Microsoft Learning:

Exam 70-553:

UPGRADE: MCSD Microsoft .NET Skills to MCPD Enterprise Application Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework: Part 1

Published:May 26, 2006
Language(s):English, French, German, Japanese
Audience(s):Developers
Technology:Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
Type:Proctored Exam
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About this Exam
When the exam begins, you can choose the programming language in which the code segments will appear. The available code languages for this exam are:
  • Microsoft Visual Basic 2005
  • Microsoft Visual C# 2005
Audience Profile
Candidates for this exam work on a team in a medium-sized or large development environment that uses Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Developer or Visual Studio 2005. Candidates should have at least two years of experience developing Windows-based applications by using the Microsoft .NET Framework. Candidates should have a working knowledge of Visual Studio 2005.
Candidates should have at least three to four years of on-the-job experience dedicated to Windows-based and Web-based application development. Candidates should have worked in the following phases of the application life cycle:
  • Technical envisioning and planning
  • Design and development
  • Stabilizing and releasing
Candidates should be able to design and develop the Web interface of common business applications, such as:
  • Web-based client applications, both intranet and Internet, that may connect to data stores or middle-tier business logic
  • Data-oriented applications that provide data entry, data analysis, and reporting capabilities
  • Workflow and communication applications
  • Inventory and resource planning applications
  • Financial and accounting applications
  • Applications for the insurance and pharmaceutical industries
  • Business-to-business (B2B) applications
  • Business-to-customer (B2C) applications
  • Company Web sites
  • Web-based shopping cart applications
Credit Toward CertificationExam 70-553: UPGRADE: MCSD Microsoft .NET Skills to MCPD Enterprise Application Developer by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework: Part 1: counts as credit toward the following certification(s):
Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.
Skills Being MeasuredThis exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below.The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.
Developing applications that use system types and collections
  • Manage data in a .NET Framework application by using .NET Framework 2.0 system types. (Refer System namespace)
    • Value types
    • Reference types
    • Attributes
    • Generic types
    • Exception classes
    • Boxing and UnBoxing
    • TypeForwardedToAttributes class
  • Manage a group of associated data in a .NET Framework application by using collections. (Refer System.Collections namespace)
    • ArrayList class
    • Collection interfaces
    • Iterators
    • Hashtable class
    • CollectionBase class and ReadOnlyCollectionBase class
    • DictionaryBase class and DictionaryEntry class
    • Comparer class
    • Queue class
    • SortedList class
    • BitArray class
    • Stack class
  • Improve type safety and application performance in a .NET Framework application by using generic collections. (Refer System.Collections.Generic namespace)
    • Collection.Generic interfaces
    • Generic Dictionary
    • Generic Comparer class and Generic EqualityComparer class
    • Generic KeyValuePair structure
    • Generic List class, Generic List.Enumerator structure, and Generic SortedList class
    • Generic Queue class and Generic Queue.Enumerator structure
    • Generic SortedDictionary class
    • Generic LinkedList
    • Generic Stack class and Generic Stack.Enumerator structure
  • Implement .NET Framework interfaces to cause components to comply with standard contracts. (Refer System namespace)
    • IComparable interface
    • IDisposable interface
    • IConvertible interface
    • ICloneable interface
    • INullableValue interface
    • IEquatable interface
    • IFormattable interface
Embedding configuration, diagnostic, management, and installation features into a .NET Framework application
  • Embed configuration management functionality into a .NET Framework application. (Refer System.Configuration namespace)
    • Configuration class and ConfigurationManager class
    • ConfigurationSettings class, ConfigurationElement class, ConfigurationElementCollection class, and ConfigurationElementProperty class
    • Implement IConfigurationSectionHandler interface
    • ConfigurationSection class, ConfigurationSectionCollection class, ConfigurationSectionGroup class, and ConfigurationSectionGroupCollection class
    • Implement ISettingsProviderService interface
    • Implement IApplicationSettingsProvider interface
    • ConfigurationValidationBase class
    • Implement IConfigurationSystem interface
  • Debug and trace a .NET Framework application by using the System.Diagnostics namespace.
