Everything You Need to Know to Get Certified on Oracle Autonomous Database

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How do I get certified in Oracle Autonomous Database? What material can I use to prepare for it? What's the exam like? How long is the certification valid for?   If these questions have been keeping you up at night, then join Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham in their conversation with Senior Principal OCI Instructor Susan Jang to understand the process of getting certified and begin your learning adventure.   Oracle MyLearn: mylearn.oracle.com/ Oracle University Learning Community: education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X (formerly Twitter): twitter.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   --------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript   00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we’ll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let’s get started! 00:26 Lois: Hello and welcome to the Oracle University Podcast. I’m Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs with Oracle University, and with me is Nikita Abraham, Principal Technical Editor. Nikita: Hi everyone! If you’ve listened to us these last few weeks, you’ll know we’ve been discussing Oracle Autonomous Database in detail. We looked at Autonomous Database on serverless and dedicated infrastructure. 00:51 Lois: That’s right, Niki. Then, last week, we explored Autonomous Database tools. Today, we thought we’d wrap up our focus on Autonomous Database by talking about the training offered by Oracle University, the associated certification, how to prepare for it, what you should do next, and more. Nikita: Yeah, we’ll get answers to all the big questions. And we’re going to get them from Susan Jang. Sue is a Senior Principal OCI Instructor with Oracle University. She has created and delivered training in Oracle databases and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for over 20 years. Hi Sue! Thanks for joining us today. Sue: Happy to be here! 01:29 Lois: Sue, what training does Oracle have on Autonomous Database?   Sue: Oracle University offers a professional-level course called the Oracle Autonomous Database Administration Workshop. So, if you want to learn to deploy and administer autonomous databases, this is the one for you. You’ll explore the fundamentals of the autonomous databases, their features, and benefits. You’ll learn about the technical architecture, the tasks that are involved in creating an autonomous database on a shared and on a dedicated Exadata infrastructure. You’ll discover what is the Machine Learning, you’ll discover what is APEX, which is Application Express, and SQL Developer Web, which is all deployed with the Autonomous Database. So basically everything you need to take your skills to the next level and become a proficient database administrator is in this course. 02:28 Nikita: Who can take this course, Sue?    Sue: The course is really for anyone interested in Oracle Autonomous Database, whether you’re a database administrator, a cloud data management professional, or a consultant. The topics in the course include everything from the features of an Autonomous Database through provisioning, managing, and monitor of the database. Most people think that just because it is an Autonomous Database, Oracle will do everything for you, and there is nothing a DBA can do or needs to do. But that’s not true.   An Oracle Autonomous Database automates the day-to-day DBA tasks, like tuning the database to ensure it is running at performance level or that the backups are done successfully. By letting the Autonomous Database perform those tasks, it gives the database administrator time to fully understand the new features of an Oracle database and figure out how to implement the features that will benefit the DBA’s company. 03:30 Lois: Would a non-database administrator benefit from taking this course?   Sue: Yes, Lois. Oracle courses are designed in modules, so you can focus on the modules that meet your needs. For example, if you’re a senior technical manager, you may not need to manage and monitor the Autonomous Database. But still, it’s important to understand its features and architecture to know how other Oracle products integrate with the database. 03:57 Nikita: Right. Talking about the course itself, each module consists of videos that teach different concepts, right? Sue: Yes, Niki. Each video covers one topic. A group of topics, or I should say a group of related topics, makes up a module. We know your time is important to you, and your success is important to us. You don’t just want to spend time taking training. You want to know that you’re really understanding the concepts of what you are learning.  So to help you do this, we have skill checks at the end of most modules. You must successfully answer 80% of the questions to pass these knowledge checks. These checks are an excellent way to ensure that you’re on the right track and have the understanding of each module before you move on to the next one.  04:48   Lois: That’s great. And are there any other resources to help reinforce what’s been learned?   Sue: I grew up with this phrase from my Mom. Education was her career. I remember hearing, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” It’s important to us that you understand the concepts and can actually “do” or “perform” the tasks.  You'll find several demos in the different modules of the Autonomous Database Administration Workshop. These videos are where the instructor shows you how to perform the tasks so you can reinforce what you learned in the lessons. You’ll find demos on provisioning an autonomous database, creating an autonomous database clone, and configuring disaster recovery, and lots more.   Oracle also has what we call LiveLabs. These are a series of hands-on tutorials with step-by-step instructions to guide you through performing the tasks. 05:49 Nikita: I love the idea of LiveLabs. You can follow instructions on how to perform administrative tasks and then practice doing that on your own. Lois: Yeah, that’s fantastic. OK Sue, say I’ve taken the course. What do I do next?  Sue: Well, after you’ve taken the course, you’ll want to demonstrate your expertise with a certification. Because you want to get that better job. You want to increase your earning potential. You need to take the certification called the Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud Professional. We have a couple of resources to help you along the way to ensure you succeed in securing that certification. In MyLearn, the Oracle University online learning platform, you’ll see that the course, Oracle Autonomous Database Administration Workshop, falls within a learning path called Become an Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud Professional. The course is the first section of this learning path. The next section is a video describing the certification exam and how to prepare for it. The section after that is a practice exam. Now, though it doesn’t have the actual questions, you’ll find the exam will give you a good idea of the type of questions that will be asked in the exam.  07:10 Lois: OK, so now I’ve done all that, and I’m ready to validate my knowledge and expertise. Tell me more about the certification, Sue. Sue: To get the certification, you must take an online exam. The duration of the exam is 90 minutes. It’s a Multiple Choice format, and there are 60 questions to the exam.  