Submit Your Questions: OCP Program Team Answers

The blog editor would be visiting the OCP Lounge during Openworld 2007.
The OCP Program team has accepted the blog editor's request for a short interview session where they will answer the Top 10 questions asked by our blog readers.
Please send your OCP and OCE track related questions to the blog editor at ocp.advisor@gmail.com or leave a comment on this posting.
Please submit your questions latest by November 5, 2007
This is an exclusive opportunity for our blog readers worldwide to hear from Oracle about the OCP Program and get answers rightaway!

P.S.: OCP team confirmed that all EBS11i exams would be offered FREE at Openworld 2007

Win a trip to Collaborate 2008!

Oracle Application Users Group (OAUG) is hosting their annual conference - Collaborate 2008 at Denver, CO from April 13 - 17, 2008. OAUG is seeking your knowledge and experiences on all Oracle Applications including Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, Siebel, Hyperion, Oracle Retail (Retek), Oracle Communications and MetaSolv as well as applications technology. Presentation abstracts are due on November 9, 2007.

A great incentive for all presenters is a drawing to win round-trip air travel to Denver and accommodations in a deluxe hotel suite during the conference. So click on the link here and submit your presentation proposal today!

Let a hundred flowers bloom

Exactly one year ago, the blog editor decided to start penning his thoughts about the E-Business Suite OCP exams launched as a beta version around the same time. This is the 100th blog post!
A big thank you to the dozens or rather hundreds or more precisely thousands of blog readers worldwide who have visited the blog pages over the last 12 months. Some are already proud OCPs while others are well on their way riding the waves of success passing one OCP exam after another.
Coupled with the success of the blog, the past year has been quite memorable for the blog author. After being awarded the Member of the Year award by Oracle Applications User Group, a few months later the blog author finds himself part of Team O. However, to maintain the independent nature of this blog, it's still listed as a non-employee blog on the Oracle blogs site (mostly because not many know 'E-Business Suite OCP Advisor' by his real name!)
The comments on the blog and daily e-mails that the blog editor receives from all around the world along with the surveys should help focus the content of future blog spots. While the blog cannot replace exam preparation material like handbook or Oracle Tutor presentations or OUKC courses, it can serve as a discussion forum to share exam prep and test taking experiences and catalyze OCP success. The mini mock tests have been a quite popular and over the next few months similar tests would be posted online.
Over the next few weeks, blog readers would also be introduced to more exciting posts on the blog that include among others, a review of test prep sites, an update on last year's post regarding OCP e-learning sites, a walk through of popular Oracle blogs and also how to network with your peers. After all, a blog is also a social interaction platform. The blog editor looks forward to the continued encouragement and valued readership from all around the world. Please do share your thoughts and comments. It need not always agree with the blog editor or the majority opinion. As Chairman Mao said: "Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend" !

Results of Blog Survey - What's your next OCP exam?

More than a hundred of our blog readers participated in our second survey which asked: "What's your next OCP exam?" The survey results are in and illustrated in the pie-chart below. An overwhelming 33% of the respondents are getting on the OCP bandwagon by preparing for 1Z0-200 EBS Essentials exam. This is followed by 17% preparing for 1Z0-221 Inventory Fundamentals and 12% planning to take 1Z0-211 General Ledger Fundamentals. The 1Z0-211 and 1Z0-221 are the mandatory exams for the Financials Management and Supply Chain Management (SCM) track. Following a similar trend, 10% of the respondents are preparing for 1Z0-235 DBA Fundamentals-I for the Application DBA track. The other exams where significant number of respondents are appearing are 1Z0-222 Purchasing Fundamentals and 1Z0-233 Install, Patch, Maintain (I/P/M) Applications. Going by this result, one assumes that blog readers would hear about OCP certified individuals in SCM and Apps DBA tracks pretty soon!

The survey reveals that the fan following for E-Biz OCP certification is slowly taking roots and becoming popular around the world. Thanks partly to the word of mouth and a humble contribution of this blog, more and more Oracle Applications users, implementation specialists and analysts are traveling on the highway towards OCP (and OCE) certification.
The survey results also provides a good indicator for the blog editor to focus the blog content on the most popular exams for now. Thanks to all our readers for the enthusiastic participation and your feedback is gratefully acknowledged.