    • Debug class and Debugger class
    • Trace class, CorrelationManager class, TraceListener class, TraceSource class, TraceSwitch class, XmlWriterTraceListener class, DelimitedListTraceListener class, and EventlogTraceListener class
    • Debugger attributes
Implementing serialization and input/output functionality in a .NET Framework application
  • Serialize or deserialize an object or an object graph by using runtime serialization techniques. (Refer System.Runtime.Serialization namespace)
    • Serialization interfaces
    • Serialization attributes
    • SerializationEntry structure and SerializationInfo class
    • ObjectManager class
    • Formatter class, FormatterConverter class, and FormatterServices class
    • StreamingContext structure
  • Control the serialization of an object into XML format by using the System.Xml.Serialization namespace.
    • Serialize and deserialize objects into XML format by using the XmlSerializer class.
    • Control serialization by using serialization attributes.
    • Implement XML Serialization interfaces to provide custom formatting for XML serialization.
    • Delegates and event handlers provided by the System.Xml.Serialization namespace
  • Access files and folders by using the File System classes. (Refer System.IO namespace)
    • File class and FileInfo class
    • Directory class and DirectoryInfo class
    • DriveInfo class and DriveType enumeration
    • FileSystemInfo class and FileSystemWatcher class
    • Path class
    • ErrorEventArgs class and ErrorEventHandler delegate
    • RenamedEventArgs class and RenamedEventHandler delegate
  • Compress or decompress stream information in a .NET Framework application (refer System.IO.Compression namespace), and improve the security of application data by using isolated storage. (Refer System.IO.IsolatedStorage namespace)
    • IsolatedStorageFile class
    • IsolatedStorageFileStream class
    • DeflateStream class
    • GZipStream class
Improving the security of .NET Framework applications by using the .NET Framework 2.0 security features
  • Implement access control by using the System.Security.AccessControl classes.
    • DirectorySecurity class, FileSecurity class, FileSystemSecurity class, and RegistrySecurity class
    • AccessRule class
    • AuthorizationRule class and AuthorizationRuleCollection class
    • CommonAce class, CommonAcl class, CompoundAce class, GeneralAce class, and GeneralAcl class
    • AuditRule class
    • MutexSecurity class, ObjectSecurity class, and SemaphoreSecurity class
  • Implement a custom authentication scheme by using the System.Security.Authentication classes. (Refer System.Security.Authentication namespace)
    • Authentication algorithms and SSL protocols
  • Encrypt, decrypt, and hash data by using the System.Security.Cryptography classes. (Refer System.Security.Cryptography namespace)
    • DES class and DESCryptoServiceProvider class
    • HashAlgorithm class
    • DSA class and DSACryptoServiceProvider class
    • SHA1 class and SHA1CryptoServiceProvider class
    • TripleDES and TripleDESCryptoServiceProvider class
    • MD5 class and MD5CryptoServiceProvider class
    • RSA class and RSACryptoServiceProvider class
    • RandomNumberGenerator class
    • CryptoStream class
    • CryptoConfig class
    • RC2 class and RC2CryptoServiceProvider class
    • AssymetricAlgorithm class
    • ProtectedData class and ProtectedMemory class
    • RijndaelManaged class and RijndaelManagedTransform class
    • CspParameters class
    • CryptoAPITransform class
    • Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC)
  • Control permissions for resources by using the System.Security.Permission classes. (Refer System.Security.Permission namespace)
    • SecurityPermission class
    • PrincipalPermission class
    • FileIOPermission class
    • StrongNameIdentityPermission class
    • UIPermission class
    • UrlIdentityPermission class
    • PublisherIdentityPermission class
    • GacIdentityPermission class
    • FileDialogPermission class
    • DataProtectionPermission class
    • EnvironmentPermission class
    • IUnrestrictedPermission interface
    • RegistryPermission class
    • IsolatedStorageFilePermission class
    • KeyContainerPermission class
