POWERBUILDER DEVELOPER PROFESSIONAL (Version 9.0) CERTIFICATION: NOTICE: The 510-308 exam will expire on March 15, 2012

Certification Exam Title: PowerBuilder Developer Professional (Version 9.0)
Passing Grade: 70%
Number of Multiple Choice Questions: 60
Exam Number: 510-308
Exam Duration: 90 Minutes

Visit our Online Certification Practice Exams

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

QUESTION: How can I register for the exam?

ANSWER: In the USA or Canada, please call Prometric to register by phone 800-792-EXAM or online at: Sybase Certification Exams at Prometric.
If you are from a country other than the US or Canada, follow your normal registration procedures through your local exam center or your Prometric Regional Service Center. To find out about registration procedures for your region (select 'Sybase' from the 'Client/Program' drop-down box.)

QUESTION: How do I prepare for this exams?

ANSWER: The three ways we recommend are:

A) Completely read and make sure you cover all parts of this exam study guide. Plan to spend a minimum of 80 hours preparing for the exam, in addition to your existing experience with PowerBuilder 9.0.

B) At least twelve months of experience using the product, and take the following recommended course path.

C) Practice Exams

QUESTION: What is the format of the exam?

ANSWER: The exam will consist of 60 multiple-choice questions. Each candidate will have 90 minutes to complete the exam.
The exam itself has no answers that are not ‘real’, e.g. no references to functions or commands, which do not exist. It was written to test whether you have been using PowerBuilder 9.0 and are able to apply this knowledge.

 

 

QUESTION: Are there any suggestions on how to study for this exam?

ANSWER: Work with PowerBuilder 9.0 for at least twelve months before taking this exam. If you have taken a corresponding course, review all of its pages, especially for the topics you have not already mastered. The study guidelines below cover all the topics included in the exam. Read through this list and circle the topics you are not familiar with. Read up on them in the product documentation. Find ways to use those aspects of PowerBuilder 9.0 you are not as familiar with; consider creating test cases.

 

QUESTION: Which version of PowerBuilder 9.0 should I study for this exam?

ANSWER: This exam is based on the PowerBuilder 9.0 GA version, which is the first main release of PowerBuilder 9.0 Any functionality that is new or changed in later PowerBuilder 9.0
releases (like the maintenance release and later) is not included in the exam.

 

QUESTION: When taking the exam, do you have any suggestions?

ANSWER: All questions are multiple-choice questions. Do not spend too much time on any one question. Trust that the first answer that you thought of is likely to be the correct one. At the end of the exam you will be presented with a window with hyperlinks back to any questions you marked for 'review' or did not answer completely. With this in mind, choose an answer and if you are not sure, mark the question for 'review' (there is a button for this). Moving along this way you should have time at the end of the exam to go back and think again about these marked questions.

 

QUESTION: What is the passing percentage of the exam and number of questions?

ANSWER: There will be a total of 60 questions in this exam. The scoring grade is 70%.
You will need to answer a minimum of 42 questions correctly in order to pass this exam.

STUDY GUIDELINES

Related Technology (1 question - 2%)

1.1 - Relational Database - 1 Question - 2%

• Distinguish database transaction concepts such as transaction, commit, rollback, data consistency and concurrency.
• Select the SQL relational operator to accomplish a stated task (for example: selection, join, union.

Painters and Tools (18 questions - 30%)

2.1 - Application - 2 Questions - 3%

• Discriminate between the different types of Targets.
• Identify the reasons for using Workspaces and Targets
• Describe the effect of the search path when objects with the same name are in the given target.
• Describe the effect of setting the each of the Application properties seen on the General tab
• Identify Object Browser features for developer productivity.
• Describe the conditions when the SystemError event is triggered.
• Differentiate when the System Error event, the Error event and the Exception will be triggered under various given scenarios.
• List the four application events and describe when each is triggered.
• List possible uses of the commandline argument in the open event.
• Differentiate between the System Tree and the Object Browser in object navigation and inspection.
• Describe the implications of checking the FreeDBLibraries property.

2.2 - Debugger - 1 Question - 2%

• Discriminate between the different types of Targets.
• Distinguish views and panes in the debugger
• Select the Debugger options to monitor a given script
• Distinguish when to use Debug versus the Profiler.
• Contrast watching variables using the watch pane to stepping through script and examining variables.

