Head First EJB (Brain-Friendly Study Guides)
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What do Ford Financial, IBM, and Victoria's Secret have in common? Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB). As the industry standard for platform-independent reusable business components, EJB has just become Sun Microsystem's latest developer certification. Whether you want to be certifiable or just want to learn the technology inside and out, Head First EJB will get you there in the least painful way. And with the greatest understanding. You'll learn not just what the technology *is*, but more importantly, *why* it is, and what it is and isn't good for. You'll learn tricks and tips for EJB development, along with tricks and tips for passing this latest, very challenging Sun Certified Business Component Developer (SCBCD) exam. You'll learn how to think like a server. You'll learn how to think like a bean. And because this is a Head First book, you'll learn how to think about thinking. Co-author Kathy Sierra was one of Sun's first employees to teach brave, early adopter customers how to use EJB. She has the scars. But besides dragging you deep into EJB technology, Kathy and Bert will see you through your certification exam, if you decide to go for it. And nobody knows the certification like they do - they're co-developers of Sun's actual exam! As the second book in the Head First series, Head First EJB follows up the number one best-selling Java book in the US, Head First Java. Find out why reviewers are calling it a revolution in learning tough technical topics, and why Sun Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy says, "Java technology is everywhere...if you develop software and haven't learned Java, it's definitely time to dive in "Head First." And with Head First book, you don't even have to feel guilty about having fun while you're learning; it's all part of the learning theory. If the latest research in cognitive science, education, and neurobiology suggested that boring, dry, and excruciatingly painful was the best way to learn, we'd have done it. Thankfully, it's been shown that your brain has a sense of style, a sense of humour, and a darn good sense of what it likes and dislikes. In Head First EJB, you'll learn all about:
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| 07-04-08 | 2 | (NA) |
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Had high hopes for the book, with cartoons and all. But they got into lots of agonizingly boring technical detail without putting it into a clear context. The explanations could have been much clearer by providing that context.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-11-14 04:35:05 EST)
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| 04-10-08 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This book helped me to understand what is enterprise how they fit together how to create EJB 2.0 actually it let you have a strong understanding of J2EE concepst.the authors are very experienced and their books are really the best and should be best ev er selling
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-04 06:05:00 EST)
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| 12-26-07 | 3 | (NA) |
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This was a great book for me, ( had to use wrath of EJB 2.1 in several projects =( ). So when EJB 3 came out and i went through EJB 3 ( via Oreilly's book ) i was amazed, pleased and overjoyed.
The new Exam covers EJB3. However if you are still planning to give EJB 2.X exam, this is BEST book you'll buy. It guides you step by step towards steep learning curve that EJB comes with and makes it real easy to remember things. I am usually critical of Head First "Kids" like format, but this book justifies that because of the subject being such. EJB 2.x deserved this kind of book, where one go one step at a time to understand things. Book Covers : 1. ) Transaction Management 2. ) All kinds of Beans ( what you do, what container does etc etc. ) What it does not Cover : 1.) EJB 3 2.) Deployment to JBOSS container ( these days with EJB 3 more and more people are adopting JBOSS AS ), neither does it cover deployment specifics of Websphere. ( And in reality Why should it ever do that? this book is only for certification etc. ) If you want to earn SCBCD ( old one ) or if you are working for EJB 2.X project, do yourself the favor of buying this book Regards Vyas, Anirudh (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-11 04:40:06 EST)
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| 11-26-07 | 2 | (NA) |
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This book is out-of date. It does not cover EJB 3 which is the current paradigm. For EJB 1 & 2 it is a good book, but these are not used. If you are preparing for SCBCD this is not the book to use
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-26 14:35:41 EST)
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| 06-12-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This is a absolutely easy going book. You can read it for hours and not feel any stress. The methods they have used are so good that you will never forget the concepts.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-26 01:16:23 EST)
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| 01-12-07 | 5 | 3\3 |
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I have already read this book to some extent and i love this book. It discusses the details about EJB very thoroughly. It also compares the advantages and disadvantages of java sevlets over other concepts -- which is very nice.