    • ReflectionPermission class
    • StorePermission class
    • SiteIdentityPermission class
  • Control code privileges by using System.Security.Policy classes. (Refer System.Security.Policy namespace)
    • ApplicationSecurityInfo class and ApplicationSecurityManager class
    • ApplicationTrust class and ApplicationTrustCollection class
    • Evidence class and PermissionRequestEvidence class
    • CodeGroup class, FileCodeGroup class, FirstMatchCodeGroup class, NetCodeGroup class, and UnionCodeGroup class
    • Condition classes
    • PolicyLevel class and PolicyStatement class
    • IApplicationTrustManager interface, IMembershipCondition interface, and IIdentityPermissionFactory interface
  • Access and modify identity information by using the System.Security.Principal classes. (Refer System.Security.Principal namespace)
    • GenericIdentity class and GenericPrincipal class
    • WindowsIdentity class and WindowsPrincipal class
    • NTAccount class and SecurityIdentifier class
    • IIdentity interface and IPrincipal interface
    • WindowsImpersonationContext class
    • IdentityReference class and IdentityReferenceCollection class
Implementing interoperability, reflection, and mailing functionality in a .NET Framework application
  • Send electronic mail to a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server for delivery from a .NET Framework application. (Refer System.Net.Mail namespace)
    • MailMessage class
    • MailAddress class and MailAddressCollection class
    • SmtpClient class, SmtpPermission class, and SmtpPermissionAttribute class
    • Attachment class, AttachmentBase class, and AttachmentCollection class
    • SmtpException class, SmtpFailedReceipientException class, and SmtpFailedReceipientsException class
    • SendCompletedEventHandler delegate
    • LinkedResource class and LinkedResourceCollection class
    • AlternateView class and AlternateViewCollection class
Implementing globalization, drawing, and text manipulation functionality in a .NET Framework application
  • Enhance the user interface of a .NET Framework application by using the System.Drawing namespace.
    • Enhance the user interface of a .NET Framework application by using brushes, pens, colors, and fonts.
    • Enhance the user interface of a .NET Framework application by using graphics, images, bitmaps, and icons.
    • Enhance the user interface of a .NET Framework application by using shapes and sizes.
Creating and Programming a Web Application
  • Add and configure Web server controls.
    • Add Web server controls to a Web Form.
    • Configure the properties of Web server controls programmatically.
    • Configure Web server control properties by using the Microsoft Visual Studio Property Editor.
    • Specify whether events of a control cause a Web Form to post to the server.
    • Configure a control to receive postback events.
    • Access controls in Web Forms pages when working with naming containers and child controls.
    • Create HTML server controls in the designer.
    • Set HTML server control properties programmatically.
    • Use HTML server controls to programmatically access HTML tags.
    • Create HTML controls as elements in an HTML document.
    • Use the AdRotator Web server control to manage banners and pop-up windows.
    • Use the Button Web server control to send a command to the server when a button is clicked.
    • Display a calendar on a Web page by using the Calendar Web server control.
    • Implement the CheckBox Web server control.
    • Implement the FileUpload Web server control.
    • Create and manipulate links on a Web Form by using the HyperLink Web server control.
    • Display an image on a Web Form by using the Image Web server control.
    • Implement a button on a Web Form by using the ImageButton Web server control.
    • Define hotspot regions within an image by using the ImageMap Web server control.
    • Use the Label Web server control to display customized text on a Web page.
    • Display a hyperlink style button on a Web Form by using the LinkButton Web server control.
    • Display lists of information by using controls that derive from the ListControl class.
    • Create a Web Form with static text by using the Literal Web server control.
