Building Java Enterprise Applications with Design Patterns: Hands-On

What is this course about?

This course improves your architecture and design skills for building large scale, secure, maintainable, and high performing Java EE systems. This course helps developers identify and solve common design and architecture problems by applying best practices to Java EE application development.

There are a wide variety of Java enterprise technologies for constructing Java EE systems. With Java EE design patterns, system architects have a tool for addressing complex challenges in constructing an effective and flexible Java EE system. This course helps you select and apply the best design patterns and technologies for fulfillment of your particular requirements.

Who will benefit from this course?

This course is valuable for those involved in designing, coding and maintaining Java EE systems, including programmers, designers, analysts, systems architects and managers.

Anyone currently developing or working with Java EE applications will find this course valuable. The course benefits are maximized when managers and developers share the same design methodology with co-developers on a given project.

What background do I need?

Knowledge of Java development at the level of Course 471, Java Programming: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction is required. You should:

• Have a good understanding of object-oriented analysis and design including encapsulation and polymorphism
• Know how to extend classes and implement interfaces
• Be familiar with the standard Java APIs

It is assumed that you have at least 6 months of experience in Java programming. You should also have some appreciation of enterprise applications in the Web environment.

What are design patterns?

Design patterns are proven techniques and best practices that are found, through experience, to solve design problems that appear in a variety of contexts. Thus, a design pattern is a recognized solution to a recurring problem. Documenting these solutions as design patterns helps software developers apply an array of technology and design options without enduring the same process of trial and error as those before them.

Design patterns preclude the need to reinvent the wheel, and help developers get it "right" the first time.

What is the difference between Java EE design patterns and the Gang of Four patterns?

The Gang of Four (GoF) design patterns apply generically to any object-oriented programming language. Java EE design patterns address common problems encountered in designing Java EE architecture. This course presents the key Java EE design patterns required when implementing a Java EE system.

Does this course cover GoF design patterns?

This course covers some GoF design patterns. You get practical experience in implementing strategy, template, proxy, factory and observer-design patterns. These are building blocks to understanding the main focus of this course, which is Java EE design patterns.

Should I take this course before or after other Java courses in the Java curriculum?

Participants should first attend Course 471. After taking 471, you can move on to take any of the advanced Java courses, including this course, in any order. Course 570, Developing Java Web Applications: Hands-On, provides extensive experience building specific Java EE applications. Course 318 covers best practices of Java EE in a more holistic manner.

Does this course focus on programming or design?

This course focuses on design at the architecture level. It does not teach Java EE programming explicitly, however, application code is used where relevant to demonstrate use of the design patterns. The focus of this course is on providing an understanding of architectural issues in order to construct more robust and scalable Java EE systems.

How much time is spent on each topic?

How much of this course is devoted to hands-on exercises?

Approximately 45 percent of this course is spent in hands-on exercises. Throughout this course, you gain experience designing flexible, robust Java EE applications. Exercises include:

• Identifying and selecting design patterns
• Writing a simple distributed chat application
• Designing a flexible domain model
• Utilizing persistence mechanisms on the integration tier
• Designing detailed Web application workflows
• Implementing a complex Web-based Java EE application
• Profiling performance of JEE applications

Does this course teach UML?

This course uses the industry standard Unified Modeling Language (UML), but does not teach UML in detail, or all UML notations. See Course 216, UML 2: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, for detailed coverage of UML.

What software and which tools are used?

This course does not focus on a particular design tool, but rather design methodologies. Everything you learn in the course can be applied using other design tools. To this end, all tools and software used on this course are open source and comply with industry standards. Example tools used in the course include ArgoUML, JMeter, Eclipse, and MySQL.

Will I learn how to resolve key Java EE application design issues?

Yes. You use Java EE design patterns, which are industry recognized best practices, to resolve key Java EE application design issues. All of the hands-on exercises in this course build upon the use of these specific design patterns.

Which Java EE APIs will I be exposed to in this course?

This course works with the latest Java EE 6 APIs. This includes exerises in which you will work with JSF 2.0, JPA2.0 and EJB3.1. You will gain experience with these tools as wel as the GlassFish V3 Application Server.

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

The prerequisite for Course 318 is Course 471, Java Programming: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction , which provides extensive experience with Java and its object-oriented features. Other Courses in the Java Curriculum include:

• 517, Developing Enterprise Java Applications with Spring and Hibernate®: Hands-On offers the skills to develop scalable enterprise Java applications using the industry-standard Spring and Hibernate frameworks
• 516, Best Practices in Java Programming: Hands-On provides the skills to solve real-world software development problems and deliver fast, reliable applications
• 570, Developing Java Web Applications: Hands-On  provides the skills to integrate key components of the Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE), including servlets and JSP technologies

• 577, Building XML Web Services with Java: Hands-On 

Ideal follow-on courses for those interested in object-oriented analysis and design include:

• 424, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction  provides a foundation in the concepts, modeling, design and implementation of SOA