Exam Prep

Front 1

What is Sitecore's easy-to-use authoring tool?

Back 1

The Experience Editor

Front 2

Which interface would an author use to see and edititems in a tree structure?

Back 2

Content Editor

Front 3

What is horizontal scaling? (On exam)

Back 3

Horizontal Scaling is adding servers to eachrole.

Front 4

What is vertical scaling? (On Exam)

Back 4

Vertical Scaling is using servers toperform different roles.

Front 5

What should you define in a template?

Back 5

Fields, Field sections, Icon and parent templates

Front 6

What field type would you use to store formatted HTML?

Back 6

Rich Text Field

Front 7

What happens if you use the same field name in a template that is already used in a parent template? (On Exam)

Back 7

You will get two fields with the same name

Front 8

What is the name of the template all templates should inherit from? (On Exam)

Back 8

Standard Template

Front 9

Why should you avoid defining the same field multiple times in more than one template?

Back 9

It makes it much harder to manage later on.

(There is a question on the exam that covers this principle)

Front 10

What would you use the Field source for in the following field types: Image, Rich Text Field, Droplink?

Back 10

Image: Set the folder in the Media Library it will open when selecting an image for the field.

Rich Text: Configuration of the toolbar and functionality of the Rich Text Editor.

Droplink: Set the items to be displayed as options.

Front 11

While working on extending search functionality for Solr, why might you get a compilation error? (On exam)

Back 11

You've forgotten to include a Solr dll in your project references.

Front 12

Why do you create Standard values?

Back 12

To be able to define default and initial values.

Front 13

What happens if you don't set any insert options? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 13

Only admins and privileged users will be able to create content (using the Insert from template option).

Front 14

Where should you set insert options as a best practice? (On version 8 exam)

Back 14

In the Standard Values, so they are applied as a default to newly created items.

Front 15

If you are not installing the commerce management tools for Sitecore, which 2 databases will you still need? (On version 9 exam)

Back 15

Web and Core

Front 16

What happens when you set a field as shared? And unversioned? (On version 9 Exam)

Back 16

A shared field contains a single version of the data for all versions in all languages. An unversioned field contains one version of the data per language.

Front 17

What is the difference between the Master and Web database? (On exam)

Back 17

In terms of schema, there is no difference. The difference is more conceptual, in that, content for the live website is read from the Web database and content that is work-in-progress should be edited in the Master database.

Front 18

If you set up some publishing restrictions, will Sitecore automatically publish that content at that exact time? (There is a theoretical question regarding this on the version 8 exam)

Back 18

No. The publishing restrictions only dictates when an item or its versions are publishable or not.

(The question on the exam asks you about a scenario on setting a publishing restriction based on date and whether or not sitecore will stop showing the content automatically or if it needs to be published first)

Front 19

When do tokens get replaced?

Back 19

Only when items are created.

Front 20

Why would you need to run a full republish?

Back 20

Theoretically, you should not need to do this as a user.

Front 21

Should a user work directly in the Web database if they need something to go live immediately? (On version 8 exam)

Back 21

A user should never work directly in the Web database. In fact, they should not even be able to access the Web database in the authoring tools.

Front 22

Where are the search indexes located in wwwroot? (On Exam)

Back 22

/{sitename}/App_Data/indexes

Front 23

Why would I want to use the data source in a component? (On Exam)

Back 23

The data source allows you to build more flexible and re-usable components because the data source is determined by users and not hardcoded by developers.

Front 24

Can we have placeholders inside of placeholders?

Back 24

Not directly. However, you can have components inside a placeholder that in turn define other placeholders. This is referred to as nested placeholders.

Front 25

Why is it a good idea to avoid using Rich Text fields as much as possible?

Back 25

One of the benefits of using Sitecore is the separation of content and presentation. The Rich text field is the only exception to this, as it stores HTML content directly. If abused and not configured properly, it may give users the ability to break the design of the site.

Front 26

What do you need to do to allow users to add and remove components from a placeholder using the Experience Editor?

Back 26

Create a Placeholder Settings item for that placeholder.

Front 27

This happens when you request a page that has no layout defined in the presentation details? (On Exam)

Back 27

Sitecore shows a Layout not found error page.

Front 28

Why do you define Presentation Details on Standard Values if the Standard Values item is never going to be mapped to the requested URL?

Back 28

You want to define those Presentation Details as a default for all items based on that template.

