With the downturn in the IT industry, employers are getting hundreds of resumes for new job openings. The use of technical interviews and online assessment tools in screening job applicants is becoming very popular in the IT job market, and companies offering IT skills assessment solutions are emerging in the marketplace.

The IBM XML Certification Exam is more difficult and complex than most of the tests or questionnaires used to hire new employees and contractors. By preparing to pass the IBM XML Certification Exam, you will gain the knowledge required to score high at your next interview and get the job you deserve.

Question 1 (Information Modeling)
Which of the following is the best method for preventing any derivation-by-restriction from being used in place of the Message type?

A. <xsd:complexType name="Message"
abstract="true">
<xsd:sequence>
<xsd:element name="Date"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Title"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="GenericName"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Manufacturer"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Link"
type="xsd:anyURI"/>
</xsd:sequence>
</xsd:complexType>

B. <xsd:complexType name="Message"
final="restriction">
<xsd:sequence>
<xsd:element name="Date"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Title"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="GenericName"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Manufacturer"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Link"
type="xsd:anyURI"/>
</xsd:sequence>
</xsd:complexType>

C. <xsd:complexType name="Message"
block="restriction">
<xsd:sequence>
<xsd:element name="Date" type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Title"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="GenericName"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Manufacturer"
type="xsd:string"/>
<xsd:element name="Link"
type="xsd:anyURI"/>
</xsd:sequence>
</xsd:complexType>

Select one answer.
Explanation: Choice C is the correct answer. A schema author can control which derivation and substitution groups may be used in documents that comply with the schema. Replacement by derived types is controlled with the block attribute in the type definition.

In this case, bloc="restriction" is used to block any derivation-by-restriction from being used in place of the Message type.

block="extension" is used to block derivations-by-extensions from being used in place of a type. block="all" is used to block both derivation-by-restriction and derivations-by-extensions from being used in place of a type.

A blockDefault attribute (whose value can be one of the values allowed for the block attribute) can be attached to the schema element to define substitution rules for all type definitions contained in the schema.

The difference between final and block is that the final attribute controls derivations only, not substitution. A finalDefault attribute on the schema element can be used to define derivations rules for all type definitions contained in the schema.

Question 2 (XML Processing)
A purchase order contains multiple line items. Which of the following is the correct method for displaying the string "Supervisor Approval Required!" on purchase orders that contain 10 or more items?

A. <xsl:template match="PurchaseOrder">
<xsl:if test="LineItem[number() >
10]">
<xsl:text>Supervisor Approval
Required! </xsl:text>
</xsl:if>
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>

B. <xsl:template match="Purchase
Order">
<xsl:if test="count(LineItem) > 9">
<xsl:text>Supervisor Approval
Required! </xsl:text>
</xsl:if>
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>

C. <xsl:template match="PurchaseOrder">
<xsl:if test="LineItem[position()
> 10]">
<xsl:text>Supervisor Approval
Required! </xsl:text>
</xsl:if>
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>

Select one answer.
Explanation: Choice B is the correct answer. The count function returns the number of nodes in the argument node set. The position function returns a number equal to the context position from the expression evaluation context.

Question 3 (Architecture)
Two business partners agree to exchange business documents with SOAP1.2 using an XML Schema.

A SOAP1.2-compliant node used by one of the companies generates a fault with a Value of Code set to "env:VersionMismatch".

Which of the following statements correctly explains why the fault was generated?
A.  The local name did not match the SOAPMessage element information item.
B.  The SOAP node received a message that failed to validate against the latest version of the XML Schema.
C.  The root element information item of the message did not match the Envelope element information item.
D.  The Envelope element information contained a SOAP version attribute information item with a value of "1.1".

Select one answer.
Explanation: C is correct. The SOAP1.2 Envelope element information item has a local name of Envelope and a namespace name of "http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope".

If the namespace, local name, or both do not match the Envelope element information item, a VersionMismatch fault code is generated.

