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Preparation Guide for Exam 70-563

Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Applications Using the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5

Published: April 11, 2008
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Audience profileAudience profile
Credit toward certificationCredit toward certification
Preparation tools and resourcesPreparation tools and resources
Skills being measuredSkills being measured

Exam news

Exam 70-563: Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Applications Using the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 is in development. It is expected to be released in December 2008.

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Audience profile

Candidates for this exam work on a team in a development environment that uses Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2008 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 to build desktop applications. Candidates should have a minimum of three years of experience developing applications including one to two years of experience developing Windows-based applications and a throrough understanding of the Windows Forms technologies in the .NET Framework 3.5.

Additionally, candidates should be able to demonstrate the following by using the .NET Framework 3.5:

•A solid understanding of the Windows applications event model
•Experience creating Windows applications that access data
•Experience planning and designing user interaction solutions
•Experience in the full cycle of Windows applications
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Credit toward certification

When you pass Exam 70-563 Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Applications Using the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, you earn credit toward the following certification:

•Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD): Windows Developer 3.5
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Preparation tools and resources

To 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 being measured" section below.

Classroom trainingMicrosoft E-LearningMicrosoft Press booksPractice tests

There is no classroom training currently available.

There is no Microsoft E-Learning training currently available.

There are no Microsoft Press books currently available.

MeasureUp (Measureup.com)

Self Test Software (Selftestsoftware.com)

Microsoft online resources

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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.

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TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.

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MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.

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Skills being measured

This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed in the following table. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.

Skills measured by Exam 70-563
Validating an application design against specifications (12 percent)

Analyze the technical feasibility of application design.
May include but is not limited to: architecture (Windows vs. ASP), resourcing (staffing, skill sets, hardware, OS), network capacity and distribution, application extensibility, existing applications, exposing APIs, timeframe, integration of third-party controls, applications, external data sources

Validate proof of concept.
May include but is not limited to: evaluating the technical specification and comparing against the proof of concept

Evaluate design against available resources.
May include but is not limited to: cost, timeframe, resources (local vs. distributed teams), hardware resources, network resources, customer infrastructure (required hardware such as servers, routers, and RAM and required software such as OS)

Evaluate testing requirements.
May include but is not limited to: stress testing, testing against high activity and frequency of operations, testing with a true representative sample, building test cases

Planning data management (17 percent)

Plan data access strategy.
May include but is not limited to: retrieve data from disparate data sources (XML data, flat files, and relational databases, manage class-generated data, LINQ), manage bulk imports and exports (ETL, data transformation), choose appropriate data access layer, manage data purity (re-validate data across trust boundaries), manage data asynchronously, leverage synchronization services, connection management

Plan data caching and persistence strategy.
May include but is not limited to: managing data cache, managing data persistence (storing disconnected scenarios, managing offline data), mapping database to local cache (loading all customers locally), managing data state

Select a data storage mechanism.
May include but is not limited to: security, target data engine, target environment (workstation capabilities, OS, bandwidth, domain vs. workgroup, connectivity, reliability)

Plan application data sharing.
May include but is not limited to: managing data shared between forms and processes, managing data synchronization (ADO.NET synchronization services), drag and drop files or objects from outside sources

Design a schema evolution management strategy.
May include but is not limited to: synchronizing an application with a schema

Design a concurrency management strategy.
May include but is not limited to: database segmentation, planning for concurrency and collision avoidance, optimistic vs. pessimistic

Planning user interaction and presentation strategy (17 percent)

Design application content flow.
May include but is not limited to: user navigation, user interface goals, layout techniques (dynamic layout techniques), components not part of control data class (ToolTipProvider, ErrprProvider, HelpProvider)

Plan data capture.
May include but is not limited to: validating input (type converters, regular expressions, apply business rules), responding to mouse and keyboard input, pick list (combo boxes, list boxes, auto-fill text boxes)

