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Oracle Certification 1
- Thread starter Jeff6776
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DBAwhosaysNIE
MIS
depends on the person and the study materia but I'd figure on at least a year and a half to two years.
being a DBA is a VERY different life that being a PL/SQL programmer (24/7 pager's not for everyone) although strong PL & SQL*Plus skills will certainly make your life a lot easier.
FWIW here's my recollection of the tests (although I certified on 7.3 a few years ago):
PL/SQL - this one's a gimmie; if you can't pass it you may want to consider another line of work.
DBA - this one's fairly straight forward but it covers a huge volume of material, lots of which you probably don't use day to day (ex: NLS, clusters, etc.) and I'm sure the 8/8i versions have that much more
Backup/Recovery - this one's pretty easy if you've ever actually done it although I've heard the 8 version has a lot of rman questions (we still do it the old fashioned way
Tuning - this was by far the toughest of the four; you better know your v$ views forward & backward; also some of the questions were (IMHO) subjective and different answers could be right in different (but naturally unspecified) contexts.
can't speak to the Networking test since as stated earlier, I did the 7.3 thing.
I will close with one editorial comment that if I could make ONE change to the OCP program it would be the addition of an OS test. a person would take the normal 5 tests on "generic" Oracle material but then take an additional one on a specific OS and Oracle on that OS. you could certify on multiple OSs by simply taking additional OS tests after completing the core Oracle tests. the idea that someone can be certified as a DBA w/o knowing kshell basics or "net" commands in NT is a joke!
just my 2c/never 2bHO!
being a DBA is a VERY different life that being a PL/SQL programmer (24/7 pager's not for everyone) although strong PL & SQL*Plus skills will certainly make your life a lot easier.
FWIW here's my recollection of the tests (although I certified on 7.3 a few years ago):
PL/SQL - this one's a gimmie; if you can't pass it you may want to consider another line of work.
DBA - this one's fairly straight forward but it covers a huge volume of material, lots of which you probably don't use day to day (ex: NLS, clusters, etc.) and I'm sure the 8/8i versions have that much more
Backup/Recovery - this one's pretty easy if you've ever actually done it although I've heard the 8 version has a lot of rman questions (we still do it the old fashioned way
Tuning - this was by far the toughest of the four; you better know your v$ views forward & backward; also some of the questions were (IMHO) subjective and different answers could be right in different (but naturally unspecified) contexts.
can't speak to the Networking test since as stated earlier, I did the 7.3 thing.
I will close with one editorial comment that if I could make ONE change to the OCP program it would be the addition of an OS test. a person would take the normal 5 tests on "generic" Oracle material but then take an additional one on a specific OS and Oracle on that OS. you could certify on multiple OSs by simply taking additional OS tests after completing the core Oracle tests. the idea that someone can be certified as a DBA w/o knowing kshell basics or "net" commands in NT is a joke!
just my 2c/never 2bHO!
wushutwist
Programmer
People always overestimate the importance and difficulty of certifications. I have passed two Oracle exams (PL/SQL and Administration) in two months. I am a Java Developer with no previous Oracle experience but well versed in database concepts.
Wushutwist
Wushutwist
Well, I can't help you with info about timeframe but I thought I'd pass on that the new Oracle 8i DBA Certification Exam book was released in December. Retail is $99 but you can search prices at to get a range of sellers & prices. I got my copy delivered for $63.
The book is BIG - over 1000 pages. It goes over each test and includes a CD with sample tests.
This may help you in exam preparation. BTW, I believe that many employers are getting VERY wary of any certification (Oracle, Microsoft, etc) without evidence of actual job experience in the field.
Also, looking on the Oracle site, in addition to the Oracle certification, they now have a Masters certification - via courses taught at their approved training sites.
E.G.
The book is BIG - over 1000 pages. It goes over each test and includes a CD with sample tests.
This may help you in exam preparation. BTW, I believe that many employers are getting VERY wary of any certification (Oracle, Microsoft, etc) without evidence of actual job experience in the field.
Also, looking on the Oracle site, in addition to the Oracle certification, they now have a Masters certification - via courses taught at their approved training sites.
E.G.
DBAwhosaysNIE
MIS
hey,
unless they've made substantial improvements in the new release I'd steer clear of that book as the 8 version got universally horrid reviews (see Amazon, B&N, etc.) and the sample tests (at least the 8 edition) are the exact same ones you can download from Oracle for free.
w/regards to certs in general I agree that 1) the OCP tests are WAY too easy and theoretical (vs. practical; see my above comments on adding OS test) and 2) as long as certs are theoretical employers will continue to take them with a grain of salt which they should. FWIW, I'm always honest w/interviewers about my opinion of the program (too easy/no OS) which most seem to respect. IMHO the problem lies with vendors (M$, Oracle, Cisco, Novell etc.) looking at cert programs as revenue streams (if bar were raised then fewer people would PAY to take tests). That being said, being OCP has certainly never KEPT me from getting an offer (last 2 job searches took three days each so I certainly don't regret doing it.
unless they've made substantial improvements in the new release I'd steer clear of that book as the 8 version got universally horrid reviews (see Amazon, B&N, etc.) and the sample tests (at least the 8 edition) are the exact same ones you can download from Oracle for free.
w/regards to certs in general I agree that 1) the OCP tests are WAY too easy and theoretical (vs. practical; see my above comments on adding OS test) and 2) as long as certs are theoretical employers will continue to take them with a grain of salt which they should. FWIW, I'm always honest w/interviewers about my opinion of the program (too easy/no OS) which most seem to respect. IMHO the problem lies with vendors (M$, Oracle, Cisco, Novell etc.) looking at cert programs as revenue streams (if bar were raised then fewer people would PAY to take tests). That being said, being OCP has certainly never KEPT me from getting an offer (last 2 job searches took three days each
so I certainly don't regret doing it.- Status
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