Gathering Requirements

A beta exam is now available till August 20, 2011. The exam duration will be about three hours and cover 120-150 questions. The exam price is discounted and should be a very attractive proposition to project management professionals working in the Oracle ecosystem. It is a difficult temptation to resist. I think I will register for the beta exam today.

Blog Photos are courtesy of Fotolia (www.fotolia.com) where there are 13,000,000 + images. Browse the site and learn more why so many professionals within the media and communications industry are using the site.

Oracle EBS 11i Certification: Time for Retirement

2011-07-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

Oracle Certification program team announced on their blog that several certificaton tracks and exams will be retired on November 1, 2011.

All the certification tracks and exams have the next release already available.

For Oracle EBS 11i certificaions launched more than 5 years ago, this signifies an end of an era where EBS certification resarted again after R11.

The EBS 11i Certification Paths being retired are as follows:
Oracle 11i Financials Certified Professional Consultant, Payables
Oracle 11i Financials Certified Professional Consultant, Receivables
Oracle 11i Supply Chain Certified Professional Consultant, Purchasing
Oracle 11i Supply Chain Certified Professional Consultant, Order Management
11i Workflow Certified Expert
11i System Administrator Certified Expert
Oracle 11i Applications Database Administrator Certified Professional

The related certification exams that are being retired as follows:
1Z0-211 Oracle 11i General Ledger Fundamentals
1Z0-212 Oracle 11i Payables Fundamentals
1Z0-213 Oracle Receivables 11i Fundamentals
1Z0-221 Oracle 11i Inventory Management Fundamentals
1Z0-222 Oracle 11i Purchasing Fundamentals
1Z0-223 Oracle 11i Order Management Fundamentals
1Z0-231 Oracle 11i 2.6 Implement Workflow
1Z0-232 Oracle 11i System Administration
1Z0-233 Oracle 11i Install, Patch and Maintain Applications
1Z0-235 Oracle 11i Applications DBA: Fundamentals I
1Z0-236 Oracle 11i Applications DBA Fundamentals II

What does this announcement mean for those who are already certified on EBS11i?
Certification credentials will continue to be valid after the EBS11i certificatin exams are discontinued.

What does this announcement mean for those who are preparing for EBS11i certification exams?
The certification exams will be offereed through October 31, 2011
Candidates must successfully complete the required certification exams by October 31,2011.
Re-takes will not be available after this date.
Hence, be sure of passing or schedule EBS R12 certification exams instead!

Blog Photos are courtesty of Fotolia (www.fotolia.com) where there are 13,000,000 + images. Browse the site and learn more why so many professionals within the media and communications industry are using the site.

OCP Advisor To Present At Oracle OpenWorld 2011

2011-07-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

Oracle OpenWorld 2011 conference will be held in San Francisco, CA from October 2-6, 2011. The session catalog is already available online here. Once again, Oracle Certification blog author, OCP Advisor, has been invited to present at the conference. If you are attending the conference, please visit Moscone West Room 3000 on Monday, October 3, 2011 from 5.00-6.00pm to hear: "OCP Advisor Tips on How to Become an Oracle Certified Professional".

This is one of the 1785 sessions being presented at the mega event. One lucky member of the audience will win a FREE certification voucher for an Oracle Certification exam!

So please mark you calendar to attend the session.

Oracle Certification Group on Linkedin Crosses Ten Thousand Members

2011-05-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

On May 23, 2011 - Oracle Certification Group on Linkedin cross 10,000 members. The group consists of certified professionals, certification candidates and top resourcing and HR executives from all around the world. Oracle certified professionals have Oracle Expert, Specialist, Associate, Professional or Master credentials.

To countdown the journey to 10,000 members a contest was held to guess the date when the group will cross the magic figure. Four group members guessed within 1 day of the actual date and will be awarded $25 Amazon gift certificates. The winners are as follows:

Pratik Kange
Prahlad Sharma
Agha Jameel
Joan Marc Amenós Villanueva

Congratulations everyone!

Collaborate11: Hits Not To Miss

2011-04-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Oracle User Group faithfuls from OAUG, Quest and IOUG will congregate at Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL from Sunday, April 10 to Thursday, April 14, 2011. With over 1200 sessions and multiple mini events, 24 hours a day would not seem enough for attendees. Instead of spending hours flipping through the conference guide to decide the sessions to attend, use the My Show Planner Mobile to build your schedule and carry with you on your smart phone. Session updates and other news including cash prizes from Twitter feeds will all feature on this app. To make sure you do not miss the hit shows, here is a day-wise highlight of popular show times.