This will allow items to have valid presentation details already set when they are created.

Front 29

Can you edit an item in the Experience Editor when the item has no presentation details set?

Back 29

No, since it cannot be presented.

Front 30

Which fields are editable inline using the Experience Editor?

Back 30

Text fields (Single-Line, Multi-Line, Rich Text), Date/datetime, Image, General Link.

Front 31

Give an example of when you would use the DisableWebEdit parameter when rendering a field.

Back 31

Rendering a field inside the tag in the of the HTML.

Front 32

How does Sitecore define a type of item (data schema)? (On Exam)

Back 32

Using data templates

Front 33

What is the name of the feature that makes WCM possible in Sitecore?

Back 33

Experience Management ( xManagement)

Front 34

What do you need in addition to the Experience Management to take full advantage of the Sitecore Experience Platform?

Back 34

You need the Experience Database to take full advantage of the available features. It supports the Analytics and Marketing features.

Front 35

Are all items pages in a Sitecore project?

Back 35

No, items that are pages have their presentation details set.

Front 36

What is the recommended version of Visual Studio for Sitecore development?

Back 36

Any version that supports the .NET framework 4.0 will work for Sitecore development.

Front 37

What tools can you use to install Sitecore?

Back 37

Manual or zip file, EXE, Sitecore Rocks, SIM (SIL for version 9)

Front 38

What additional databases are required when running xDB? (Version 8)

Back 38

Collection Database (MongoDB), Reporting, Session State

Front 39

How do you patch in changes to the "sitecore" section of web.config? (On Exams)

Back 39

Put a .config patch file in the App_Config/Include folder

Front 40

You have just created new content but you cannot see it on your live website. Why not?

Back 40

You need to publish new or edited content.

Front 41

When you set up multiple site structures in the content tree, what is the recommended practice for handling content that will be shared between sites?

Back 41

Keep it outside of any site structure.

Front 42

What types of Visual Studio projects does Sitecore support?

Back 42

ASP.NET Web Application, supporting MVC or Web Forms

Front 43

Why should you not create or modify items directly on the web database? (On Exam)

Back 43

If the changes only exist on the web database they will get lost during the next publish operation.

Front 44

How can you make your Visual Studio project portable? (On Exam)

Back 44

By working outside the webroot

Front 45

What is the difference between publishing and deploying? (On Exam)

Back 45

Publishing copies items from the Master to Web databases while deploying copies files from your Visual Studio project to your webroot.

Front 46

Name some the attributes that can be configured in the site node for a website. (think SiteDefinition.config file).

Back 46

Name, host name, rootPath, startItem, language

Front 47

What are some of the features of Sitecore Rocks?

Back 47

Integration with Visual Studio. Creating and editing items, management tools, viewing website file system

Front 48

To provide a rich user experience, what are some recommended practices you should use when you create templates?

Back 48

Provide default values, use user friendly names and icons, limit the use of Rich Text Editors.

Front 49

Where are default field values defined? (On Exam)

Back 49

On the Template Standard Values item

Front 50

Why is storing media in the Sitecore database an advantage? (On Exam)

Back 50

It makes publishing easier because the item and the media are both published so you do not have to keep files in sync.

Front 51

What item setting needs to be specified for authors to be able to add content?

Back 51

Insert options

Front 52

What is the recommended practice for setting insert options? (On Exam)

Back 52

Insert options are set on the Template Standard Values item

Front 53

Describe the anatomy of a Sitecore Layout? (On Exam)

Back 53

A code file on the file system and definition item in the content tree

Front 54

How is the layout file linked to the definition item?

Back 54

By the Path field on the definition item.

Front 55

How do you display the contents of a field in code? (On Exam)

Back 55

@Html.Sitecore().Field(“")

Front 56

What can you use to translate fields and Help texts in the Sitecore Client? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 56

Sitecore Dictionary entries

Front 57

Why would you choose Solr over Lucene.net? (On Exams)

Back 57

SOLR is a multiserver implementation of Lucene, which allows easier scaling, better language support and allows there to be a dedicated endpoint for Search.

(This question isn't exactly on the version 8 exam but there is a question on which is more scalable. On version 9, is just asks you how it's more scalable)

Front 58

Which type of component would you create if you wanted to closely follow MVC patterns or invoke complex logic? (On Exam)

Back 58

Controller Rendering

Front 59

True or False: The view should contain all the business logic.