By getting this certification, you’re demonstrating to the world that you have the knowledge to provision, manage, and monitor, as well as migrate workloads to the Autonomous Database, on both a shared as well as a dedicated Exadata infrastructure. You will show you have the understanding of the architect of the Autonomous Database and can successfully use the features as well as its workflow, and you are capable of using Autonomous Database tools in developing an Autonomous Database. 08:05 Nikita: Great! So what do I need to do to take the exam? Sue: We assume you’ve already taken the course (making sure that you’re up to date with the training), that you’ve taken the time to study the topics in depth rather than memorizing superficial information just to pass the exam, looked at the available preparation material, and you’ve also taken the practice exam. I highly recommend that you have the hands-on experience or practice on an Autonomous Database before you take the certification exam. 08:38 Nikita: Hold on, Sue. You said to make sure we’re up to date with the training. How do I do that? Sue: Technology is ever-changing, and at Oracle, we continually enhance our products to provide features that make them faster or more straightforward to use. So, if you’re taking a course, you may find a small tag that says “New” next to a topic. That indicates that there are some new training that’s been added to the course. So what I’m trying to say is if you’re looking to take some certification, check the course before you register for the exam and to see if there are any “New” tags. If you find them, you can learn what’s new and not have to go through the entire course again. This way, you’re up to date with the training! 09:25 Nikita: Ok. Got it. Tell us more about the certification, Sue. Sue: If you’re ready, search for the Become An Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud Professional learning path in MyLearn and scroll down to the Oracle Database Cloud Professional exam. Click on the “Register Now” button. You’ll be taken to a page where you’ll see the exam overview, the resources to help you prepare for the exam, a button to register for the exam, and things to do before your exam session. It will also describe what happens after the exam and some exam policies, like what to do if you need to reschedule your exam. When you’re ready to take the exam, you can schedule the date and time according to when it’s convenient for you.  10:15 Lois: What’s the actual experience of taking the exam like? Sue: It’s pretty straightforward. You want to prepare your system a day or two before the exam. You want to ensure you can connect successfully to the test site and that your laptop is plugged in and not running on battery. You want to make sure all other applications are closed before you perform the system test. Now, the system test is really with the test site and consists of testing your microphone, an internet speed test, and your video. You will also be asked to do a test-exam simulation. You will need to be able to download the simulation exam and answer a few simple true or false questions. Once you have successfully done that, you’re ready to take the test on your laptop on the actual day of the test. Now, on the day of the test, set up your test environment. For your test environment, what it really entails is that you have an environment that you do not have anything on your desk. You cannot have a second monitor. And it’s best to have a clear wall behind you so that the proctor can see there is nothing around you. And don’t forget to turn off your mobile device. 11:34 Lois: Ok, I’ve taken the test, and I passed. Wohoo! What happens now? Sue: When you pass the exam, you will receive an email from Oracle with your results as well as a link to Oracle CertView. This is the Oracle certification candidate portal. In CertView, you can download and print your eCertificate. You can share your newly earned badge on places like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or even email your employer and others a secure link that they can use to confirm and validate your credentials. 12:11 Nikita: Can anyone take the certification? Sue: Yes, Niki. This certification is available to all candidates, including on-premise database administrators, cloud data management professionals, and consultants. 12:24 Lois: How long is the certification valid? What happens when it expires? Sue: Certain Oracle credentials require periodic recertification for Oracle to recognize them as "active." For such credentials, you must upgrade to a current version within 12 months following the Oracle credential retirement to keep your certification active. 12:51 Are you planning to become an Oracle Certified Professional this year? Whether you're a seasoned IT pro or just starting your career, getting certified can give you a significant boost. And don't worry, we've got your back. Join us at one of our cert prep live events in the Oracle University Learning Community. You'll get insider tips from seasoned experts and learn from other professionals' experiences. Plus, once you've earned your certification, you'll become part of our exclusive forum for Oracle-certified users. So, what are you waiting for? Head over to mylearn.oracle.com and create an account to jump-start your journey towards certification today! 13:35 Nikita: Welcome back. Sue, what other training can I take after Autonomous Database?    Sue: Now that you have a strong foundation in the database, there is so much more that you can learn in Oracle. You can consider Exadata if you work on a high-performance data workload that’s running mission-critical applications. Look for a learning path called Become an Exadata Service Cloud Administrator, in MyLearn, to help you with that. GoldenGate is also a good choice if you work with data that needs to be shared and replicated, both locally as well as globally. The course for this is called Oracle GoldenGate 19c: Administration/Implementation.   A hot topic in technology today is generative AI (Artificial Intelligence). You want to learn how to implement data security on different levels when it needs to be shared with large language model providers.  Perhaps venture beyond the database and learn about Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and how its components and the many cloud services work together. Just go to mylearn.oracle.com, and in the field where you see “What do you want to learn?” type in what interests you and let your learning adventure begin! 14:59 Lois: And since you brought up AI, Sue, this is the perfect time to mention that we’ll be focusing on it for the next couple of weeks. We’ll be speaking to some of our colleagues on topics like artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, the OCI AI portfolio and more, but we’ll talk more about that next week. Nikita: Yeah, can’t wait for that. Thank you so much, Sue, for giving us your time today. Sue: Thanks for having me! Lois: Until next time, this is Lois Houston… Nikita: And Nikita Abraham, signing off! 15:29 That’s all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click  Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. 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