OOW 2007: Free OCP Exams and Discounts

Oracle Openworld 2007 (OOW'07) is a month away and already the excitement is building up. It promises to be the largest conference of its kind with nearly 50,000 attendees congregating in San Francisco, California. More than 1700 presentation sessions have been scheduled till date as per the conference content catalog. The blog editor has presented multiple times at these conferences since 2001. From personal experiences, one can confirm that its the best week of the year to interact with fellow users and implementers of the Oracle family of products.
This year's OOW has also got incredible offerings from Oracle University for our blog readers. OOW website mentions: " Discounted onsite Oracle Certification testing at Oracle OpenWorld! The Oracle OpenWorld Onsite Testing Center will offer all available Oracle Certification Program OCA, OCP, Expert, Siebel, and Hyperion certification exams for an exclusive discounted rate of $50! Oracle Certification exams based on E-Business Suite 11i will be offered for free."
The website further mentions the location and logistics for the exam registration as follows:
" These offers are available at Oracle OpenWorld San Francisco only. Due to the limited number of exam appointments, advance reservations are necessary. Reservations can be made at the onsite Oracle Testing Center in Moscone South Room 252 beginning at 9:30am on Monday, November 12th. Testing reservations may not be made before Monday, November 12th".
Brush up on your studies and prepare now!
Don't miss this very special opportunity.
Come to Oracle OpenWorld 2007 and become an OCP!

Blog Reader Achieves A Perfect Score in OCP Exam

The blog editor was pleasantly surprised to receive the following e-mail from a regular reader, Salman Shabbir from Lahore, Pakistan:
"I am pleased to announce that I have passed my first OCP paper (1Z0-200 Oracle 11i E-Business Essentials) with 100% score ! Thanks for your advice all along. You are a true evangelist!"
Salman added: "I plan to give the Inventory paper next. I would be requiring your guidance again!"
Salman has been gracious enough to share more than 100 questions for the 1Z0-200 E-Business Fundamentals exam paper that he came across during his certification study. The blog editor would incorporate them in the next practice test and publish it on the blog a few weeks from now.

Heartiest Congratulations to Salman for achieving a perfect score!

Solution Key For 1Z0-200 Micro Mock Test-IV

It's time to check the solution key for 1Z0-200 Micro Mock Test-IV.
If you have already taken all the 1Z0-200 mock tests and checked your score then you would have got a fair idea of your preparedness. Ideally with a score of 80% or more (about 52 correct answers out of 64) one should be reasonably confident to appear for the actual exam. Considering the exam has a passing grade of only 55% (about 36 correct answers out of 64), one would be expected to ace the exam.
Please note that the mock test questions have been prepared by the blog editor based on his test taking experiences, feedback and practice questions from numerous blog readers. The questions are not actual test questions asked in the OCP exam nor they are sourced from any question banks or 'brain dump' sites. The only objective of the mock tests is to provide you with a reasonable indicator of your success in the OCP exam.
The blog editor is pleased to annouce that the first winner of a OCP Blog T-Shirt is Sanjib Manna from Montreal, Canada. Sanjib is a regular blog reader and answered the highest number of correct answers for the four 1Z0-200 micro mock test. Sanjib is a Senior Consultant with IBM Global Business Services in their Oracle practice. Kudos to Sanjib!
Here's hoping that one of you reading this blog post will be the next winner!
For those who are preparing for the 1Z0-200 E-Business Fundamentals exam and have come across this blog for the first time, it would be a good idea to prepare for a week or two and then take all the 4 micro mock tests together with a 90 minutes time limit. Check the solution key after you complete the test and be confident to register for the exam!
For easy reading, the correct answers are shown in bold and italics.