    • Implement pagination for controls on a page by using the Pager Web server control.
    • Use the Panel Web server control to arrange controls in groups on a page.
    • Create a container for a group of View controls by using the MultiView Web server control.
    • Use the View Web server control to create a Web application.
    • Create a mutually exclusive set of choices by using the RadioButton Web server control.
    • Construct a table by using the Table, TableRow, and TableCell Web server controls.
    • Enable users to type information into a Web Form by using the TextBox Web server control.
    • Create a wizard by using the Wizard Web server control to collect data through multiple steps of a process.
    • Use the XML Web server control to create XML data at the location of the control.
    • Customize the appearance of Web server controls by using Web control templates.
    • Programmatically edit settings in a Web site's configuration file.
    • Dynamically add Web server controls to a Web Forms page.
  • Configure settings for a Web application.
    • Configure system-wide settings in the Machine.config file.
    • Configure settings for a Web application in the Web.config file.
    • Manage a Web application's configuration by using the Web Site Administration Tool.
  • Program a Web application.
    • Redirect users to another Web page by using a server-side method.
    • Detect browser types in Web Forms.
    • Ascertain the cause of an unhandled exception at the page level.
    • Programmatically access the header of a Web page.
    • Implement cross-page postbacks.
    • Assign focus to a control on a page when the page is displayed.
    • Avoid performing unnecessary processing on a round trip by using a page's IsPostBack property.
    • Access encapsulated page and application context.
    • Avoid unnecessary client-side redirection by using the HttpServerUtility.Transfer method.
    • Avoid round trips by using client-side scripts.
    • Use a page's Async attribute to create a page that has built-in asynchronous capabilities.
    • Convert HTML server controls to HTML elements.
Integrating Data in a Web Application by Using ADO.NET, XML, and Data-Bound Controls
  • Implement data-bound controls.
    • Use tabular data source controls to return tabular data.
    • Use hierarchical data source controls to display hierarchical data.
    • Display data by using simple data-bound controls.
    • Display data by using composite data-bound controls.
    • Display data by using hierarchical data-bound controls.
    • Use the FormView control to display the values of a single table record from a data source.
  • Manage connections and transactions of databases.
    • Configure a connection to a database graphically by using the Connection Wizard.
    • Configure a connection by using Server Explorer.
    • Configure a connection to a database by using the connection class.
    • Connect to a database by using specific database connection objects.
    • Enumerate through instances of Microsoft SQL Server by using the DbProviderFactories.GetFactoryClasses method.
    • Open a connection by using the Open method of a connection object.
    • Close a connection by using the connection object.
    • Secure a connection to protect access to your data source.
    • Create a connection designed for reuse in a connection pool.
    • Control connection pooling by configuring ConnectionString values based on database type.
    • Use connection events to detect database information.
    • Handle connection exceptions when connecting to a database.
    • Perform transactions by using the ADO.NET Transaction object.
  • Create, delete, and edit data in a connected environment.
    • Retrieve data by using a DataReader object.
    • Build SQL commands visually in Server Explorer.
    • Build SQL commands in code.
    • Create parameters for a command object.
    • Perform database operations by using a command object.
    • Retrieve data from a database by using a command object.
    • Perform asynchronous operations by using a command object.
    • Perform bulk copy operations to copy data to a SQL Server computer.
    • Store and retrieve binary large object (BLOB) data types in a database.
Creating Custom Web Controls
  • Create a composite Web application control.
    • Create a user control.
    • Convert a Web Forms page to a user control.
    • Include a user control in a Web Forms page.
    • Manipulate user control properties.
    • Handle user control events within the user control code-declaration block or code-behind file.
    • Create instances of user controls programmatically.
    • Develop user controls in a code-behind file.
    • Create a templated user control.
Tracing, Configuring, and Deploying Applications
  • Copy a Web application to a target server by using the Copy Web tool.
  • Precompile a Web application by using the Publish Web tool.
