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B.10 MySQL 4 Core Certification

This certification is the first tier on your road to full MySQL certification. Whatever your future certification path, you must first pass the exam for the MySQL Core Certification before moving on.

With the Core Certification in hand, you have proof that you're capable of creating and using databases and tables, inserting, modifying, deleting, and retrieving data from a MySQL database, all based on a number of criteria like those that occur in real-world situations.

The job role of a person holding the MySQL Core Certification will typically be to maintain data in company databases, performing data analysis, importing and exporting data, and so forth.

For most candidates, the Core Certification is the first step toward obtaining the much desired title of Certified MySQL Professional. To move on to the Professional Certification, you must first pass the Core exam.

B.10.1 When Should I Certify?

The MySQL Core Certification is aimed at users:

  • Who have used the MySQL server for one man-month (150 hours) or more

  • Who often find themselves in situations where they need to pull data from a MySQL database, or perform operations such as importing large amounts of data into the database

  • Who have done some semi-advanced reporting using features such as LIMIT, WHERE, joins, aggregate functions, and the like

B.10.2 What Knowledge Is Tested?

The MySQL Core Certification is achieved by passing a single exam. The sections covered by the test are listed below, along with the relative weight of each section in the final scoring. The weight also indicates how many questions you should expect to be asked for each section.

The test consists of approximately 70 questions, and you have 1 1/2 hours in which to answer them.

B.10.3 Exam Contents—MySQL Core Certification

  • MySQL and MySQL AB (10%)

    • The difference between MySQL and MySQL AB

    • How MySQL AB operates

    • MySQL core values

    • MySQL dual licensing

    • Organization and structure of the MySQL Reference Manual

    • The MySQL mailing lists

  • MySQL Software (10%)

    • Major program components used in MySQL

    • Major operating system families supported by MySQL

    • Differences between major MySQL distributions

    • Available MySQL client interfaces

  • Using MySQL Client Programs (10%)

    • Invoking command-line client programs

    • Specifying command-line options

    • The mysql client

      • Using mysql interactively

      • Using script files with mysql

      • mysql client commands and SQL statements

      • Using the --safe-updates option

    • Using mysqlimport

    • Using mysqldump and reloading the dump

    • Checking tables with mysqlcheck and myisamchk

    • Using MySQLCC

    • Using MySQL Connector/ODBC and MySQL Connector/J

  • Data Definition Language (20%)

    • General database and table properties

    • Storage engines and table types

    • Limits on number and size of database components

    • Identifier syntax

    • CREATE DATABASE, DROP DATABASE

    • CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, DROP TABLE

    • CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX; specifying indexes at table-creation time

    • Creating and using primary keys

    • Column types

    • Using AUTO_INCREMENT

    • String and number formats

    • Using SHOW and DESCRIBE to review table structures

  • SELECT Statements (10%)

    • Selecting which columns to display

    • Restricting a selection using WHERE

    • Using ORDER BY to sort query results

    • Limiting a selection using LIMIT

    • Aggregate functions, GROUP BY, and HAVING

    • Using DISTINCT to eliminate duplicates

    • Concatentating SELECT results with UNION

  • Basic SQL (10%)

    • Using SQL expressions and functions

    • Using LIKE for pattern matching

    • Using IN() to test membership

    • Case sensitivity in string comparisons

    • Case sensitivity in database, table, column, and function names

    • Using reserved words as identifiers

    • NULL values in SELECT statements

    • Comments in SQL statements

  • Update Statements (10%)

    • INSERT and REPLACE

    • UPDATE

    • DELETE and TRUNCATE

    • Handling duplicate key values

    • Using ORDER BY and LIMIT with UPDATE and DELETE statements

  • Joins (15%)

    • Writing inner joins using INNER JOIN and the comma (',') operator

    • Writing outer joins using LEFT JOIN and RIGHT JOIN

    • Converting subqueries to inner and outer joins

    • Resolving name clashes using qualifiers and aliases

    • Multiple-table UPDATE and DELETE statements

  • Importing and Exporting Data (5%)

    • LOAD DATA INFILE

    • Using files on the server and the client host

    • Limiting the columns and rows being imported

    • SELECT INTO OUTFILE

    • Privileges needed for LOAD DATA INFILE and SELECT INTO OUTFILE

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