XM CLoud Certification prep

Specially for those without access to learning.sitecore.com

To pass the Sitecore XM Cloud Developer Certification Exam, you must demonstrate critical job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities regarding Sitecore XM Cloud. The eight competencies align with the essential knowledge areas for successful Sitecore XM Cloud development. 

The guide below contains the eight competencies for developers certified in Sitecore XM Cloud. Click on each tab for more information and resources. 

Guide: Competencies and resources for Sitecore XM Cloud Developers

Competency 1: XM Cloud Architecture and Developer Workflow–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a Developer should be able to describe the developer workflow and manage the architecture of XM Cloud. To meet this competency, you should be able to:  

  • Define Sitecore XM Cloud-specific terminology 
  • Describe the benefits of cloud and SaaS architecture for composable DXP foundations
  • Define key components within the developer workflow for XM Cloud 
  • Manage sites within site collections

Resources:

Competency 2: Deployment of XM Cloud Projects–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer should be able to deploy new projects using both the Deploy Application and Sitecore CLI. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Log into and navigate the XM Cloud Deploy Application
  • Deploy a project using a starter template
    • Set up an XM Cloud local development environment
  • Define the attributes of a starter template
    • Deploy a project using Source Code Provider
  • Define compatibility requirements for deploying your own code
  • Configure repositories and environments
    • Connect to your repository  
    • Create environments such as production, QA, and test 
    • Configure deploys on demand or automatically based on code commits to a watched branch
  • Review project details to determine deployment status 
  • Review logs to troubleshoot errors

Resources:

Competency 3: Renderings and Layout–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer should be able to create and manage components. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Create new components using the Component Builder
  • Create placeholder settings items and set allowed controls
  • Create and manage Page Designs and Partial Designs
  • Create a custom SXA module
  • Create component definition items
    • Set the compatible renderings on a rendering definition item
    • Set the Datasource location and data source template fields 
    • Set up rendering parameters  
    • Clone a rendering
    • Create and manage headless variants
  • Configure item security properly for existing and future items

Resources:

Competency 4: Sitecore Content Serialization

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer should be able to use Sitecore Content Serialization (SCS) to manage content and item changes among a team of developers. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Serialize and deserialize items from source control using the Sitecore CLI
    • Connect to a local or remote XM Cloud hosted instance
  • Configure a Serialization Module with included paths and rules
  • Use serialization packages for continuous integration

Resources: 

Competency 5: Sitecore APIs & Webhooks–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer should be able to handle webhooks and use the Sitecore APIs. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Use Experience Edge API to query an item, layout, or search 
  • Use GraphQL Mutations to create, update, and delete items 
  • Define and handle webhooks

Resources: 

Competency 6: XM Cloud Pages–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer should be able to create, edit, and publish page designs and components using Pages. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Create and edit items using Sitecore Pages
  • Add and modify components and component properties
    • Add components to placeholders
    • Differentiate between Front End as a Service components and Headless SXA Components
    • Add and change a component’s data source
    • Modify a component’s Grid layout settings
  • Use workflow to publish content
  • Preview a page on multiple devices

Resources: 

Competency 7: Security for Developers–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer should be able to configure the environment and CM user security settings, and create and manage users and roles. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Create users in the Sitecore Cloud Portal
  • Configure and assign roles in the Sitecore XM Cloud Role Manager
  • Manage permissions for items, roles, and users
  • Configure multifactor authentication

Resources: 

Competency 8: Data Modeling–

To be certified in Sitecore XM Cloud, a developer must be able to create and manipulate items and data templates. To meet this competency, you should be able to: 

  • Create data templates, standard values, and set inset options to match the data structures outlined in a development plan.
    • Configure base templates for a data template
    • Create fields on a data template
  • Manage language and numbered versions of items
  • Data Model mapping to Experience Edge Schema 

Resources: 

Summary

The competencies listed above and the associated practical skills are crucial for being certified as a Sitecore XM Cloud Developer. Be sure you have a thorough understanding of each one and have spent adequate time preparing for the test. If you want to see what questions might be on the certification exam, please refer to the practice questions in this study guide.

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