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SCEA and OMG

 
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Hi,

I completed the SCEA earlier this year and, as I've been using and mentoring UML for a number of years, I've scheduled the OCUP Fundamental exam for Monday afternoon without much prior training (i.e. the exam is suppose to cover basic UML aspects).

Is there anyone on this forum that has actually completed the SCEA and OCUP Fundamental and, if so, please could you provide some indication on whether or not the exam is about modelling (as the OMG website suggests) or the metamodel of UML?

I'm pretty clued up on the modelling aspects but who wants to know the metamodel of UML unless you are actually designing a UML tool?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
 
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Roberts

I'm also interested by the three OMG UML certications:
Useful links:
http://www.omg.org/uml-certification/UML_2-ToC-Fundamental.pdf
http://www.omg.org/uml-certification/CoverageMapDetailed-030731.pdf
These pdf cover exam objectives for the fundamental
Studying UML 2.0 specification is a must. mostly chapter 7 , we should have a good understand of the core modeling concepts of UML 2.0, ie the meta model(Classes::Kernel).

Regards

Marie Pierre
[ August 20, 2005: Message edited by: Marie Pierre Courbevoie ]
 
I Roberts
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Marie,

I've been using the Superstructure for studying but I have to be honest measuring someones knowledge of the metamodel is not the best way of determining whether or not someone knows UML; simply that he knows the metamodel. Great, if you are planning on creating a UML tool but absolutely useless in the real world.

Don't get me wrong, someone of the superstructure is reflected in the UML Reference Manual and User Guide and is applicable to commercial modeling but a lot of it (in particular section 7) is the workings of the UML metamodel not the actual realisation of UML and has very little to do with commercial modelling.

If the test is about the metamodel and not about real world UML modeling I will be very disappointed and won't be pursuing such a useless certification any further. My main reason is that if it is about metamodel sooner or later industry will realise that the certification proves very little in the real world and will simply ignore it.

Its a little like the SCJP. Even though it is based upon the Java Specification it represents commercial Java programming APIs and uses - not the pure Java metamodel, which very few(apart from the Java creators) are interested in.

Regards,
 
Marie Pierre Courbevoie
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Roberts

I agree with you but, according to the exam objectives, it seems that the exam first chapter (class diagrams 30%) is based upon chapter 7 of the superstructure.

1.1 Demonstrate the ability to understand the core
modeling concepts of UML. Classes::Kernel
1 Root modeling concepts of UML diagrams (Sec 7.2)
2 Namespaces (Sec 7.3)
3 Multiplicities (Sec 7.4)
4 Expressions (Sec 7.5)
5 Constraints (Sec 7.6)
6 Instances (and Object Diagrams)(Sec 7.7)
7 Classifiers (includes Generalization) (Sec 7.8)
8 Features (Sec 7.9)
9 Operations (Sec 7.10)
10 Classes (Sec 7.11)
11 Data types (Sec 7.12)
12 Packages (and Package Diagrams)(Sec 7.13)

1.2 Verify the understanding of UML modeling
dependency constructs. Classes: Dependencies (Sec. 7.14)
1 Dependency
2 Abstraction
3 Usage
4 Permission
5 Other Dependencies concepts

1.3 Confirm the ability to understand and represent
operations that characterize the behavior of an
element. Classes::Interfaces (Sec. 7.15)
1 Interface
2 Implementation
.........
........

Do you think that only a conceptual acknolwedge of the metamodel is needed ?

Regards

Marie Pierre
[ August 20, 2005: Message edited by: Marie Pierre Courbevoie ]
 
I Roberts
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Marie,

I think that all the parts raised section 7 is relevant but it is just the context (i.e. constraints, expressions etc are important features of UML but do we really need to know the metaclass operations required to create UML tools).

Unfortunately, because the OMG have lacked consistency in their recommendation for preparing for the exam (i.e. they say use the superstructure and (in the same answer) then say that it would be better to use a UML course or good book!). I have never yet come across UML books (including the Reference or User Guide) that explain the workings of the metamodel but simply how the features of UML that are derived from the workings of the metamodel. As modelers and architects; we do not ask how a compiler works or how the inner workings of the Java specification. To our role, we abstract away from the inner details but still have more than sufficient knowledge to do our roles. For example, in order to pass the SCEA, I didn't need to know the metamodel of UML or the inner details of the EJB specification.

I think it is fair to say that until I take the exam on Monday I cannot make judgement on how the OMG are approaching these exams. I really do hope that they have concentrated on the practise of UML rather than the metamodel. If not all the superstructure information is relevant and only some of the descriptions and semantics, the same information can be found in the User Guide and Reference books in a more explanative manner.

I'll have to wait and see but in the meantime use the superstructure document, the User Guide and Reference books! I hope it is worth the hassle!


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