Sun Microsystems offers many certifications starting from programmer level to architect level. SCEA (Sun Certified Enterprise Architect) certification is designed for enterprise architects responsible for building high scale enterprise applications or who wish to be prospective architects.



The certification exam tests candidate's architectural knowledge in and out. A Software Architect is the technical boss of software systems and he should act like a software doctor to resolve the issues. A basic difference between a developer and an architect is the way they design the application. Developer may not think about the scalability, maintainability, performance, etc for long run. But architect always foresees the application's future expectations about performance, scalability, etc.

What are the qualifications required to become a J2EE Architect?

I would say he/she should be a Sun Certified J2EE Architect.

Because it comprises of all the necessary qualification required for a Technical Architect required for J2EE assignment. I love the way the SCEA Part 2 and Part 3 designed.

The following are the interesting topics that SCEA Exam covers:

SCEA Part 1 Concepts - Tests your modeling language skills (UML)

Common architectures - Tests the skills in evaluation of enterprise application tiers

Legacy connectivity - Tests the architectural solution knowledge to connect J2EE with any legacy systems EJB - Tests the design and basic API knowledge in EJB

EJB Container model - Tests the knowledge in the container architecture Protocols - Tests the knowledge in the area of choosing the right protocol for a business problem

Applicability of J2EE - Tests the design decision knowledge about J2EE technologies Patterns - Tests the knowledge in design patterns

Messaging - Tests the knowledge in synchronous and asynchronous message architecture

Internationalization - Tests your Java knowledge to implement internationalization

Security - Tests various kinds of enterprise security including firewalls and DMZ

SCEA Part 2: A business problem will be given to you in the form of use case diagrams, business domain model, and statement format. The requirements will encompass both Functional and Non-Functional requirements.

You are requested to come up with an architecture for the given business problem to meet both the functional and non-functional requirements. It is a very challenging experience to get to know about J2EE Architecture best practices.

Once you have completed your assignment, you need to upload your assignment into Sun and it will be manually evaluated by technical authors.

SCEA Part 3: This is another stimulating test to verify your architectural knowledge about design decisions. Architecture can be implemented in many ways with different design decisions. The questions will be on why you have chosen this way and why not the other way.

You need to answer with brief explanation. If you have completed Part 1 and Part 2, Part 3 will be straightforward and very easy to crack. The SCEA exam does not require any pre-certifications from Sun Microsystems. So, if you decide to take Sun J2EE Architect certification, you can very well start without any prerequisite.

How to start, where to start?

Go through the exam objectives from Sun website. http://www.sun.com/training/certification/java/java_archj2ee.html

Estimate the time required to prepare SCEA Exam (EPractize Labs SCEA Preparation Time Calculator).

Plan for your certification process

When to take Part 1, when to take Part 2 and Part 3 is based on your preferences

Practize for your certification process

Use SCEA Part 1 Exam EPractize Labs and SCEA Part 2 & Part 3 Exam EPractize Labs to get the real feel of the exam. Take the actual exam once you get confidence from sample mock exams.

SCEA Certification Benefits For the Individual

The certification empowers in driving J2EE Architecture for enterprise applications SCEA certified architects can easily evaluate various design options, frameworks, software COTS components, etc Being a certified architect helps you to improve your career potential, gain more respect, boost up your job security and opportunities. With SCEA certification, you become more competitive in the job market.

For the Organization Enables management to distinguish SCEA holders as professionals who can act as Technical Architect for new or existing initiatives.

Helps in deciding the best architecture, frameworks and software COTS components based on project budget to minimize cost More confidence to drive technical decisions with business partners.

Enables project team to get best practices guidance from a qualified architect.

Good Luck!