CQUniversity signed up to use MuleSoft Anypoint Platform in June of 2018 after going through our request for information (RFQ) and selection processes. The first task was to look at converting all the existing integrations that used a combination of PHP and IBM Websphere Cast Iron to MuleSoft Anypoint Platform.
To prepare for and execute this implementation, we needed to get trained and certified in MuleSoft technologies. Let’s explore how you can help train your team to implement and manage Anypoint Platform, using experience-based recommendations from CQUniversity.
How to apply MuleSoft Training and lessons for your team
In 2016, we were starting to explore API development and lifecycle management products before requesting quotations from different vendors. Due to the staggered release of the different courses, I always learned something new and took those learnings back to our team to include in our development standards.
Some core insights that helped grow CQUniversity’s development processes and guidelines include the following series of courses.
- These courses help you understand the types of things to look for in an API product, e.g. the features we needed to include in our search for an API vendor product.
- These courses helped us revise some of our Bamboo deployment pipelines and our general project structure. As a result, we began to look more closely at reuse of API fragments.
- This course provided greater knowledge around the correct structuring of networks. This led to planning a better structure for the API levels for all new work.
- This course helped further update the way we structure and manage environment properties in our projects. We put a base BOM and parent POM in place and revised the development process to simplify pipeline creation and secure properties deployment.
- This course provided us with new ideas to feed back into our development processes, including using the XML SDK to simplify reuse, standardizing the retry logic for API invocations, and focusing on better resilience within the network with more appropriately targeted retry times.
The initial migrations we performed all had a level of technical debt that we want to fix as we learn more. We work to apply our new knowledge to our existing environments and for any new projects we work on.
Here are several additional MuleSoft resources that are beneficial:
- Updates to self-paced training: All training courses, self-paced or instructor-led, have student manuals that are consistently updated to apply to the latest version of Anypoint Platform.
- MuleSoft documentation: A detailed resource that contains great information and insights, especially the Mule Runtime section and DataWeave Language. Make sure you are viewing the documentation corresponding to the software version you are using, e.g. Mule Runtime 4.3.x.
- RAML 1.0 Spec
- VirtualMuleys on YouTube
Benefits of MuleSoft Certifications
While your primary inspiration for getting certified may be to validate your understanding of the concepts you learn, there are even more benefits to becoming MuleSoft certified. Reviewing and completing course material to prepare for certification exams ensures a solid understanding of concepts beyond a base level. Not only do you acquire lasting knowledge, but you can publicly list out MuleSoft Certification achievements on LinkedIn. Doing so may attract attention from recruiters, which demonstrates the value of these certifications in the professional marketplace.
Tips for preparing for MuleSoft Certification exams
Here are a few tips to help you prepare for MuleSoft Certification exams:
- Take a look at doing the self-paced training or the instructor-led training before the exam. The first time you certify, it’s worth putting in the effort to make sure you have understood the material thoroughly. It’s not just about passing the exam, it’s about embedding the knowledge so that it’s easier to do your development work.
- Don’t allow a long period of time to pass after doing the course before taking the exam. If too much time passes, it’s easy to forget some of the finer details.
- Other helpful resources include the exam datasheets, the DIY exercises, and the practice quizzes. A good one to check out is the MuleSoft Certified Developer, Level 1 DIY exercises and practice quiz.
Tips for preparing for maintenance exams
You may not put as much effort into reviewing all the material for maintenance exams, but you should skim through the most up-to-date material to pick up on any new concepts and enhance knowledge for areas that you may not have touched in a while. For instance, if most of your recent work has not involved any batch processing, take a look at that in more depth with the walkthroughs. Areas you’re already familiar with may just be a case of quickly skimming the walkthrough notes to see if there are any items that jump out as a good reminder or appear new.
You can go through the free self-paced course to review the most up-to-date training material on the latest version of Anypoint Platform. The quickest areas to get through are those where there are few changes and you already understand the content. Other areas require a bit of a slowdown to ensure you don’t miss new features that you need to study more to understand.
How CQUniversity maintains and manages their MuleSoft architecture
Now that the initial implementation of Anypoint Platform is complete, my team focuses on managing our MuleSoft architecture. Some key areas CQUniversity’s MuleSoft Architecture Group focuses on are:
- Developing and reviewing MuleSoft development guidelines and other related documentation standards
- Providing guidance and support for MuleSoft-related security questions and best practices
- Reviewing use case designs before they get implemented in MuleSoft and making sure resources are used efficiently
- Configuring Anypoint Platform including security update monitoring, API management configuration, policy updates, and DLB configuration
Continuing your learning journey with MuleSoft
When continuing your MuleSoft knowledge journey, remember to do the following: discover new patterns or ways of implementing something and refine that knowledge to solve more complex problems; learn from others and see how they address similar issues; and gain more insight from each training course to make a difference on the next implementation.
Get the most out of Anypoint Platform for integration, APIs, and automation with a MuleSoft Training and Certification. Enroll in a course or schedule a certification exam today!