2.3 - DataWindow - 7 Questions - 12%

• Recognize techniques to employ retrieval criteria.
• List techniques necessary to limit data at the server
• Identify and describe the views of the DataWindow painter.
• Identify and contrast DataWindow column edit styles.
• Assess the effects of the Update Characteristic properties.
• Contrast all DataWindow presentation styles.
• Identify options for creating complex DataWindow reports, including nested and composite DataWindows.
• Recognize techniques for sorting, filtering, and grouping data on a DataWindow.at the server
• Recognize techniques for sorting, filtering, and grouping data on a DataWindow.at the client.
• Explain techniques to ensure data consistency and concurrency using DataWindow painter options.
• Identify how to use a DataWindow button to perform a predefined or customized functionality.
• Differentiate between computed fields and computed columns and identify when each is appropriate.
• Explain the positional nature of retrieval arguments.
• Explain the result of a data import from a specified XML template.
• Given a desired XML document structure, create an XML template for the DataWindow.
• List the steps necessary to use a specific XML template for outputting DataWindow data a) through PowerScript b) from the DataWindow Painter.
• Explain what would happen on an import of an XML Document into a DataWindow given a specific template to use on the import.

2.4 - Function - 2 Questions - 3%

• Identify valid function arguments.
• Explain the use of Exceptions and how to throw and catch them.
• Differentiate "by value" and "by reference" in function arguments.
• Use PowerBuilder System Classes as arguments to a function.

2.5 - Library - 1 Question - 2%

• Distinguish the options for PowerBuilder Runtime Libraries (PBD or DLL).
• Identify when to use a PBD vs. a DLL
• Identify where a PBR file is created and what it contains.
• Identify the benefit and trade-off of using a PBR when creating an EXE.
• Identify the process of migrating previous versions of PowerBuilder to PowerBuilder 9.0
• Identify the differences between pcode and machine code executables.

2.6 - Menu - 1 Question - 2%

• Use appropriate messaging techniques in a menu script to execute events on a window.
• Use parentwindow pronoun appropriately.

2.7 - Project - 1 Question - 2%

• Identify the components that define a PowerBuilder project.
• Describe the different uses of the PowerBuilder Projects.
• Select the components for application deployment.

2.8 - User Object - 3 Questions - 5%

• Describe how to define user objects - class and visual.
• Describe how to include Non-visual objects in an application.
• Describe benefits of using NVOs.

PowerScript (41 questions - 68%)

3.1 - Controls - 7 Questions - 12%

• Identify how to manipulate and access the data contained in PowerBuilder controls.
• Select the rich text features and uses.
• Create and use Rich Text DataWindows.
• Create and use Rich TextEdit controls.
• Describe how to populate a TreeView.
• Identify how to create a ListView Control.
• Select ListView Events for processing scenarios (itemchanged vs. item changing, selectionchanged vs. selectionchanging).
• Define a popup menu for use in a specific business application.
• Identify the features of a Tab Control.
• Identify how to create a Tab control and Tab pages.
• Identify how to reference and instantiate tab controls and their components.

3.2 - DataWindows - 9 Questions - 15%

• Identify uses for a DataStore instead of a DataWindow.
• Contrast the events and functions of DataStores with those of DataWindows.
• Recognize application deployment techniques with respect to DataStores.
• Identify how to create a DataStore and associate it with a DataWindow object.
• Identify how to dynamically change the behavior of a DataWindow control.
• Interpret code involving DataWindow events and functions.
• Recognize the effects of DataWindow functions on focus and current row.
• Identify DataWindow techniques to access, update, and validate data from the database.
• Demonstrate techniques to share data between PowerBuilder controls including: DataStores, DataWindows, RichTextEdit controls, and DDDW objects.
• Identify techniques for manipulating DataWindow Buffers.
• Identify how to access DDDW columns, using GetChild()
• Select examples of retrieval arguments for use with DDDW.
• Identify situations for using the button object on a DataWindow.
• Identify the sequence of events when a DataWindow button is clicked.
• Distinguish uses of the RowFocusChanging and RowFocusChanged events.
• Utilize return codes in DataWindow events to affect specified behavior.
• Demonstrate DataWindow debugging techniques.
• Identify which file types are available when using the SaveAs( ) function on a DataWindow.
• Identify approaches to handling database errors that involve embedded SQL or DataWindows.
• Identify the properties of a DataWindow that pertain to HTML.
• Analyze techniques involved in managing transactions and concurrency in a DataWindow.
• Dynamically create an XML Document based on a DataWindow given a template.
• Dynamically create an XML DTD or Schema based on a DataWindow and a template.