Question 4 (XML Rendering)
An airline is implementing an XML-based publishing system for the technical documentation used to maintain and operate its aircrafts.

Aircraft technicians and pilots will access the technical documentation in e-book format using portable devices. The e-books will be in an XML format defined by the Open E-Book Forum. The engineering department will access the documentation in HTML format on the airline's intranet with Web browsers.

In overseas airports without online access, a printed version of the technical documentation will be used.

Which of the following is least likely to be required by this architecture?
A.  XSLT and CSS will be used together to render the XML documents in Web browsers.
B.  CSS will be used to transform the XML documents into HTML.
C.  XSL Formatting Objects will be used to produce an output format suitable for presentation in print.
D.  CSS will be used to format the XML documents for presentation in print.

Select one answer.
Explanation: Choice B is the correct answer. The requirement for print can be satisfied by using XSL formatting objects to transform the XML data into a print-ready format like PDF. CSS is not transformational and only adds formatting properties to the source tree. CSS supports the formatting of XML documents for paged media like print. In CSS2.0, an @page rule is used to specify the dimensions, orientation, and margins of a page box.

The following example sets the width to be 8.5in and the height to 11in:

@page {
size: 8.5in 11in;
}

Margins for left, right, and first pages, respectively:

@page :left {
margin-left: 3cm;
margin-right: 2cm;
}

@page :right {
margin-left: 2cm;
margin-right: 3cm;
}

@page :first {
margin-top: 8cm
}

Question 5 (Testing & Tuning)
Consider the following stylesheet in a part.xsl file:

<!--part.xsl -->
<xsl:template match="Part">
Part Number: <xsl:value-of select="@PartNumber" />
</xsl:template >

A description.xsl file also contains a template for the "Part" element and imports the part.xsl file as follows:

<!--description.xsl -->
<xsl:import href="part.xsl" />
<xsl:template match="Part" >
Description: <xsl:value-of select="Description" />
</xsl:template >

Which of the following XSLT elements provide a way to display part numbers before their corresponding description?

A. <!--description.xsl -->
<xsl:import href="part.xsl" />
<xsl:template match="Part" >
<xsl:apply-imports/>
Description: <xsl:value-of select="Description" />
</xsl:template >

B. <!--description.xsl -->
<xsl:import href="part.xsl" />
<xsl:template match="Part" >
<xsl:apply-templates/>
Description: <xsl:value-of select="Description" />
</xsl:template >

C. <!--description.xsl -->
<xsl:import href="part.xsl" />
<xsl:template match="Part" >
<xsl:call-templates/>
Description: <xsl:value-of select="Description" />
</xsl:template >

D. <!--description.xsl -->
<xsl:import href="part.xsl" />
<xsl:template match="Part" >
<xsl:value-of select="apply-imports"/>
Description: <xsl:value-of select="Description" />
</xsl:template >

Select one answer.
Explanation: A is correct. According to XSLT precedence rules, template rules in the importing stylesheet take precedence over template rules in the imported stylesheet.

Therefore, the template rule in the description.xsl file overrides the template rule in the part.xsl file. However, the xsl:apply-imports element can be used to invoke the overridden template rule.

When a template rule matches a pattern, the template rule becomes the current template rule for the instantiation of the rule's template. When invoked with the xsl:apply-templates element, a template becomes the current template rule. This does not apply to the xsl:for-each element; the current template rule for the instantiation of the content of the xsl:for-each element is null.

The xsl:apply-imports processes the current node by invoking only template rules that have the same mode as the current template rule and are defined in an imported stylesheet.

It is an error if xsl:apply-imports is instantiated when the current template rule is null.

Conclusion
During your next technical interview, answer questions by offering details and concrete examples of scenarios where XML concepts are applied in the real world. At the exam, answer all questions that you find easy first. Mark all questions that you find difficult for later review. Review the marked questions at the end, going through them several times if necessary. Following these tips can put you on the path to your next XML job!