Sunday, April 10th

Register bright and early. Registration desk opens at 8.00am
Training Day Workshops - R12 Application Security Best Practices, Project Management using MS Projects, Master Data Management (MDM) Bootcamp and IBM DB2 Certification Workshop (2 day and FREE!)
Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings throughout the day
Oracle Fusion Soup to Nuts session - an intensive deep-dive look into the latest Oracle Fusion content. Get the latest insights on OEM, Fusion Applications, Middleware with Applications Unlimited, Development Tools and Database.
Sunday Session Selections - Meet Your SLA with SLA, Best Practices for Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher, Implementing Oracle Fusion Applications Using the Oracle Unified Method, IFRS for Beginners, an overview of the International Financial Reporting Standards, Oracle Fusion Procurement: Setting the New Standard for Supply Management Applications, 42 real Life Examples of Fusion Middleware with Applications
End the evening with the OAUG Welcome Reception - 21 & Legal to celebrate 21 years of OAUG

Monday, April 11th

Monday Menu Selections - OAUG General Ledger SIG Meeting, Have Your Cake and Eat It Too – Do an R12 Technical and Get the New Features Now, Value of Upgrading to Release 12.1 for Oracle Financials, CS - Business Case Overview for Quote to Cash and Procure to Pay Process, Migrating to Oracle R12 Subledger Accounting (SLA), Fusion Applications: A Peek Under The Hood, Understanding Oracle Fusion Financials for PeopleSoft, JD Edwards and E-Business Suite Customers
Oracle Keynote: Oracle’s Cloud Computing Strategy by Steve Miranda, Senior Vice President, Application Development at 5.00pm
Welcome Reception at the Exhibitor Showcase from 6.00pm -8.00pm

Tuesday, April 12th

Tuesday Teaser Selections - Fusion Applications - Move now or Wait, ResCare Financials & HR Analytics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly From an IT Perspective, Oracle Applications Strategy and Roadmap, CS – Accounting in R12: Quote to Cash Process, Hot Topics in Financial Reporting: IFRS, XBRL and More, OCP Advisor's Tips on How To Become An Oracle Certified Professional, Oracle Fusion Applications Overview and Strategy Recommendations for Oracle Applications Customers, Mission Possible: Upgrade to Oracle R12 in 3 Countries in Six Months, Release 12: Tackling the Question of Reimplementation vs Upgrade, Oracle Fusion Applications Technical Architecture and Deployment Overview.
Several GEO (Geographical User Groups) meet in the afternoon from 4.00pm onwards
Exhibitor Showcase Happy Hour from 5.45 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 13th

Wednesday Winner Selections - How Fusion DOO can add value by leveraging your existing Order Management Systems, Five Steps to World Class Close: Integrate Financial Close Best Practices and Enabling Technology, Understanding SOA Maturity Phases in an Oracle E-Business Suite Implementation Lifecycle, Preparing for Oracle Fusion, 11.5.10.2 to 12.1.3: A Technical Perspective, XML Publisher in E-Business Suite for Newbies, Release 12 Advanced Global Intercompany System: What's in it for you?
Universal’s Island of Adventure Party - 7.30 p.m. - 11.00 p.m. Get ready for one of the biggest parties COLLABORATE has ever thrown because OAUG has reserved the entire Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park just for you!

Thursday, April 14th

Thursday Tonic Selections - Facebook for Oracle ! All about Oracle WebCenter for non-technical folks, iSetup: Don't Let Your Configurations Manage You, Oracle Fusion Customer Relationship Management, The New Standard for Sales Performance Management, Record to Report Business Flow in Oracle Fusion Applications

There are over 75 sessions on Oracle fusion and more than 60 session on Oracle EBS R12. OAUG speakers are presenting 500 sessions at the conference. Follow the conference on Twitter using the hashtag #C11.

Top Ten Reasons To Attend COLLABORATE11

2011-04-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

COLLABORATE11 - The annual Oracle Applications conference hosted by user groups invites you to join thousands in sunny Orlando, FL. For those sitting on the fence and still deciding on attending the conference or not, here are the top ten reasons (in no specific order) to book your hotel rooms and airline tickets today.

Reason # 10 - The conference is like a week-long education class. The registration fee is less than $2000 (for Federal employees it is less than $1000). This is a big discount compared to a week-long class at leading Oracle education providers. Great value for money.

Reason # 9 - Whether you are evaluating a new Oracle module, a third-party product or shortlisting service providers for your new project, the Exhibitor showcase is a must visit. Watch product demos, talk to consulting experts and pack your suitcase with conference swags. If you are lucky you might win one of the dozens of Apple iPad giveaways from various vendors!

