NAV 2009 Installation and Configuration exam

AlexWiley

Hello everyone! I'm reviewing the manuals for I&C and plan on taking my exam soon. I just hit chapter 7: Deployment. It just throws out Software Installation Maintenance, IntelliMirror, and Group Policy Object Editor like the reader is supposed to already know what these are, and it doesn't preface it with "Read or Understand XXXX First". Later it says to familiarize yourself with the deployment tools and Windows Installer service, but doesn't even say what "they" are, I'm guessing IntelliMirror, let alone offer any guidance to materials on these subjects.

This appears to be written by network admins, for network admins. I don't have any problem with this, as long as a significant portion of the certification test isn't covered in this chapter. Any insight by someone who has taken this would be invaluable to me, since I am having a hard time learning and remembering anything without the supporting knowledge it is based on.

kriki

[Topic moved from 'NAV 2009' forum to 'NAV Exams & Certification' forum]

matttrax

I haven't taken the 2009 version of this exam, and I know 2009 is a whole different monkey than past versions, but I can tell you that in the 5.0 version everything that I remember was based on what you would do to NAV from within the NAV client. A little bit of SQL. There was nothing about other software, just the two big ones...that is NAV and SQL Server.

And no in depth SQL knowledge. There's a whole other test for that. Not exactly what you were looking for, but I hope it's a little bit of help.

kine

AlexWiley wrote:

Hello everyone! I'm reviewing the manuals for I&C and plan on taking my exam soon. I just hit chapter 7: Deployment. It just throws out Software Installation Maintenance, IntelliMirror, and Group Policy Object Editor like the reader is supposed to already know what these are, and it doesn't preface it with "Read or Understand XXXX First". Later it says to familiarize yourself with the deployment tools and Windows Installer service, but doesn't even say what "they" are, I'm guessing IntelliMirror, let alone offer any guidance to materials on these subjects.

This appears to be written by network admins, for network admins. I don't have any problem with this, as long as a significant portion of the certification test isn't covered in this chapter. Any insight by someone who has taken this would be invaluable to me, since I am having a hard time learning and remembering anything without the supporting knowledge it is based on.

I took the exam previous year. I think that if you understand what is in the manual (possible causes why application was not installed automatically etc.), it is enough to do the exam.

JDVyska

Just got back from taking this exam. Two sections I went into it not feeling prepared enough for (and they sunk my score ):

1) Installation Requirements. Basically, you better memorize, in detail, every edition of Windows Server to be able to answer questions like (not a question I was asked, but like it): Your customer will need a Windows 2008 Server that can support 32 processors and 64GB or RAM, which server options should they choose?

2) Deployment. You better know, in depth, how to setup Software Distribution Points, and how to setup Group Policy Objects to deploy software. You should also understand the process of how the software rolls out with GPO's.


Personally, I think both of these sections are inappropriate for an NAV installation test. I agree that the *knowledge* should be required, but that should be fulfilled by an appropriate Windows Server certification. NAV questions about clients, UI, server, tiers - those all make sense. SDPs and GPOs? Not so much. Going to be sending this feedback to the MBS exam team this afternoon.

AlexWiley

I am so glad to hear this from someone else. Deployment killed my score. That's what I started this post about- the manual launches into discussing GPOs and SDP like you should know what they are, and there is no demo or any way you can get hands on practice with that stuff unless your work uses it. I was very disappointed in that section being included in the manual, and even more so to find it was such a large part of the test. I STILL don't understand it, but I'm just fiercely trying to memorize as much of the rules as I can and working on the other sections to soften the blow.

The questions are also not in a normal format. Most of them have the standard four answers, but you have to choose 2-3 correct options, and on deployment you have to choose between 'logging off' and 'restarting' the computer before using the installed RTC client- which isn't very clearly pointed out in the manuals. And don't forget you also have to memorize all the different RAID options and their benefits. :roll:

JDVyska

Make sure to send your feedback to mbs-cert [at] microsoft [dot] com too!

AlexWiley

Thanks for the reminder- just sent them an email. Now it's time to reschedule another test

JDVyska

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaait!

http://www.prometric.com/Microsoft/SS_M ... .htm?s=ssm

Sign up for a second shot voucher at the above link!

(Full details here, and yes, it includes Dynamics!: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/caree ... tification )

AlexWiley

JDVyska wrote:

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaait!

http://www.prometric.com/Microsoft/SS_M ... .htm?s=ssm

Sign up for a second shot voucher at the above link!

(Full details here, and yes, it includes Dynamics!: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/caree ... tification )

This is amazing, thank you!

JDVyska

I'm going to take this again tomorrow. I pray that I ace all the sections that aren't about Deployment because I've been reading up for hours about Software Distribution through Group Policy and I want to smack somebody. ](*,)

Wish me luck.