Design a reporting strategy.
May include but is not limited to: MicrosoftReportViewer, CrystalReportViewer, print classes, embedded vs. external server-generated reports

Design user interface components.
May include but is not limited to: common dialog boxes, designing navigation by using menus, SDI and MDI (multiple monitor configuration, implementing master and detail), single vs. multiple instances of the application, implementing data binding, abstracting with custom controls (abstract base classes), using and creating user controls (extend a custom control to add functionality, creating a custom DataGridView column), integrating with non-Forms UI elements

Design a data-binding strategy.
May include but is not limited to: populating from XML, populating from SQL, populating from object data source and entity, lazy loads, updating bound data (concurrency management, late commits, lazy commits), data context

Design forms inheritance.
May include but is not limited to: visual inheritance, functionality common across forms

Designing security implementation (15 percent)

Design role-based security.
May include but is not limited to: implementing security by using IPrincipal and IIdentity, custom vs. platform security, managing user functionality, limit or gate access, data decoupling, designing security profiles

Design data transmission and storage.
May include but is not limited to: SSL, encryption (offline data, password management)

Design authentication and authorization.
May include but is not limited to: login mechanism (domain user accounts, SQL Server user accounts), role-based application configuration, security auditing and logging, file system rights and authorization, Web service rights and authentication

Plan Windows Vista compliance.
May include but is not limited to: user application data directory (registry settings, isolated storage)

Plan least-privileged execution.
May include but is not limited to: User Access Control (UAC), assembly authentication, certificate management

Planning application deployment and maintenance (11 percent)

Select an installer.
May include but is not limited to: ClickOnce, MSI, XCOPY, third party (InstallShield)

Plan for multiple-component application deployment.
May include but is not limited to: bootstrap installation, legacy applications, application suite, COM-visible assemblies

Plan application re-deployment.
May include but is not limited to: deploying Windows-based applications and updating, deploying a patch (dependencies on service packs), database synchronization (re-deployment of data in place [merge]), preserving configuration, unattended installation

Plan database deployment.
May include but is not limited to: existing or shared instance; remote server; DLL deployment; shared GAC deployment; embedded database

Plan application removal.
May include but is not limited to: clean uninstall, uninstalling shared components, uninstalling remaining components, restoring client state, clean or restore registry

Plan a performance-monitoring strategy.
May include but is not limited to: profiling, tracing, performance counters, audit trails

Plan an exception-management strategy.
May include but is not limited to: implementing a framework for logging and exception handling, error handling and reporting, user feedback

Designing the application architecture (17 percent)

Plan a globalization and localization strategy.
May include but is not limited to: embedding resources into the application for localization

Design for accessibility.
May include but is not limited to: screen reader, tool tips

Plan an application migration strategy.
May include but is not limited to: interoperability with legacy applications, integrating with non-Forms applications

Design n-layer architecture.
May include but is not limited to: logically separating concerns (business objects layer or tier, data tier), design project structure (effective use of sub projects)

Plan a component re-use strategy.
May include but is not limited to: sharing common resources, coupling of generic elements to specific elements, Object-Oriented modeling techniques, dealing with COM interoperability issues associated with existing legacy components

Plan system resource management.
May include but is not limited to: understand JIT or GAC caching

Plan multi-threaded implementation and UI responsiveness.
May include but is not limited to: implementing multi-threading and reporting progress, updating the UI from a background thread

Designing for optimized performance (11 percent)

Plan optimized data retrieval.
May include but is not limited to: type data sets vs. un-typed data sets, entity models, ORM performance, performance monitoring of tiers for latency and chunkiness (batch retrieval, multiple small calls), roundtrip optimization, caching of frequently used data (pick List data, drop down data, list boxes)

Design state management.
May include but is not limited to: storing application state, storing user state, managing server-side state

Plan resource management.
May include but is not limited to: memory, GDI handles, unmanaged resources, resource disposition memory management, resource planning (skill set to project tasks), order of application component development

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.

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