#1: To limit user access to certain forms or functions within a given responsibility, which actions can you perform?
[a] Customize the user definition
[b] Customize the responsibility
[c] Exclude functions from the user definition
[d] Exclude functions from the responsibility
2:Which of the following statements are true regarding Profile Options?
[a] Responsibility level profile options override application level profile options
[b] Profile options set at the application level will apply to all users of all of the Oracle applications
[c] Profile options set at the site level will apply to all users within the installation of Oracle
[d] All of the above
#3: A request group associated with a responsibility gives the user access to which one of the following?
[a] Menus
[b] Functions
[c] Reports
[d] Table Data
#4: Every DBI dashboard has a set of parameters that determine the data being displayed. Which among the following are DBI parameters?
[a] Date Parameter
[b] Compare To Parameter
[c] Primary Dimension Parameter
[d] Secondary Dimension Parameter
[e] Currency Parameter
[f] Set of Books Parameter
#5: Which component of workflow lets you design a complete workflow process?
[a] Workflow Builder
[b] Workflow Definitions Loader
[c] Workflow Engine
[d] Workflow Monitor
#6: Function Security is:
[a] Lowest or base level of Access Control
[b] Part of Role Base Access Control (RBAC) model
[c] Usually administered by end users
[d] Restricts user access to individual menus and menu options
#7: Profile Options can only be set at which levels?
[a] Site, Application and Responsibility
[b] Site, Application, Responsibility and User
[c] Site, Application and User
[d] Site and Application
#8: Which of the following statements are true regarding Workflow Processes?
[a] Workflow process definition is composed of activities and transitions between them
[b] Workflow engine locates the 'Run' activity which is the first activity in the process defintion to start it
[c] Workflow process completes when the workflow engine encounters an 'End' activity
[d] Workflow process definition must never be stored in the same database as the Workflow Engine
#9: Profile Options can be used to default information into which of the following?
[a] Concurrent Program Parameters Only
[b] Descriptive Flexfield Segments Only
[c] Key Flexfield Segments Only
[d] Both Concurrent Program Parametrs and Descriptive Flexfield Segments
#10: You have been asked to setup a default Check printer for the Accounts Payable Clerk. At what level would you setup the profile option for the default printer?
[a] Application Level
[b] Responsibility Level
[c] Site Level
[d] User Level
#11: Controlling access to individual functions through menu definitions is an example of which of the following?
[a] Blank Menus
[b] Function Security
[c] Securing Attributes
[d] Sub-Functions
#12: Which among the following are regions on the DBI dashboard?
[a] Parameter
[b] Table
[c] Graph
[d] Responsibility
[e] KPI
#13: Workflow logic supports sophisticated rules to model your business logic. Which of the process constructs are supported?
[a] Looping
[b] Non-parallel flows
[c] Rendezvous
[d] Voting Results-based branching
#14: A responsibility is a collection of authorizations that allow access to which of the following?
[a] One or more application modules
[b] One or more Sets of Books
[c] Restricted list of reports
[d] Restricted list of menus and functions
(Note: This is 11i version, non-MOAC)
#15: Which of the following statements are true regarding Alerts?
[a] Alerts must identify exceptions in order to perform actions
[b] Showing all employees that have terminated in the last 4 months is an example of Periodic Alert
[c] Periodic Alerts notify users of activity in the database as soon as it occurs
[d] A sales manager who wishes to inform his customer when an order has been shipped would use an Event Alert
[f] Sending an e-mail message is one possible action as a result of an alert
#16: As a system administrator, you have changed a profile option value at the site level and saved the record. At what point is the profile option change affected in the system for a business user?
[a] When the System Administrator saves the record
[b] When the Business User logs off and logs in back again
[c] When the Business User changes responsibility
[d] When the System Administrator logs off and logs in back again
#17: Daily Business Intelligence dashboards are available for which of the following?
[a] System Administration
[b] Service Contracts
[c] Projects
[d] All of the above
[e] None of the above
#18: What is the purpose of the Workflow Monitor?
[a] View status of workflow process instances
[b] Monitor workflows
[c] Administrator can control workflows in Workflow Monitor
[d] Shows summary of all individual workflows
#19: Which of the following statements are incorrect about Responsibilities?
[a] One user can be assigned to multiple responsibilities for the same Oracle application module
[b] A maximum of 999 users can be assigned to one responsibility
[c] Securing attributes are used by Self-Service Web application responsbilities
[d] A request group lists the concurrent programs that a responsibility can run
#20: Workflow Notification Mailer uses which of the following protocols?
[a] Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for inbound messages
[b] Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for outbound messages
[c] Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) for inbound messages
[d] Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) for outbound messages
#21: Which of the following are true statements regarding DBI parameters?
[a] Every time you change the value of a parameter on a dashboard, the data on the dashboard is automatically refreshed
[b] When you log out of Oracle Applications, your last parameter settings (except data parameter) are cached so that it remains the same when you log in
[c] There can be multiple primary dimensions for each dashboard
[d] The primary dimension is the parameter that determines the values that are compared in the KPI region
#22: Business Event System is part of which tier of the Workflow Architecture?
[a] Application Server
[b] Oracle Server
[c] End-user Client
[d] Workflow Development Client
#23: Which of the following statements are true regarding DBI dashboards?
[a] DBI administrator needs to run incremental request set for each dashboard to refresh the data
[b] One can email a .GIF file of a dashboard or report to another user by clicking the Email link [c] One can export a report to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet including graphs and links by clicking the Export link
[d] Number of rows of data that are exported to Microsoft Excel is determined by the FND: View Object Max Fetch Size profile option
#24: Which of the following would you use to transfer a workflow process definition between the database and flat file ?
[a] Workflow Monitor
[b] Workflow Builder
[c] Workflow Definitions Loader
[d] Workflow XML Loader
#25: For which of the following business scenarios would you define Descriptive Flexfields?
[a] Storing vehicle information associated with the asset category "Vehicle"
[b] Location information associated with the "Vehicle" assets
[c] Customer service rep name associated with the sale order
[d] Weblink to property map in Oracle Property Manager
#26: If a menu is renamed under a different name, then what happens in the system?
[a] The original menu is disabled
[b] The new menu overwrites the original menu
[c] A new menu is created and the original menu is also enabled
[d] None of the above

