So its final my LG screen is dead. After a couple of googling on my alternate internet device(HTC Hero) I found out it’s easy to fix. Thanks to this website for the amazing archive of fixing LCDs. http://www.ccl-la.com/blog/index.php/lg-l226wtq-bf-monitor-repair/. Just several capacitors failing me, being the jack of all trade that I am I decided I’ll fix it myselft. I went to my trusted electronics shop and purchased some capacitors according to the article, but found I it was the right one. LOL. I opened up the monitor and upon inspection the capacitor ratings are 4 1000uf 25v, 1 470uf 25v and 1 680uf 25v high temp. So back to the electronics shop. So after removing the old capacitors and soldering the new ones. The Monitor is good and alive again. Took only atleast $3 for the whole thing.

Took some snaps while I was at it.

So a little bit of guts and the need to save on service fee, just DIY(Do-It-Yourself), make sure you have the right tools, a philips, screwdriver, soldering iron, soldering lead and check the ratings of the capacitors before purchasing.

BTW my HTC Hero was bought from Hong Kong so it’s default local is in cantonese after the update.

Saw this vid and looking forward to using it. Currently App Inventor is on beta and not ready for public. You can sign up and you would be notified soon by the App Inventor Team on its availability. In the meantime check out this vid.

two main types
-lookup
-master-detail

two special types // implementation of the two
-self relationships
-many to many relationships

lookup relationships
-loosely coupled
* child field value may be optional
* no cascade delte
* independent ownerhip / — independent access control
* max 25 lookup per child
– child may not have a parent

master detail
-tightly coupled
* child field vale is always required
* cascade delete
* inherited ownership * sharing
* max 2 per detail object

Custom Fields
- store the data for your custom object records
- automatically include some standard fields
- create custom fields to store additional information

Custom Fields and External Ids
- Custom index on any custom field of type Text, Number or Email
- Available on all objects that support custom fields
- User-defined cross-reference field
- Why is it important?

– Increases report and API SOQL performance
– Used with upsert to easiy integrate apps with other systems

- An object can have three External IDs

Encrypted Fields
-Encrypted fields allow for masking data from all users except those with the “View Encrypted Data” permission – provisioned feature
- Encrypted custom fields cannot be unique, an external ID or have default values
- Encrypted fields are editable regardless of whether the user has the “View Encrypted Data” permission – can use validation rules, field level security, page layout etc.. to

2 Types Activites
- Task
- Activity

6 Standard Name fields
-Name
-ID
-Created By
-LAst Modified By
-Created Date/Last Modified Date
-Owner

Custom Objects are the the heart of any application
- provide a structure for storing data
- power the interface elements for users to interact with the data
- store information that is unique and important to your organization
- are reportable and searchable
- have configurable access control features aka Security and Sharing Rules
- has properties such as custom fields, relationships to other objects, page layouts , tabs(optional)

The applications you build on force.com follows a building block layer logic of MVC(Model-View-Controller). Being able to quickly identify on which building block you are working would help on studying the different exam outline.

From wikipedia.

The model is the domain-specific representation of the data upon which the application operates. Domain logic adds meaning to raw data (for example, calculating whether today is the user’s birthday, or the totals, taxes, and shipping charges for shopping cart items). When a model changes its state, it notifies its associated views so they can be refreshed.

Many applications use a persistent storage mechanism such as a database to store data. MVC does not specifically mention the data access layer because it is understood to be underneath or encapsulated by the model. Models are not data access objects; however, in very simple apps that have little domain logic there is no real distinction to be made. Also, the ActiveRecord is an accepted design pattern which merges domain logic and data access code – a model which knows how to persist itself.

The view renders the model into a form suitable for interaction, typically a user interface element. Multiple views can exist for a single model for different purposes.

The controller receives input and initiates a response by making calls on model objects.

NOTE: What I post for my study preparations here are my own understanding and interpretation which are open for corrections and discussions. So please feel free to comment for corrections, I’m always eager to learn.

Then download the Force.com Fundamentals ebook – This book is intensive and requires a lot of reading. It guides you in building your first application using different kind of relationships, adding security, loading data via excel and alot more. It doesn’t cover some other features in the exam though like Data Loader and salesforce enabled features like multicurrency, audit field, etc.. But never the less a good resource.

