Recently the MySQL 8.0 Developer Certification became available joining the MySQL 8.0 Developer Certifications. I have recently seen posts on various social media sites asking what is on the exam, is there an exam guide, and what do you 'really need to know' to pass the exam.
Both tests are very tough. Neither is going to be passed by rote memorization as many of the questions require analysis of system output before trying to adjust for the desired result. There are no true or false questions and no essays. What you will get is a series of questions written by subject matter experts that range from testing basic conceptual knowledge to very tough assessments of how to fix problems. BTW the exam software lets you mark questions for later review and it does help to bypass the tougher questions for later review at the end of the test.
Are the question tricky? No, not really. They really require in depth knowledge of MySQL 8.0. If you have ever interviewed someone for a DBA job you know there are certain points of knowledge (pain points) that a candidate MUST have to be trusted with your precious data. Imagine going to your physician and having to identify which body part is a knee and which part is an elbow. I personally would trust anyone with either the 8.0 DBA or 8.0 Developer certification to know their stuff.
Certification guide? Nope, sorry. Back in the 5.0 days there was a team effort to produce a comprehensive exam guide. But 5.0 was a long time ago and there was an effort back in the 5.6 days for a resurrected guide that did not come to fruition. And having written a technical book, I can assure you that any such work is like writing in sand on a busy holiday vacation spot beach as the content is constantly changes and the community is adding or dropping tools continually.
I highly recommend Oracle's classes like
MySQL For Developers and from regular reviews of the course materials on my part tell me that the curriculum team does a fantastic job conveying the complex material way in an easy to consume package of literature and exercises. I still recommend practicing the exercises for several weeks after the class before taking the exam.
Exam crams? Do not waste you money. The 'dumps' I have examined in the past are either poor third-hands recitations of poor interpretations of what was on a test or bad copies from the manual.
How to Have a Good Chance to Pass the Exam
Review the exam topics below, using it as a check list. Go to the
MySQL Manual enter and read the sections for that area. Make sure you understand any examples and please do try them on your own scratch server. Please write down notes in a notebook if you think having a consolidated review tool is handy for you.
Also check the
MySQL Server Team blog and
Planet.mysql.com for blogs from other Oracle MySQL Teams.
And if you have questions please ask away on forums.mysql.com and mysqlcommunity.slack,com. I monitor the
Certification board on the forums if you have questions
The Exam Topics
DBA Certification
Architecture
- Configure client connections to the server
- Understand how MySQL stores data
- Understand how InnoDB stores data and logs
- Configure buffers and caches
- Understand and use the Data Dictionary
Security
- Create user accounts and roles
- Use authentication plug-ins
- Control user and role permissions
- Recognize common security risks
- Secure MySQL server connections
- Provide password and login security
- Secure the MySQL host environment
- Prevent SQL injection attacks
- Encrypt MySQL data
- Configure MySQL Enterprise Firewall
Query Optimization
- Examine how MySQL optimizes queries
- Analyze queries with MySQL Enterprise Monitor
- Create indexes to improve server performance
- Monitor and understand index statistics
High Availability Techniques
- Explain how replication provides high availability and scalability
- Configure replication
- Explain the role of the binary log in replication
- Configure multisource replication
- Explain the role of replication threads
- Monitor and troubleshoot replication
- Describe MySQL InnoDB cluster and Group Replication
- Configure a MySQL InnoDB cluster
- Perform an InnoDB cluster recovery
Connectors and APIs
- Choose between connectors for a given application
- Demonstrate connector use, management and configuration
- Retrieve data from the database by using a connector
- Handle special values
- Secure credentials and connections
MySQL Schema Objects and Data
- Design, create, and alter views
- Store and process string data
- Store and process numeric data
- Store and process temporal data
- Store and process spatial data
Query Optimization
- Use indexes for optimization
- Analyze queries for optimization
- Rewrite queries for optimization
JSON and Document Store
- Create and store JSON documents
- Process data in JSON documents
- Explain application development with NoSQL and XDevAPI
- Create and access a document store
- Use MySQL Shell to access document stores
Data-driven Applications
- Use prepared statements
- Set SQL Modes to change MySQL behavior
- Handle and interpret errors and warnings
- Display query results
- Aggregate and summarize data
- Advanced Report Generation
Transactions
- Control transactions in SQL
- Control transactions in applications
- Resolve consistency problems with isolation levels
- Understand locking mechanisms within MySQL
MySQL Stored Programs
- Create and execute stored routines
- Explain the programming constructs used in stored routines
- Create and execute triggers
- Schedule database operations
Server Installation and Configuration
- Install and use the MySQL server and client programs
- Identify the files and folders created during installation
- Start and stop MySQL
- Upgrade MySQL
- Configure MySQL by using options and option files
- Configure MySQL variables
- Launch multiple MySQL servers on the same host
Monitoring and Maintenance
- Configure and view MySQL log files
- Monitor MySQL processes and status
- Configure MySQL Enterprise Audit
- Use MySQL Enterprise Monitor to view activity in MySQL
- Monitor database growth and explain capacity planning
- Troubleshoot problems with locked resources
Backups and Recovery
- Distinguish between the different types of backup
- Implement a backup strategy
- Backup and restore data with MySQL Enterprise Backup
- Use mysqldump and mysqlpump to perform logical backups
- Explain when and how to use raw file backups
- Back up the binary log