  • Optimize and troubleshoot a Web application.
    • Customize event-level analysis by using the ASP.NET health-monitoring API.
    • Use performance counters to track the execution of an application.
    • Troubleshoot a Web application by using ASP.NET tracing.
    • Optimize performance by using the ASP.NET Cache object.
Customizing and Personalizing a Web Application
  • Implement a consistent page design by using master pages.
    • Create a master page.
    • Add a ContentPlaceHolder control to a master page.
    • Specify default content for a ContentPlaceHolder.
    • Reference external resources in a master page.
    • Define the content of a particular page in a content page.
    • Create a content page.
    • Add content to a content page.
    • Reference a master page member from a content page.
    • Handle events when using master pages.
    • Create a nested master page.
    • Change master pages dynamically.
  • Customize a Web page by using themes and user profiles.
    • Apply a theme declaratively.
    • Apply a theme programmatically.
    • Apply a user-selected theme programmatically.
    • Define custom themes.
    • Define the appearance of a control by using skins.
    • Enable users to personalize an application by using Web Parts.
    • Track and store user-specific information by using user profiles.
    • Personalize a Web page by dynamically adding or removing child controls in a Placeholder control at run time.
  • Implement Web Parts in a Web application.
    • Track and coordinate all Web Parts controls on a page by adding a WebPartManager control.
    • Connect Web Parts to each other by using connection objects.
    • Divide a page that uses Web Parts into zones by using WebPartZones.
    • Present a list of available Web Parts controls to users by using CatalogPart controls.
    • Enable users to edit and personalize Web Parts controls on a page by using EditorPart controls.
Implementing Authentication and Authorization
  • Establish a user's identity by using forms authentication.
    • Configure forms authentication for a Web application by using a configuration file.
    • Enable cookieless forms authentication by setting the cookieless attribute.
    • Use membership APIs and the Membership class to manage users.
    • Enable anonymous identification.
  • Use authorization to establish the rights of an authenticated user.
    • Manage roles in the Web Site Administration Tool.
    • Ascertain whether a specific user is in role.
    • Get the roles for a specific user by using the Roles object or the User object.
    • Store role information in a cookie.
    • Restrict access to files by using file authorization.
    • Restrict access to portions of an application by using URL authorization.
  • Use login controls to control access to a Web application.
    • Use the Login Web server control.
    • Use the LoginView Web server control to view a user's login status.
    • Use the PasswordRecovery Web server control to allow a user to recover a password.
    • Use the LoginStatus Web server control to display either a login or logout link.
    • Use the LoginName Web server control to display a user's login name on a Web page.
    • Use the CreateUserWizard Web server control as a UI for creating new Web application user accounts.
    • Use the ChangePassword Web server control to allow users to change their passwords.
    • Specify the membership provider used for logging on.
    • Configure a mail server so that login controls can be used to send e-mail messages to users.
Creating ASP.NET Mobile Web Applications
  • Create a mobile Web application project.
  • Use device-specific rendering to display controls on a variety of devices.
  • Use adaptive rendering to modify the appearance of Web server controls.
  • Use the mobile Web controls to display content on a device.
Creating a UI for a Windows Forms Application by Using Standard Controls
  • Manage control layout on a Windows Form.
    • Group and arrange controls by using the Panel control, GroupBox control, TabControl control, FlowLayoutPanel control, and TableLayoutPanel control.
    • Use the SplitContainer control to create dynamic container areas.
  • Add and configure a Windows Forms control.
    • Use the integrated development environment (IDE) to add a control to a Windows Form or other container control of a project at design time.
    • Add controls to a Windows Form at run time.
    • Configure controls on a Windows Form at design time to optimize the UI.
    • Modify control properties.
    • Configure controls on a Windows Form at run time to ensure that the UI complies with best practices.
    • Create and configure command controls on a Windows Form.
    • Create and configure text edit controls on a Windows Form.
