XML Tutorial - XML Master Professional Application Developer Edition
Volume 1 : Exam Overview

Tatsuya Kimura

This series of study materials has been designed for XML software professionals who will be sitting for the "XML Master Professional Application Developer" certification exam. This series covers major points related to the exam, using practice questions and answers. Please use this study guide to check your understanding of XML as you prepare to earn the XML Master Professional Application Developer certification.

An Overview of the XML Master Exam

The XML Master consists of two levels of certifications. The "XML Master Basic" certifies that the professional has a basic understanding of XML and XML-related technologies, and has the skills to use such knowledge in work applications. The "XML Master Professional" certifies that the professional possesses advanced XML skills in specialized areas. The "XML Master Professional" has been further divided into the "XML Master Professional Application Developer" (certifies that the professional is capable of developing applications and constructing systems that process XML data) and the "XML Master Professional Database Administrator" (certifies that the professional is capable of storing, managing, and processing XML data in an RDB and/or native XML database).

This series focuses on the "XML Master Professional Application Developer" certification exam, discussing notable points related to this examination.

Example of Question Appearing on the Exam

Load the following [XML Document], and process the document using [Processing by DOM]. Select the answer that best describes the results expressed under XML 1.0. Ignore line returns and indents.

[XML Document]

<parent>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
　<child2>DATA2</child2>
</parent>

[Processing by DOM]

Process XML using the following code:
Document output = updateXML(doc);

Here, the variable doc references the Document instance of the loaded XML Document. Assume that there is no runtime error. The method updateXML code is as follows:

public static Document updateXML(Document doc) {
　Node child1 = doc.getElementsByTagName("child1").item(0);
　Element parent = doc.getDocumentElement();
　parent.appendChild( child1 );
　return doc;
}

Option



  1. <parent>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
　<child2>DATA2</child2>
</parent>
  2. <parent>
　<child2>DATA2</child2>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
</parent>
  3. <parent>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
　<child2>DATA2</child2>
</parent>
  4. <parent>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
　<child2>DATA2</child2>
　<child1>DATA1</child1>
</parent>

Answer

B

Several questions focusing on programming skills will appear on the exam. In this case, a certain amount of time will be required to analyze the program, potentially leaving the exam taker with less time for the rest of the exam. Having practical coding experience will be an important factor in being able to efficiently answer these types of questions.

Since the XML Master Exam is not a programming test, you won't be asked about your understanding of the specific Java API. Having an accurate understanding of the behavior of the DOM/SAX API when handling XML data will be important. Even if you do not regularly use Java, you should be able to find the correct answer if you have memorized several Java programming syntax associated with processing XML data. In particular, all attributes defined by DOM are provided as Java methods; study focused on these points should allow you to easily answer questions in this area.

Scope of XML Master Professional Application Developer Questions

Questions on the XML Master Professional Application Developer exam are divided into six sections by topic. The following is an overview of each section:

Section1 - DOM/SAX

This section consists of word questions related to DOM and SAX objectives and characteristics, as well as API specifications. You must have an understanding of basic DOM Level 2/SAX specifications to correctly answer the questions in this section of the exam.

Section2 - DOM/SAX Programming

This section consists of questions related to Java programs using DOM or SAX APIs. The programs involved are very basic; however, you must have an accurate understanding of how the DOM/SAX API behaves when handling XML data.

Section3 - XSLT

This section will test your skills in identifying transformation results based on a given XML Document and XSLT stylesheet. For example, you must be able to properly identify which template within an XSLT stylesheet applies when performing a transformation, or the XML namespaces subsequent to a transformation. Since you will be faced with somewhat long sample code in this section, I suggest you actually practice and become used to various transformation patterns.

Section4 - XML Schema

To correctly answer the questions in this section, you must have a proper understanding of XML schema design methods that incorporate namespaces, as well as designation methods when including/importing other XML schema. You will be dealing with long sample code here as well; again, I suggest you get used to coding with various patterns.

Section5 - XML Processing System Design Technology

This section tests overall knowledge required for transmitting XML data via networks. Some questions in this section will include sample code for WSDL (Web Services Description Language). However, most of this section consists of word questions. Questions related to XML data communications, XML security, SOAP and WSDL make up the majority of this section.

Section6 - Utilizing XML

This section consists of long-sentence questions incorporating sample code using XML, testing more practical XML knowledge. DOM/SAX-related questions will show DTD or XML Schema, requiring a certain amount of time to figure out. This section will also ask advanced questions related to XSLT transformation algorithms, etc.

＊ ＊ ＊

This volume has covered the scope of questions asked in the XML Master Professional Application Developer Exam. The following volumes in this series will present practice questions and answers covering the major points introduced under each section above.

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