Edit: Deployment sinks me again.

Allow me to express my fury as calmly as possible, with kittens.

JDVyska

When folks take this (or if you already have), can you also go give feedback over here?

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=40836

Thanks! Trying to raise my complaining beyond "one guy complaining, the test must be working!".

nav-2-sharepoint

The foundation for NAV is MS technology. It is not too much to expect a Certified NAV Professional Developer to understand a few basic concepts of that technology.

DenSter

No it is certainly not unreasonable.

What I think is the problem, is that the training material does not cover the subject matter adequately, or that the exam questions apparently cover something different than what is covered in the training material. I find it hard to believe that though. I've personally worked with Microsoft on training material and on exam questions, and they are a very motivated and meticulous group of people, who go to great lengths to make sure that the exam questions are about what is covered in the material.

If you find something, the right thing to do is to give them feedback. They really care about the quality of their product, and they take feedback very seriously (even though you don't always see that they do anything with it).

JDVyska

DenSter wrote:

No it is certainly not unreasonable.

What I think is the problem, is that the training material does not cover the subject matter adequately, or that the exam questions apparently cover something different than what is covered in the training material. I find it hard to believe that though. I've personally worked with Microsoft on training material and on exam questions, and they are a very motivated and meticulous group of people, who go to great lengths to make sure that the exam questions are about what is covered in the material.

If you find something, the right thing to do is to give them feedback. They really care about the quality of their product, and they take feedback very seriously (even though you don't always see that they do anything with it).

Agreed with all of this, 100%, that they always try to do a great job. Having taken dozens of Microsoft and MBS exams over the years (used to be an MSCE, still support my own multiple Server 2008, exchange, sharepoint environment, so I'm not an IT rookie), one thing they do on every exam I've ever taken, is turn the exam partially into a sales thrust, making sure people have study particular parts of functionality they think is important to upsell. I get the feeling that's what the GPO stuff is on this test.

And nav-2-sharepoint, as I state in the linked thread, I think it would make sense for Microsoft to require Windows Server certifications for their partners and find it strange that they don't, as they do require SQL Server now. But, I would not expect questions about, for example, IIS deployment technologies on an Exchange server test, so why would there be questions about Active Directory based software deployment on a Dynamics NAV installation test? In both cases, they're related, but they all have their own exams where those questions should live.

DenSter

JDVyska wrote:

one thing they do on every exam I've ever taken, is turn the exam partially into a sales thrust, making sure people have study particular parts of functionality they think is important to upsell.

It's all about the 'stack'

JDVyska wrote:

I think it would make sense for Microsoft to require Windows Server certifications for their partners and find it strange that they don't, as they do require SQL Server now

That's a great point, although I have two thoughts on that. First, I think the SQL Server certification is gross overkill for NAV partners. I'd say 90% of SQL Server is unused in NAV implementations, and all that knowledge will go to waste. On the other hand, it's the basic SQL Server cert and as good a place as any, if only to create some awareness of what is possible.

The way they are taking NAV into a 'mixed technology' environment (again pushing the entire stack) it is almost inevitable for partners to get knowledgeable on all of those technology. I think requiring server certs for NAV partners is an excellent idea.

You should not be able to get certified to install an RTC environment if you don't know the server side though. They would either have to require you to get the server cert before trying out for I&C, or keep some of the server questions in the exam (which automatically creates the requirement of covering it in the training material).

AlexWiley

nav-2-sharepoint wrote:

The foundation for NAV is MS technology. It is not too much to expect a Certified NAV Professional Developer to understand a few basic concepts of that technology.

The problem is that the manual on deployment is completely incoherent. They can only expect you to understand it if they provide materials which can be understood. The Deployment chapter is one of the most poorly outlined and explained technical documents I have ever read- let's look at just the first sentence:

The Software Installation and Maintenance feature of IntelliMirror is the administrator's primary tool for managing software within an organization.

Where is the Software Installation and Maintenance feature? What is IntelliMirror? Where are these found? Within Navision? In the Control Panel? On the Navision DVD? I still don't know. It doesn't explain it, and it only gets worse from there. Absolutely abysmal.

nav-2-sharepoint

MS documentation alone is usually not enough to pass a MS exam. Google is a great help at finding information about topics that are not understood.

matttrax

nav-2-sharepoint wrote:

MS documentation alone is usually not enough to pass a MS exam. Google is a great help at finding information about topics that are not understood.

But you have to answer based on what the MS manual says. So you have to be careful.

AlexWiley

nav-2-sharepoint wrote:

MS documentation alone is usually not enough to pass a MS exam. Google is a great help at finding information about topics that are not understood.

