OCM 12c Preparation

 Scoring
For the first time in an OCM exam, Oracle defined the minimum scoring to pass in
each skillset.

*Acceptable performance on each skillset:

For UPGRADE exam:

 Skillset 1 - 56%
 Skillset 2 - 32%
 Skillset 3 - 43%
 Skillset 4 - 44%

For FULL exam:

 Skillset 1 - 60%
 Skillset 2 - 46%
 Skillset 3 - 40%
 Skillset 4 - 33%
 Skillset 5 - 39%
 Skillset 6 - 42%
 Skillset 7 - 54%
 Skillset 8 - 36%

OCM 12c FULL
Skillset1

General Database and Network Administration (PS 60%)

• Create and manage pluggable databases

• Administer users, roles, and privileges
• Configure the network environment to allow connections to multiple databases
• Administer database configuration files
• Configure shared server
• Manage network file directories

Skillset2

Manage Database Availability (PS 46%)

• Install the EM Cloud Control agent Configure recovery catalog

• Configure RMAN
• Perform a full database backup
• Configure and monitor Flashback Database

Skillset3

Data Warehouse Management (PS 40%)

• Manage database links

• Manage a fast refreshable materialized view
• Create a plug-in tablespace by using the transportable tablespace feature
• Optimize star queries
• Configure parallel execution
• Apply a Patch
• Configure Automatic Data Optimization, In-Row Archiving, and Temporal Validity
• Manage external tables

Skillset4

Data Management (PS 33%)

• Manage additional buffer cache

• Optimize space usage for the LOB data
• Manage an encrypted tablespace
• Manage schema data
• Manage partitioned tables
• Set up Fine-Grained Auditing
• Configure the database to retrieve all previous versions of the table rows
Skillset5

Performance Management (PS 39%)

• Configure the Resource Manager

• Tune SQL statements
• Use real application testing
• Manage SQL Plan baselines
• Capture performance statistics
• Tune an instance
• Configure and manage result cache
• Manage extended statistics
• Create and manage partitioned indexes
• Control CPU use for Oracle Instances
• Configure and manage "In Memory" features

Skillset6

Data Guard (PS 42%)

• Administer a Data Guard environment

• Create a physical standby database
• Configure a standby database for testing
• Configure a standby database to apply redo
• Configure a standby database to use for reporting
• Configure fast start failover
• Manage DDL in a Data Guard environment

Skillset7

Grid Infrastructure (PS 54%)

• Install Oracle Grid Infrastructure

• Create ASM Disk Groups
• Create and manage ASM instances
• Configure ASM Cloud File System (ACFS)
• Administer Oracle Clusterware
• Manage Flex Clusters and Flex ASM
Skillset8

Real Application Cluster Database (PS 36%)

• Install Oracle Database software

• Create a Real Application Clusters (RAC) database
• Configure Database Services
• Administer Oracle RAC databases on one or more cluster nodes

Exam Environment

 Oracle Linux Release 6.5 64 bit

 Oracle Database 12c Enterprise Edition Release 12.1.0.2.0  64 bit
 Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)
 Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 12c Rel 4

You can find the download links below. Note that for some of them, you will need
Oracle Support access.

 Oracle Linux Release 6.5 (64 bits) -> Go to https://edelivery.oracle.com/ and

filter until you find "Oracle Linux (6.5.0.0.0) for x86 64 bit". Download the
FULL DVD zip, file name is V41362-01.iso.
 Oracle Database 12c Release 12.1.0.2.0 (64-bit) -> After 12.2 release, the
12.1.0.2 is not available anymore on OTN (oracle website) for Linux systems.
However you can still download it either from:
o  https://edelivery.oracle.com/ - For DB installation, look for "Oracle
Database (12.1.0.2.0) for Linux x86-64". Download both files, 
V46095-01_1of2.zip and V46095-01_2of2.zip. For Grid instalattion,
look for "Oracle Database Grid Infrastructure (12.1.0.2.0) for Linux
x86-64". Download both files, V46096-01_1of2.zip and V46096-
01_2of2.zip.
o https://support.oracle.com/ - Look for Patch 21419221. Download all
files 1 and 2 for DB and 5 and 6 for GRID. File name is
p21419221_121020_Linux-x86-64_Xof10.zip.
 12.1.0.2 GI / DB PSU ->  Go to https://support.oracle.com/ and look
for Document 1924126.1 Download the latest "Non Exadata Real Application
Clusters (RAC)" 12.1.0.2 Patch. Today it is the "12.1.0.2.170117 Database
Proactive Bundle Patch (Jan 2017)". It's mandatory to have at least the
12.1.0.2.GIPSU:160719 applied as it brings the patch 22810422 correction
(Linux Add ACFS support for UEKR4).
  Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control Release 1 (12.1.0.4.0) (64-
bit) -> Go
to http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/oem/enterprise-manager/downloads/
index.html and in "Previous Enterprise Manager Release Software", download
the Release 4 for x86_64.
 OEM 12.1.0.4 OMS PSU ->  Go to https://support.oracle.com/ and look
for Document 822485.1 Download latest OMS PSU. Today it is the
"12.1.0.4.160119 Enterprise Manager Base Platform Patch Set Update
(PSU)".
 Oracle Documentation
o Download the offline documentation for Oracle Database 12cR1
at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/enterprise-edition/docu
mentation/index.html. File name is E50529-01.zip.
o Download the offline documentation for Enterprise Manager 12.1
at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/oem/enterprise-manager/docum
entation/index.html. File name is E24628-01.zip.

That's it. My recommendation is to also download Virtualbox to emulate this scenario

(I use the 5.1.14 version). Now you are ready to start your studies.

They also mention:

 Mozilla Browser, Text (emacs, gedit) and vi editors

 Shell environment: bash, csh
 Use either CLI or GUI environment and tools when available

All those tools are already present in Oracle Linux 6.5. Make sure you know how to
use them.

UPDATE May/2017: If you can't find the environment software to download, now in
the official website they say:

Use the latest software available from OTN; it is not necessary to build a
practice environment on the exact OS and database software versions used in
the OCM exam.  Later releases of Oracle server support nearly all features and
functions of earlier ones; for any software version, relevant parameter values,
naming differences and obsolete features may be found in the product
documentation, which is available from OTN.