    • Create and configure text display controls on a Windows Form.
    • Use the LinkLabel control to add Web-style links to Windows Forms applications.
    • Provide a list of options on a Windows Form by using a ListBox control, a ComboBox control, or a CheckedListBox control.
    • Configure the layout and functionality of a Windows Form to display a list of items.
    • Implement value-setting controls on a Windows Form.
    • Configure a WebBrowser control.
    • Add and configure date-setting controls on a Windows Form.
    • Display images by using Windows Forms controls.
    • Configure the NotifyIcon component.
    • Create access keys for Windows Forms controls.
  • Create and configure menus.
    • Create and configure a MenuStrip component on a Windows Form.
    • Change the displayed menu structure programmatically.
    • Create and configure the ContextMenuStrip component on a Windows Form.
Integrating Data in a Windows Forms Application
  • Implement data-bound controls.
    • Use the DataGridView control to display and update the tabular data contained in a data source.
    • Use a simple data-bound control to display a single data element on a Windows Form.
    • Implement complex data binding to integrate data from multiple sources.
    • Navigate forward and backward through records in a DataSet in Windows Forms.
    • Define a data source by using a DataConnector component.
    • Create data forms by using the Data Form Wizard.
  • Manage connections and transactions.
    • Configure a connection to a database by using the Connection Wizard.
    • Configure a connection to a database by using Server Explorer.
    • Configure a connection to a database by using the Connection class.
    • Connect to a database by using specific database Connection objects.
    • Enumerate through instances of Microsoft SQL Server.
    • Open an ADO.NET connection to a database.
    • Close an ADO.NET connection to a database by using the Close method of the Connection object.
    • Protect access to data source connection details.
    • Create a connection designed for reuse in a connection pool.
    • Control a connection pool by configuring ConnectionString values based on database type.
    • Use the Connection events to detect database information.
    • Handle exceptions when connecting to a database.
    • Perform transactions by using the Transaction object.
  • Read, write, and validate XML by using the XmlReader class and the XmlWriter class.
    • Read XML data by using the XmlReader class.
    • Read all XML element and attribute content.
    • Read specific element and attribute content.
    • Read XML data by using the XmlTextReader class.
    • Read node trees by using the XmlNodeReader class.
    • Validate XML data by using the XmlValidatingReader class.
    • Write XML data by using the XmlWriter class.
Enhancing Usability
  • Create, configure, and customize user assistance controls and components.
    • Configure the PropertyGrid component.
    • Configure the ProgressBar control to indicate progress graphically.
    • Display status information by using the StatusStrip control.
    • Configure the ToolTip component.
    • Configure the ErrorProvider component.
    • Configure the HelpProvider component.
    • Play system sounds and audio files by using the SoundPlayer.
    • Configure the Timer component to raise an event at regular intervals.
    • Enable scrolling by using the HScrollBar and VScrollBar controls.
Implementing Asynchronous Programming Techniques to Improve the User Experience
  • Manage a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.
    • Run a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.
    • Announce the completion of a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.
    • Cancel a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.
    • Report the progress of a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.
    • Request the status of a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.
Configuring and Deploying Applications
  • Configure the installation of a Windows Forms application by using ClickOnce technology.
    • Install a Windows Forms application on a client computer by using ClickOnce deployment.
    • Install a Windows Forms application from a server by using ClickOnce deployment.
    • Configure the required permissions of an application by using ClickOnce deployment.
Preparation Tools and ResourcesTo help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills Measured" tab.
Classroom Training
Microsoft E-Learning There is no Microsoft E-Learning training currently available.
Microsoft Press Books There are no Microsoft Press books currently available.
Practice Tests
Microsoft Online Resources
  • Learning Plan: Get started by creating a step-by-step study guide that is based on recommended resources for this exam.
  • Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.
  • TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.
  • MSDN: Designed as a reference for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, newsgroups, and chats.
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