With other certs (MCSE, etc) it clearly states at the *beginning* of every section something like "You must read and understand manual MS-10000 before reading this". It is all Microsoft technology now, so they should be able to supply all the information you need to pass their own certifications. Saying that there is arbitrary information that exists "somewhere on the internet" that there is no reference to in any of the materials distributed for taking the test is unacceptable. When I took Financials everything on that test was in the manuals. It appears they are grasping for content to test on to purposefully make it harder to pass than it should be.

aavio

can any one tell me how many questions is there for this examination(nav 2009 inst. & config.)?? and duration? :?:
its not mentioned in certification site :?
i think in nav 5.0 inst & config syllabus its mentioned as 60 questions and 90 min

AlexWiley

aavio wrote:

can any one tell me how many questions is there for this examination(nav 2009 inst. & config.)?? and duration? :?:
its not mentioned in certification site :?
i think in nav 5.0 inst & config syllabus its mentioned as 60 questions and 90 min

I don't know if it would be different in India, but the one I took was 50 questions and 90 minutes. The multiple choice are harder on this one. For example, it could ask how you can hide the Outlook window in the RTC, there will be four options, and you have to select two to three correct options. I would say a majority of the test is like that, where you are selecting 2-3 answers out of four.

nav-2-sharepoint

I am also no "newbie" to MS exams with 6 certifications from MS and over 30 MS exams under my belt, (half of them I passed ), I learned a long time ago that the material from MS is never enough. Somewhere in this thread someone is mentioning "Intellimirror" and asking what is it? Google it and one of the first results links to a MS technet article explaining what it is and goes in to some good detail that would help the person that needs the help.

The biggest problem with MS exams of late are the quality of answers. It is obvious that the test writers have absolutely no real world experience. It is as if MS gave the help files of the products to some high school kids and said make us a test. Often there are no correct answers or often all answers are correct. Here is an example we can all relate to:

You have determined that your system is dead and will never come back to life. What should you do? (Only two answers are correct.)
A. Restart your system
B. Shutdown your system then restart the system
C. Since the system is locked up, shutdown your system with the power button.
D. Since the system is locked up, shutdown your system with the power button then restart the system.

If you have between 5 and 10 moronic questions like this on a 40 question exam, then your odds of passing are greatly lowered. And lately, since about 2005 I have seen more and more questions like the one above on MS exams.

katie_at_creative

i am taking this exam in the next few months (when im ready). In comparison to core setup and finance exam, is this exam extremely difficult?

AlexWiley

katie at creative wrote:

i am taking this exam in the next few months (when im ready). In comparison to core setup and finance exam, is this exam extremely difficult?

This exam is has a wider range of obscure and poorly written questions in it than Financials, it also has questions about technology that isn't covered in the I&C manuals such as Active Directory.

aavio

Its not that difficult, make sure you had practical knowledge in the process covered in Deployment chapter, better consult wth n/w and system adminstrators, understand Active directory,Group policy... related terminologies :thumbsup:

katie_at_creative

AlexWiley wrote:

katie at creative wrote:

i am taking this exam in the next few months (when im ready). In comparison to core setup and finance exam, is this exam extremely difficult?

This exam is has a wider range of obscure and poorly written questions in it than Financials, it also has questions about technology that isn't covered in the I&C manuals such as Active Directory.

questions that are written even more poorly

i dont have alot of exprience in active directory etc, but thanks i will make sure i know this before i take the exam

Belias

I'm taking the exam this friday (tomorrow): i had recently get in touch with jdvyska, who pointed me here..i have to admit that i'm a bit scared about this exam, now.
At a first glance, this seems to be the easiest exam for nav: you know, the first 6 chapters are ridiculous, and they barely have an average of 15 pages each.
But the 7th chapter (and a part of the 8th) is really challenging! I'll let you know my feelings about it tomorrow.

JDVyska

Memorize well. My main issue was that I used only their eLearning, which was missing substantial parts of the in-class curriculum.

Belias

Hey, wait a second:
i found this strange part in the chapter 7:

To configure the RoleTailored client and the NAV Server in Microsoft Dynamics
NAV 2009 Setup:
1. Double-click RoleTailored client in the Specify parameters pane.
2. Provide values for the settings. For example:
[......]
Server Port Value is not relevant. The default (7046) is
fine.
[......]
Web Service Port The default value (85) is fine.

85?wasn't it the 7047?
morover, http://www.speedguide.net/port.php?port=85 (tx kriki for the link)

spijkie

port 7046 is the standard port for the RTC to connect to the server, 7047 is used as the standard port for connecting webservices to the server.

Good luck on your test, I plan to take him in the next couple of weeks too, and a scared for the deployment part too.