Oracle Education announced the retirement of several certification tracks on March 13, including the OCA and OCP-level 9i Database Administration certifications. Version 9i has been deprecated since the release of Oracle 10g in 2003, so these tracks should be removed. With the retirement, none of the exams that lead to any of the 9i certifications will be available after July 31, 2013. The specific exams that will be retired are:
- 1Z0-007: Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL
- 1Z0-031: Oracle9i Database: Fundamentals I
- 1Z0-032: Oracle9i Database: Fundamentals II
- 1Z0-033: Oracle9i Database: Performance Tuning
Oracle professionals looking for the Oracle 9i DBA track have been asking what effect this recall will have on the process of earning their certification. The impact of the announcement and the actions you need to take depend on where you are currently in the certification process.
- If you have your 9i OCP Certification — For people who have already passed all the tests and submitted their hands-on training documentation, the retirement of track 9i means nothing at all. Oracle certifications and exam results do not expire when an exam is withdrawn.
- If you completed all the exams, but did not take the training — Oracle will not grant OCP certification until your training has been completed and documentation has been submitted. No training providers are likely to offer 9i classes after the deadline, so you must schedule and complete the required hands-on training by July 31 if you want to complete your 9i OCP.
- If you have the 9i OCA — For candidates who have completed the OCA certification, there are two exams (1Z0-032 and 1Z0-033) plus a hands-on training course that they must take to become an Oracle 9i OCP. Both exams must be taken before July 31St.. As noted above, training is unlikely to be available after that date. If you want to complete your 9i OCP, there is little time to waste.
- If you have not yet started working for the OCP — If you haven’t started preparing for your Oracle DBA certification yet, I would recommend looking for a version newer than 9i. You may be running out of time before you complete the requirements for the 9i OCP. The 10G track will be available for a few years and the 11G track will probably be available for the next ten.
For candidates who have their 9i Associate certification, upgrading to the Professional level has value beyond increased prestige. There is no upgrade path for OCA certifications. However, updating OCP certifications to the next version requires a single test and no training. This means that if you become an Oracle 9i Certified Database Administrator Professional, one exam (1Z0-040) will upgrade your credentials to include Oracle 10G. A second test (1Z0-050) will update your credentials to 11G. Later this year, Oracle will release 12C. At that time, a trial to upgrade to 12C (presumably 1Z0-060) will be available. Becoming an Oracle Certified Professional Administrator and keeping your certifications current is a strong indicator that you are knowledgeable about the Oracle database and are committed to keeping your skills current.