As of mid-April 2004, Oracle hasn't yet announced the full range or scope of changes that the Oracle Certified Professional
(OCP) program is likely to experience in the wake of the release of its latest flagship database, Oracle 10g. According to
published reports, these details won't be forthcoming until some time in June, or at about the same time as the new slate of
certification exams and updated certification requirements become publicly available.
That said, numerous clues about the future of Oracle certification are starting to appear in Oracle communications and on the
company's Web site.
Course listings for the Oracle 10g curriculum are now available online, including typical training for
individuals certified on previous versions seeking to upgrade their credentials, as well as nuts-and-bolts curriculum elements
for those seeking first-time certification. The
Oracle Database 10g: New Features for Administrators course is available
starting in early June, the new two-day
Oracle Database 10g: 2 Day DBA won't go live until late July, the
Oracle Database 10g: Administration Workshop goes live in late August, and the
Oracle Database 10g: Administration Workshop II class isn't
available until late September. The only other classes mentioned in the current slate are not yet scheduled, including:
Also, the Oracle Course Catalog is full of mention of other Oracle 10g courses that are not yet available, but their presence
here indicates they should be available soon.
What is new and pretty interesting is that Oracle is already offering new, unproctored
online exams for 10g:
Exam #1Z0-007 Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL: this course offers up information about the all-important Structured Query
Language (SQL) used for so many purposes in Oracle database environments.
Exam #1Z0-041 Oracle Database 10g 2 Day DBA Assessment Exam: in addition to providing a self-assessment as to a candidate's
general suitability for the DBA job, it also covers topic and knowledge specific to 10g.
These offerings, especial 1Z0-041 are intended to help would-be 10g professionals anticipate certification courses and exams.
Oracle is also running a promotion for those who sign up for courses early-the normal $125 exam fee will be waived.
Though we can't yet know the complete outlines or requirements for the OCP program in the era of Oracle 10g, the self-assessment
should provide interesting technical clues for those interested, as will the course objectives already published for so many of
the 10g courses in the company's catalog. Given a June/July launch date, it's also likely that the 10g program will be in full
swing by September or October, and those holding certs on versions 8x or older should consider upgrading their credentials by
early 2005 to keep those credentials valid. Stay tuned for more details as they're available; this is a subject to which we'll
surely return!
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