I found this website which is a great help if you want to get certified, it’s focus though is on Spring 09 release .
Certified Developer

And before taking the exam a prerequisite is that you have finished the Force.com Fundamentals or took the DEV 401 Essentials Training. Good news though is there is an available Itunes podcast of the Dev 401 recorded training . A true jackpot resource. So if you don’t have iTunes get it now and download the podcasts.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=325668840

One thing I felt I was weak and had lots questions is case scenarios and which features of the platform is best to use. So I would be focusing on enhancing that skill too.

Chow for now.

The exam I failed is for the Certified Force.com Developer.

The Salesforce.com Certified Force.com Developer certification exam encompasses the declarative capabilities of the Force.com platform. To achieve this credential, a candidate must successfully complete the exam. This exam is a prerequisite to the Salesforce.com Certified Force.com Advanced Developer exam.

The Salesforce.com Certified Force.com Developer exam is intended for an individual who has experience developing custom applications on the Force.com platform, including practical application of the skills and concepts noted in the exam objectives below. The candidate has successfully completed the Building Applications with Force.com and Visualforce course (DEV 401) from salesforce.com or an Authorized Training Center or possesses equivalent experience and knowledge. The candidate:
:: May not necessarily manage or configure a standard Salesforce CRM application, but has experience with the Salesforce user interface and data model
:: Has broad knowledge of the declarative functionality of the Force.com platform, can describe various use cases for this functionality, and can use this functionality to create applications using the standard Salesforce interface
:: Has a good understanding of the capabilities of the declarative functionality and can identify what application design specifications require the use of Apex or Visualforce
:: Is capable of designing and developing reports/analytics
:: Can identify appropriate solutions to specific business challenges/process requirements by applying knowledge of these features in the current version of the Force.com platform
:: Has invested time in studying the materials from the course and the additional required study materials provided by salesforce.com

So this are what I need to focus on. I’ll be updating this post to link to several new post I would be creating related to my preparation.

Exam Outline are the following:

5% Applicaton Design
List and describe components of an application
Describe the model-view-controller design paradigm
Given a scenario, determine whether sufficient information is available to plan/build/design an application

5% Overview of Force.com Platform
List and describe the steps required to design and deploy a successful application built using the declarative capabilities of the Force.com platform
List and describe the building blocks of an application provided by the Force.com platform

32% Data Model
Describe how to create a functional data model for a business application
Given a scenario, select the features required to create a functional data model for a business application
Describe the properties and implications of choosing one object relationship type over another and distinguish among relationship types
Given a scenario, distinguish among object relationship types, describe how to create relationships, and determine which relationship should be recommended
List and describe the features used to set permission and data access in a custom app
Given a scenario, select the appropriate feature (e.g., profiles, defaults, roles) to provide appropriate permissions and data access in a custom app
List and describe optional (Salesforce -enabled) features for managing the application (e.g., create audit fields, encrypted fields, multicurrency)

15% User Interface
List and describe the components of any Force.com application user interface (e.g., tabs, applications, detail pages, list views)
Given a scenario, determine the capabilities and constraints of the declarative framework for building a user interface (e.g., what can and can’t be done in a page layout)
Describe use cases for how Visualforce can extend the user interface in the declarative framework and when to do so
Describe the capabilities and functionality of Force.com Sites.

23% Business Logic
List and describe how to create formulas, validation rules, and workflow rules
Given a scenario, determine which Force.com feature to use to solve a business requirement and/or describe how to apply the solution
List and describe the capabilities of the Force.com approval processes
Given a scenario, select the appropriate features of Force.com approval processes to satisfy business requirements
List and describe the features of the Force.com platform for debugging and monitoring automated business processes
Describe use cases for extending business logic through Apex

10% Data Management
List and describe the capabilities and constraints of import wizards
List and describe the capabilities and constraints of API-based tools for managing data
List and describe the functions of the Force.com data loader
Describe use cases and functions of external IDs and upsert
Given a scenario, determine appropriate uses of the GUI and command-line interface for the data loader
Describe the characteristics of Force.com record IDs

10% Reporting and Analytics
List and describe capabilities and constraints of reports and analytics of the Force.com platform
Given a scenario, determine methods for analyzing and displaying data

Download the full Salesforce Certified Developer Guide Spring ‘10 here.