Back 59

False

Front 60

What happens if allowed controls are not specified on a placeholder settings item?

Back 60

In the Experience Editor, the user will be able to add any component to the placeholder.

Front 61

How do you make Sitecore recognize of a controller rendering?

Back 61

Create a component definition item and set the controller and controller action. Additionally, you can also set an Area.

Front 62

You want to ensure header and footer are always visible on your Main layout. Will you statically or dynamically bind it?

Back 62

Statically bind it when you need it to always appear on a layout or rendering.

Front 63

What is the difference between the Renderings and Final Renderings fields?

Back 63

The Rendering field is shared between all item versions and is used for global changes; The Final Renderings field is not shared and stores language and version-specific changes.

Front 64

An author adds a component to a page in the Experience Editor and the selects the Associated Content dialog box automatically appears. What triggers this behavior?

Back 64

The component's Datasource Location field is filled in.

Front 65

How can you restrict authors to specific types of item for a component's data source?

Back 65

Add the data template to the component's Datasource Template field.

Front 66

How are component parameters stored in the Sitecore database?

Back 66

As clear text in URL query string format

Front 67

What data template must be used as a base template for your Parameters Template?

Back 67

The Standard Rendering Parameters template

Front 68

You have created a new Parameters Template. How do you ensure your component to uses it?

Back 68

On the component’s definition item in the Parameters Template field

Front 69

What are Compatible Renderings?

Back 69

Components that can be exchanged or replaced with each other

Front 70

What should you keep in mind when configuring Compatible Renderings?

Back 70

They should be set on both components so you can exchange them. Both need to be in the Allowed Controls for any placeholders they will appear in. They may need to share data source and parameters.

Front 71

You have a component you would like cached anywhere it is used. Where would you define its cache settings?

Back 71

On the component definition item in the Sitecore tree.

Front 72

Why should you never cache a component that displays personal information? (On Exam)

Back 72

Another visitor to your site can see that information

Front 73

You have a component that you want cached on every Event Details page. Where would you define its cache settings?

Back 73

On the component on the Event Details Template Standard Values item.

Front 74

Why would you want to have the languageEmbedding option set to never?

Back 74

The site is not multilingual.

Front 75

How would an author cause a broken link when renaming an item?

Back 75

The URL is usually made using the item names. If the page was bookmarked in the browser, it will no longer work. You will need to implement 301 redirect logic.

Front 76

How would you disable .aspx being added to all URLs that are generated from Sitecore?

Back 76

By changing the addAspxExtension attribute of the LinkManager.

Front 77

How can you globally change characters in the URLs that are generated from and resolved from Sitecore?

Back 77

Using the encodeNameReplacements option in the web.config.

Front 78

In which situations would you want to change the Links that are generated for an individual link?

Back 78

If you need to force the language of content that is to be rendered from Sitecore.

Front 79

Why is it important to have friendly folder structures within your content tree?

Back 79

Because they dictate the segments that are within your URL.

Front 80

How would you display the direct children of the Home item? (On Exam)

Back 80

By retrieving the Home item using the GetChildren() method.

Sitecore.Context.Site.StartPath.GetChildren()

(The question on the exam just asks how to get the direct children of any item. GetChildren() is the method to use)

Front 81

What is the danger of using a method like Axes.GetDescendants()?

Back 81

It retrieves recursively all the children of all the children of the item. If invoked in an item near the root, it would load the entire tree in memory, with the corresponding performance penalty.

Front 82

How can you skip certain items when you build the navigation?

Back 82

Use LINQ to filter by template or the value of a particular field.

Front 83

How would you render the content of an Image field on the website?

Back 83

@Html.Sitecore().Field().FieldRenderer.Render()

Front 84

What happens if you use FieldRenderer.Render() to render a Multilist field?

Back 84

It would render the raw value of the field: pipe-delimited GUIDs

Front 85

How would you render a Multilist field? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 85

By retrieving its value in code and using it to create some output.

Front 86

Which rendering is most suited for MVC? (On Version 9 Exam)

Back 86

Controller Rendering

Front 87

What class would you use to retrieve the contents of a Treelist field? (On version 9 exam)

Back 87

Sitecore.Data.Fields.MultilistField

Front 88

How do you get the children items of an item? (On Exams)

Back 88

.GetChildren()

Front 89

In what order do child items appear by default? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 89

Alphabetically

Front 90

Why would you preferably avoid sorting items in code, for example, using LINQ?