An ACE up your sleeve

The Oracle ACE Program is designed to recognize and reward Oracle customers for advocating Oracle Technology and Applications. Oracle ACE recipients are chosen based on their significant contributions to, and activity in, their respective community. The program currently has two levels: Oracle ACE and Oracle ACE Director. Oracle ACEs and Oracle ACE Directors are known for their strong credentials as Oracle community enthusiasts and advocates, with candidates nominated by anyone in the Oracle Technology and Applications communities. The baseline requirements are the same for both designations; however, Oracle ACE Directors work more closely and formally with Oracle in terms of their community activity.
To qualify for the Oracle ACE award, one should meet as many of the following qualifications as possible: technical proficiency, Oracle-related blog, Oracle discussion forum activity, published white paper(s) and/or article(s), presentation experience, beta program participant, Oracle user group membership and Oracle certification. Benefits of the program include: Promotion of Oracle ACEs as "official" experts on Oracle Web sites/at events, publication of articles and papers on Oracle Technology Network (OTN) and speaking opportunities at Oracle and/or 3rd party events.
Anyone in the Oracle community is eligible to nominate a potential Oracle ACE award (Oracle employees are not eligible). As nominations are received the nomination committee will review them within a 2-week period. Award recipients will be selected based on their qualifications.
Want to get an ACE up your sleeve?
Download the Oracle ACE Nomination Form by clicking here

Results of Blog Survey - Ideal Exam Prep Time

Nearly a hundred of our blog readers participated in our first survey which asked when one is planning to take the next OCP test. About 32% were planning to take the test within a month.
Nearly 23% estimated a longer exam prep time and planned to take it within 6 months. Less than one in ten were just testing the waters and were undecided. The highest percentage of OCP candidates (38%) were taking the exam in 1 to 2 months time. This indicates that 4 to 8 weeks is the ideal preparation time.


A review of the exam content reveals about 15-20 topics. Typically, an OCP candidate is employed in a high-pressure day job implementing, supporting or using Oracle E-Business Suite. Setting aside 2-3 hours study time per day is a challenge in itself. Considering two days of revision time per topic (i.e. 4-6 hours), it would take about 30-40 days or 7-8 work weeks to prepare for an exam. The survey results confirmed this estimated exam prep schedule.
It is true that if one is an expert on a specific module or using and/or supporting and/or implementing the module for years, the exam prep time might be just a few days or a week or two. However, considering the high exam fees it is better to be conservative and spend a few more weeks revising the application concepts and be reasonably confident on the test day. Exam prep for many is also a great opportunity to learn and/or review module features that they may not be using in their present job / implementation.
If one is on the starting block preparing for the first exam, one estimates six months of patience and dedication to join the exclusive OCP club.