3.3 - Object Orientation - 14 Questions - 23%

• Identify the steps involved in creating a transaction object.
• Identify uses for transaction objects.
• Identify causes of connection errors.
• Compare and contrast standard, class, and structure datatypes.
• Distinguish methods to instantiate visual versus non-visual user objects.
• Classify single-level hierarchy with a multiple-level hierarchy.
• Identify how to CREATE, inherit, and extend standard and custom visual and non-visual user objects.
• Identify examples of direct referencing and instantiation of controls.
• Identify the appropriate access (Public, Protected, and Private) and scope (local, instance, shared, global) for variables in PowerBuilder.
• Distinguish operational access (ProtectedRead, PrivateRead, ProtectedWrite, PrivateWrite) of variables in PowerBuilder.
• Identify which PowerBuilder objects will automatically destroy (mark for garbage collection).
• Identify scenarios for using the AncestorReturnValue variable
• Distinguish the difference between overriding and overloading.
• Distinguish situation for using a function versus using an event.
• Identify how to create dynamic user objects or tab pages.
• Identify scenarios for using the AutoInstantiate Feature with custom class user objects.
• Identify benefits of using pronouns and distinguish correct pronoun usage techniques.
• Demonstrate how to pass data between objects.
• Describe the techniques of dot notation syntax. Identify when the key words STATIC would be used versus Dynamic.
• Distinguish the difference between pass-by-value and pass-by-reference, and identify examples of how to use each.
• Demonstrate techniques for communicating between system objects of different types.
• Compare passing data in messages to using global data.
• Identify techniques for reuse of Application objects and distinguish advantages of each technique.
• Describe how to partition an application and explain the benefits.
• Define Polymorphism, Inheritance, Abstraction, and Inheritance.
• Recognize how to declare and use structures.
• Describe steps needed to declare a custom Transaction object (or Message object, etc)
• Recognize scenarios where custom Transaction objects would be valuable

3.4 - Windows - 2 Questions - 3%

• Identify appropriate use of Open() and OpenSheet().
• Recognize the different window types affected by various window functions.
• Use the optional windowclass parameter in an Open (or Opensheet) and list some situations where this would be a valuable technique.
• Recognize techniques for evaluating window states.
• Explain how to instantiate multiple windows with respect to scope of variables of type window.
• Use CloseWithReturn function to close a window and pass data.
• Explain where the CloseQuery event would be needed and how it would be coded.

3.5 - Components - 2 Questions - 3%

• Identify how components are built and deployed.
• Identify the properties of a component.
• Identify the Wizards and Projects needed to build components and clients that use them.
• Identify the use of EJB clients and the functions associated with them.
• Identify how to invoke the methods of Session and Entity components from a PowerBuilder client.
• Define uses of CORBA and EJB architectures.

3.6 - 4GL Web DataWindows - 3 Questions - 5%

• Distinguish between a 4GL Web DataWindow and a non-4GL Web DataWindow.
• Identify the client side event structure.
• Identify how to bind data to controls on the page, Manage page navigation with data, Provides Debug page processing and Tracing.
• Identify how to place data in a Web page.
• Identify the server side event model.
• Identify the DataWindow controls that can be added to a Web DataWindow.
• Identify the uses of the painters and scripts for using 4GL Web DataWindows.
• Identify the purpose of the HTML and JavaScript properties.
• Identify the Targets associated with 4GL Web DataWindows.

3.7 - 4GL Web Pages - 2 Questions - 3%

• Distinguish between a 4GL WebPage and a non-4GL WebPage.
• Create server scripts.
• Distinguish between server scripts and client scripts and the difference in coding necessary.
• Save session information for web page communication.
• List various ways of communicating between web pages.
• Use a component in a 4GL Web Page.

3.8 - 4GL JSP Pages - 1 Question - 2%

• Recognize the 3 different types of Server scriplets and how they are used.
• Use a component in a 4GL JSP Web Page.

3.9 - XML in PowerBuilder - 1 Question - 2%

• Understand how the XML DataWindow works.
• Understand PBDOM Classes