Back 90

It might confuse authors to see items appear in a different order to the order shown in the Content Editor.

Front 91

What is the name of the pop-up window in the Experience Editor that can be used to edit fields that are not editable inline? (On exams)

Back 91

A Field Editor

Front 92

How would you enable the use of a Field Editor?

Back 92

By adding a Field Editor Button to a toolbar

Front 93

How would you show a toolbar in a random part of the page?

Back 93

Using an Edit Frame

Front 94

How would configure the buttons shown in an Edit Frame?

Back 94

By creating some definition items in the Core databaseBy adding the Buttons property to the Field Editor

Front 95

What is the biggest challenge when you post forms with Sitecore MVC?

Back 95

Having multiple controllers invoked in the same page request. Only one of them should handle the post.

Front 96

How do you bind a controller to deal with the post of a View Rendering?

Back 96

By filling the Form Controller Name and Form Controller Action fields in the definition item of the View Rendering

Front 97

What method do you need to invoke inside a View Rendering form to ensure only its controller reacts to the post?

Back 97

Html.Sitecore().FormHandler()

Front 98

What three pieces of information do you require to create an item?

Back 98

Name

Template

Location (parent node)

Front 99

How can you run part of your code with a set of privileges different from those of the context user?

Back 99

UserSwitcher

SecurityDisabler

Front 100

Why does Sitecore not allow the use of certain characters in an item name?

Back 100

Item names are used to form the URLs. Some characters have a special meaning in a URL.

Front 101

What methods do you invoke when you begin and finish editing an item through the API?

Back 101

.Editing.BeginEdit().Editing.EndEdit()

Front 102

What two core services conform the Sitecore Services Client?

Back 102

ItemService

EntityService

Front 103

What is the difference between a profile card and a pattern card?

Back 103

A profile card is used to profile content. It acts as a preset of profile keys and values.

Used during personalization or contact segmentation, pattern cards define archetypes to compare with the current profile of a contact and establish which one corresponds most closely with the interests of the visitor.

Front 104

How can authors change a component through personalization?

Back 104

They can change its data source, hide it, or exchange it for another component.

Front 105

What do you need to do to support the use of personalization?

Back 105

Componentize the page, and use data sources whenever possible.

Front 106

What happens if you forget to include @Html.Sitecore().VisitorIdentification() inside the of the page? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 106

All visitors will be treated as bots and their information not stored in the xDB

Front 107

How does Sitecore track a device?

Back 107

Sitecore places a tracking cookie in the browser and stores a reference to this in the xDB.

Front 108

How does Sitecore initially identify a contact?

Back 108

By using the Identify() method invoked with a suitable identifier.

Front 109

Why is Engagement Value so important?

Back 109

It is a better metric than simply measuring traffic to evaluate the success of the site.

Most Sitecore reporting provides engagement value/visit information.

Front 110

How does Sitecore calculate the engagement value?

Back 110

By adding up the points assigned to all the goals triggered by the visitor

Front 111

When should you use a Computed field?

Back 111

When you need to use field data to calculate a different value to be stored in the index itself.

Front 112

Why do you use an Item Bucket?

Back 112

If you have a large amount of content within the content tree and need a scalable solution for authors to work with.

Front 113

How do you use Search facets?

Back 113

To filter results after an initial search has been run.

Front 114

Why would you script your build process when you develop with Sitecore?

Back 114

To achieve automated repeatable builds

Front 115

Why is it a easier to work outside the webroot when it comes to deployment? (On Exam)

Back 115

It is easier to manage files that need to be deployed and configure deployments to multiple Sitecore installations.

Front 116

Why is it a good idea to secure Sitecore before it is deployed?

Back 116

The default Sitecore installation is set up for development not production, so it is set up to optimize convenience not security.

Front 117

Why would you use the zip version of Sitecore to drive your scripts?

Back 117

It is easier to create scripts working from a compressed version of all the necessary files to run Sitecore than a executable wizard.

Front 118

How should you persist your items in source control?

Back 118

By serializing them. How they get serialized will depend on the tools you have at your disposal.

Front 119

What elements should be committed to source control?

Back 119

All the assets that can't be re-generated from other sources. This will include mostly your code and items.

Front 120

What are the main steps involved in deploying your application?