Reason # 8 - The education tracks at the conference cover the length and breadth of your application ecosystem. From Business Intelligence, Database, GRC, HCM and SCM and Financials there are hundreds of sessions to choose from. A select group of Oracle Special Interest Groups (SIG) is presenting 14 top-of-the-class sessions on Quote to Cash and Procure to Pay Business Flows.

Reason # 7 - Oracle Support team has a big presence at the conference. Attend Oracle Support seasons to learn about new diagnostic and proactive health checks that one can do to keep applications running with maximum efficiency.

Reason # 6 - A conference provides great opportunities to network with fellow Oracle users and practitioners. Each conference day ends with a special event culminating with the mega appreciation night at Universal's Island of Adventure theme park completely reserved for you!

Reason # 5 - The line-up of speakers at the conference consists of Who's Who of the Oracle universe. Apart from speakers from Oracle Corporation, the galaxy of speakers include Oracle Gurus who are Oracle ACE Directors and ACEs. Here is a complete list of Oracle ACE Community speakers .

Reason # 4 - Participate in Oracle User Experience (Oracle UX) feedback session on Oracle Fusion Applications. Be one of the first individuals to test drive a Oracle Fusion Applications next generation product and give feedback to Oracle.

Reason # 3 - Many attendee organizations are planning or already executing Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 upgrade or implementation projects. Meet experts from Oracle at the Oracle Demo Grounds or at Oracle keynote sessions and get your questions answered about Oracle EBS R12.

Reason # 2 - Use the My Show Planner application to build your conference agenda this week. With over 1200 sessions in the conference agenda, there are a lot of choices. Plan each conference hour with sessions to attend. It also gives the organizers an idea of number of attendees for a specific session. If the registered attendees cross the room size, the session can be relocated to a larger room. While standing room only sessions are a great ego-boost for the speaker, weary feet do need rest and a comfortable chair has no competition.

Reason # 1 - The destination city happens to be the home of Walt Disney World. In 2004, my family and I stayed in one of the Disney resort hotels which is within driving distance to the conference location. Cap off a great week by spending the weekend following the conference at the Happiest Place on Earth. This one surely does not need much convincing!

Call for Papers for Oracle OpenWorld 2011

2011-03-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Oracle OpenWorld 2011 will be held this year from October 2-6, 2011 in San Francisco, CA. If you want to get a free conference registration, respond to the call for papers and submit a presentation proposal. If your submission is selected, you get a FREE registration!

This year the site for presentation proposal submission is a new one. So you have to register on the site first and then submit. Read the submission guidelines before your submit your proposal. There are strict character limits on abstracts and other sections.

The title should be 80 characters or less which is about 10-17 words. A creative title always helps to catch the selection committee's attention. My first submission at Oracle OpenWorld a decade ago was "Eyes Wide Shut - Migrate Your Enterprise to Oracle Applications". Thanks to Tom and Nicole, both the movie and my session had a public viewing. The abstract has to be 750 characters or less which is about 80-100 words. Review the Primary Track and Optional Track before selecting the appropriate one. Selecting the right track increases your chances of acceptance. One can aslo add tags to the submission, so the abstract is searchable using multiple criteria. Session Type can be either conference session or panel. Session category includes best practices, case study or product strategy / roadmap. The last one is usually reserved for Oracle speakers. For the first time, one can add a video link supporting the proposal content. Perhaps a creative spot on Youtube may come in handy. The official requirement is to have a video that provides more information or background on your topic.

Call for papers close on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 11.59 Pacific Standard Time. So put on your thinking caps and showcase your success stories for the last 12 months at the largest enterprise application technology conference in the world. Get ready to get noticed!

Be Featured on My Next Presentation, Win Amazon Gift Certificates

2011-02-24T00:16:00.000-08:00

My next presentation is at the annual Oracle Applications User Group (OAUG) conference called COLLABORATE11 in Orlando, FL.

The session is entitled:

"OCP Advisor's Tips on How To Become An Oracle Certified Professional"

If you are Oracle Certified, here is your chance to win Amazon.com gift certificates!

Please list your Oracle certifications with year you were certified as a response to this post or e-mail me at ocp.advisor@gmail.com

I will select 4 certified professionals and include their certification story in a detailed case study. If you have any tips to share, please post here or send an e-mail. Also responders will be mentioned in the acknowledgement section of the whitepaper.

Thanks in advance and best wishes for your certification plans!

For a list of sessions being hosted by your blog author, please visit the COLLABORATE11 Session Search page and select Speaker Name: Mohan Dutt