Thoughts on the New Dynamics Operations and Financials Development Certification (MB6-890)

Today I got around to taking the only Dynamics Operations Technical exam during my lunch break from work. I passed it, but I thought I would write this post for all of you hard core technical people who are burning the midnight oil to keep those skills current and verified. It’s a challenge to keep your skills up and not become outdated. But the rewards are well worth it.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS EXAM?

The highlights of the exam were definitely a lack of trick coverage and being able to actually study one source of material to pass the exam.

Things I like	Explanation
The Course is Enough here to actually Pass 80730AE..	The course actually covers 90% of the exam material meaning that one could study the course alone and pass! Very rare.
Lots of Good Code Questions	Very good Coverage on just reading basic Syntax. The sort of thing that you would want a developer to be able to do.
Some Good new Interface Questions	Exam was very good about covering the new Visual Studio Environment
Not many Trick Questions	It looked like the exam was actually testing knowledge of the product rather than throwing trick questions out there – e.g. which 3 out of the 5 right answers are the “best” answers was nowhere to be seen.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THIS EXAM

I think the most important thing that Microsoft could do is actually name the exam after the right product. It isn’t the Dynamics AX Development exam. It’s the new Dynamics Operations and Financials Development Exam.

But let’s continue with the list

Things I Don’t Like	Explanation
The Exam is named after the wrong Product	The exam is called the “Dynamics AX Development Introduction”. But wait, it’s the new Dynamics Operations Development exam. This is very harmful. Employers won’t know that exam passers achieved certification on the new exam
Lack of Coverage on Code Moves	This was vital and just missing. Extension Points and Over layering, the two most important points for a Dynamics Operations developer to understand were ignored.
Some Bad Questions	There weren’t as many as in the past but there were some stinkers on this exam. I can’t say much without exposing confidential information.
Dude, where are my other exams? (SEE UPDATE ON MCSA and MCSE for Dynamics Operations)	Why is there only an “Intro” exam for Dynamics Technical Development? At least, there was an Admin Exam in the past to balance it. But there is nothing now. Yet, Microsoft has gone heavily towards demonstrating expertise in every other product line with the “MCSE” and “MCSA”. It would be wise for Microsoft to look at this because it is entirely possible.

In summary, I like the exam a lot. I’m going to feedback to issues to Microsoft Learning in hopes that they can make some headway with the Dynamics Operations Product Group. I’ll ask them to raise the possibility of actually naming the exam after the right product and adding more technical areas for an advanced designation like we have in every other product line except Dynamics Operations. But overall, this is a good exam and worth taking. It’s an exciting time where the cloud is concerned. (Edit: See Update for Dynamics Operations MCSA and MCSE covered in my next post)