Back 120

Install Sitecore

Copy the assets from your solution (Views, JS, CSS, DLLs)

Restore serialized items (deserialization or through a package)

Extra steps (publishing, index rebuild)

Front 121

What process is used to write database rows of Sitecore to files on disk? (On Exam)

Back 121

Serialization.

Front 122

What is Sitecore's security based on?

Back 122

asp.net providers

Front 123

What are the two types of accounts?

Back 123

Users

Roles

Front 124

Where are access rights stored?

Back 124

Standard field on items

Front 125

What happens if an access right is unspecified? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 125

Sitecore will inherit the value from the parent item unless inheritance is disabled (denied).

Front 126

What are the effective permissions of a user?

Back 126

Those defined on the user, plus those defined on any role it belongs to.

Front 127

What role can you give access rights so that they apply to all accounts in Sitecore?

Back 127

Everyone

Front 128

What happens if a role denies an access right and another one allows it? (On version 8 exam)

Back 128

It is denied

Front 129

How can you check the effective permission of an account?

Back 129

Using the Access Viewer

Front 130

What are the two main security best practices?

Back 130

Don't set security on users

Avoid using explicit denies

Front 131

Which user is bound to unauthenticated requests to the front-end website?

Back 131

extranet\Anonymous

Front 132

What role does a user need to be able to log in to the Sitecore back end?

Back 132

Sitecore Client Users

Front 133

Can you assign a user to a role from a different domain?

Back 133

Yes

Front 134

What are workflows made of?

Back 134

States

Commands

Actions

Front 135

How are workflows defined?

Back 135

Through definition items under /sitecore/settings/workflow

Front 136

How do you bind a particular workflow with a certain type of items?

Back 136

Setting the initial workflow in the data template's standard values

Front 137

What is a workflow action? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 137

An automatic side effect of invoking a command or entering a state

Front 138

What are the two consequences of making a state Final?

Back 138

Items in it can be published

Sitecore creates a new version when a (non-admin) user tries to edit it

Front 139

What is the point of the workflow state Write access right?

Back 139

To override the Write Permission for an item while it is in a particular workflow state

Front 140

Name the five official Sitecore Documentation Resources and their purpose. (On exam as a 'matching' question)

Back 140

Sitecore Developer Network: Contains downloads and documentation of supported Sitecore products and modules prior to the 8.0 versions.

Sitecore Developer Portal: Download the Sitecore Experience Platform and all associated products and modules for 8.0 and beyond - including Print Experience Manager and Sitecore Commerce.

Sitecore Documentation: Contains all relevant documentation for the Sitecore Experience Platform and all associated products and modules for 8.0 and beyond.

Sitecore Knowledge Base: Contains details about known issues, problems, and common questions related to Sitecore products with guidance to find the right solution.

Master Sitecore YouTube channel: Contains freely available video tutorials for developers, business users, and optimization experts.

Front 141

List the benefits of participating in the Sitecore Community.

Back 141

Complete sample modules can be found on the Sitecore Marketplace. You can reuse these sample modules in your own project.

You can get free 24/7 help from hundreds of community members around the globe, including Sitecore employees, Sitecore Certified Developers, and MVPs.

While contributing actively to the Sitecore Community, you can become a Sitecore MVP. This gives you all kinds of Sitecore related benefits.

Front 142

What should you do before contacting Sitecore Support?

Back 142

Examine the Sitecore log files for errors and warnings.

Compare your configs, with the Sitecore stock configs or with prior deployments.

Search for solutions on the various official and community documentation sources.

Run the self-test diagnostics from the Sitecore Diagnostics Toolset.

If these solutions do not help, reproduce the issue on a clean Sitecore environment, and create a Sitecore Support package with the diagnostics information.

Front 143

Can non-authenticated users access the EntityService?

Back 143

No

Front 144

When checking for a user's language, what does Sitecore check first? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 144

Sitecore first checksthe query string in the URL

Front 145

What do you use a General Link field for? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 145

To store the contents of an anchor tag.

Front 146

Describe some xWeb Content Management System features that separate Sitecore from other systems (On version 8 Exam)

Back 146

Analytics, Insights, Decisions, Automation. (On exam, 'Marketing' may also be the answer)

Front 147

Where is the license file located in a sitecore installation? (On version 8 Exam)

Back 147

Inside the "Data" folder.