Rating: 
Summary: SM
Review: I initially got this book mainly as a prep for the IBM Cert exam but then discovered that there's tons of great stuff for development and testing. I've usually had to dig into a number of sources for this stuff, if I could even find the info. It's all here in this book. I especially found the profling chapter informative. I'd wondered about WSAD's profiler and usefulness but couldn't find much info on it. This book's got tons in it. Worth getting if you're doing any serious dev in WSAD 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive book for dev and certification
Review: I initially got this book mainly as a prep for the IBM Cert exam but then discovered that there's tons of great stuff for development and testing. I've usually had to dig into a number of sources for this stuff, if I could even find the info. It's all here in this book. I especially found the profling chapter informative. I'd wondered about WSAD's profiler and usefulness but couldn't find much info on it. This book's got tons in it. Worth getting if you're doing any serious dev in WSAD 5.
Rating:
Summary: Certification Study Guide and Graudate Level Textbook
Review: I just wanted you shoppers here at Amazon.com to know that the strength of the book lies, in part, in it's dual nature. It atempts to fulfill two distinct roles. The first is as a certification study guide for a highly advanced certification exam, and it really does cover everything you need to know in order to pass the IBM 287 test. The second is as a graduate level text for universities, so we have attempted to present a logical flow throughout book as a whole.The team of authors I selected are highly respected among their peers as authorities in their individual areas, and their contributions are, in my opinion, second to none. The individual chapters do more that just cover the certification objectives. They provide true, in depth explanations of things you need to know as an enterprise developer. My team has worked with Websphere for years and their collective experience is now available to you, courtesy of Amazon.com and my publisher. I can't give out my email address here, but I can tell you that I am frequently lurking at www.JavaRanch.com, in the Product and Other Certifications forum (and other as well), and am known to reply to posts there.
Rating:
Summary: A comprehensive book
Review: I like this book much because it covers almost all the concepts and even handson for enterprise development with WebSphere Studio, especially the transaction and security chapters save us much development time.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive hands-on guide
Review: I've found this book very useful as a way to get to know my way around the WebSphere Studio V5 tools. I especially valued the treatment of EJB transactions and guidance on using the Java Profiler. If you need to make good use of the tool and you could do with a brush up on key J2EE concepts then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive hands-on guide
Review: I've found this book very useful as a way to get to know my way around the WebSphere Studio V5 tools. I especially valued the treatment of EJB transactions and guidance on using the Java Profiler. If you need to make good use of the tool and you could do with a brush up on key J2EE concepts then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: SM
Review: Not able to find code examples on the CDs?
Do I need to install the Server or Studio to get the example
code from the CD i.e mentioned at the beginning of the second
chapter, end of first paragraph. With out examples, it is
very difficult to go thro the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Study Guide and Multipurpose too!
Review: Not only is this a great study guide for the 287 test, it can also help you prepare for the 484 (chapters 3-10). I am also finding this book indespensible as a reference for making performance tweaks and profiling applications. I'm not so sure as a graduate level course book. Being M.S. grad. in comp. sci., the focus is more towards the theory and much more pedantic than what this book, which is much more PRACTICAL!! One distracting factor was there were a ton of typos in the book -- it was like it was never spell checked. Howard, really nail down the publisher on this one next time around. Other than that you should be about 70% there with this book. But I'll warn you, these tests are fairly difficult and nothing prepares as well as some real world application development. Use the book as intended...a study guide! Best of luck!
Rating:
Summary: Great Study Guide and Multipurpose too!
Review: Not only is this a great study guide for the 287 test, it can also help you prepare for the 484 (chapters 3-10). I am also finding this book indespensible as a reference for making performance tweaks and profiling applications. I'm not so sure as a graduate level course book. Being M.S. grad. in comp. sci., the focus is more towards the theory and much more pedantic than what this book, which is much more PRACTICAL!! One distracting factor was there were a ton of typos in the book -- it was like it was never spell checked. Howard, really nail down the publisher on this one next time around. Other than that you should be about 70% there with this book. But I'll warn you, these tests are fairly difficult and nothing prepares as well as some real world application development. Use the book as intended...a study guide! Best of luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Good material for passing the certification test...
Review: Target Audience
Developers who are looking to learn how to build J2EE applications using Websphere Studio Application Developer and obtain certification on the tool. Contents
This book is a tutorial towards learning how to develop J2EE applications using the WebSphere Studio Application Developer (WSAD) product with an eye towards passing certification test #287. The book is divided into the following chapters: Introduction To IBM WebSphere; Developing Enterprise Applications With WebSphere Studio; Servlets; JavaServer Pages (JSP); Developing EJBs - Session Beans And The EJB Architecture; Developing Entity EJBs With Websphere Studio; Message-Driven Beans; Transactions; Security; JCA Tools And Supports; Profiling Analysis Tools In WebSphere Studio; Implementing Clients; Packaging And Deployment; WebSphere Administration; Remote Debugger And Java Component Test Tools In WebSphere Studio; CD Instructions; End Of Chapter Questions And Answers; Index Review
IBM offers a number of certifications that revolve around the WebSphere Studio product. The top end certification in this track is the IBM Certified Enterprise Developer, also known as test 287. If you want some help in focusing your study, take a look at this book. The author lists each certification objective to start the chapter, and then does an introduction of the subject matter, like security. From there, the topic is covered with text, diagrams where needed, and how it relates specifically to the WebSphere Studio package. This last part is where you'll get the most value. There are a number of books that can teach you about JavaServer Pages or servlets. Very few will make the connection to allow you to use WebSphere Studio to create those design elements. To wrap up each chapter, there are a number of questions you can use to assess your knowledge of the topic in preparation for the test. This book does assume that you already know the J2EE technologies that are being covered. While the author does attempt to provide background material on each topic, you really do need to know it before you get to this point. The focus is on how each technology works with WebSphere for the purpose of passing the test. In addition to using this book, I would also recommend getting a sample test from a test vendor. Between that and the book, you will stand a very good chance of passing the test. Conclusion
If your goal is to pass test 287 in the IBM certification track, this is a good choice to focus your study time.
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