But it is not a book for those who would like to learn the quick & basic concept about EJB in 2-5 days. It needs time to read the whole book. It is not quick learning guide like DUMMIES. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-25 18:03:27 EST)
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| 01-11-07 | 5 | 3\3 |
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I'm surprised, pleased, amazed, put your adjective there... it's one of the best technical books I ever read, and by far the most entertaining! I congratulate the authors for making learning so easy! I am taking an 'official' presential j2ee course and I have to tell you, I have learned more in two nights reading this book than in 2 months of course.
I have taken a lot of courses on study and teaching techniques (I'm a teacher myself) and I think this is the way you have to present a technical content. You end with a solid understanding of the subject, you remember the subject... and you smile at it! can you ask for more? (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-25 18:03:27 EST)
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| 01-10-07 | 5 | 1\3 |
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Nowadays IT books form "Head First" concept differs from others.
If you want to understand the concept, it is Head First's job. Buy it, read it,recommend it... (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-25 18:03:27 EST)
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| 01-09-07 | 5 | 1\1 |
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Nowadays IT books form "Head First" concept differs from others.
If you want to understand the concept, it is Head First's job. Buy it, read it,recommend it... (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-02-05 14:08:43 EST)
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| 12-17-06 | 5 | 2\2 |
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I have gone through a few EJB tutorials, even taken a Certified Course on J2ee (from a reputed instructor in town) covering all EJB aspects but even after that I learnt quite a bit more from this book. The best thing that I can say about this book is the way they present things. You can put all the details on a page but that ain't worth a penny if you can't remember them the next day. With the combination of pictures, diagrams and the way the sentences are formed it makes your brain effortlessly remember. They repeat some of the things to death(like the lifecycle of a bean) that are important and you NEED to remember them. I liked that concept so much because when they explained some of the inner groovy details, I realized that those core concepts are really really handy and helpful at that point. I really like their excercises (and you should go through them without looking at the answers), which are precise and refresh your memory.
I would give more than five starts if I could. Excellent excellent Book! (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-25 18:03:27 EST)
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| 12-16-06 | 5 | 1\1 |
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I have gone through a few EJB tutorials, even taken a Certified Course on J2ee (from a reputed instructor in town) covering all EJB aspects but even after that I learnt quite a bit more from this book. The best thing that I can say about this book is the way they present things. You can put all the details on a page but that ain't worth a penny if you can't remember them the next day. With the combination of pictures, diagrams and the way the sentences are formed it makes your brain effortlessly remember. They repeat some of the things to death(like the lifecycle of a bean) that are important and you NEED to remember them. I liked that concept so much because when they explained some of the inner groovy details, I realized that those core concepts are really really handy and helpful at that point. I really like their excercises (and you should go through them without looking at the answers), which are precise and refresh your memory.
I would give more than five starts if I could. Excellent excellent Book! (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-02-05 14:08:43 EST)
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| 11-05-06 | 5 | 1\2 |
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It's a very good book. It was very interesting to me that it contains some errors and is not as organized as the Head First Servlets and JSP, but my SCBCD score was 92% and my SCWCD was 89%. A friend of mine (my boss) scored 91% in the SCBD exam and 79% in the SCWCD exam; maby the errors are for good.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-06-25 18:03:27 EST)
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| 11-04-06 | 5 | 1\1 |
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It's a very good book. It was very interesting to me that it contains some errors and is not as organized as the Head First Servlets and JSP, but my SCBCD score was 92% and my SCWCD was 89%. A friend of mine (my boss) scored 91% in the SCBD exam and 79% in the SCWCD exam; maby the errors are for good.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-02-05 14:08:43 EST)
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| 07-31-06 | 5 | 1\4 |
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U can rely on this book to clear the certificate exam.........
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-02-05 14:08:43 EST)
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| 04-26-06 | 5 | 3\3 |
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I have recently passed the SCBCD exam, and in preparing for the exam I have read a few EJB books cover to cover. With no offense to others, I have found the following two books most useful:
1. This Book. Well, this is Head First right? I found some jargon on page one that was never explained...I really felt like drowning. However, if you already know some EJB, this could be a very good book for the EJB certification. The important points are made, and re-made. However, the humor confused me. Mr. O'reilly, the world has grown lot bigger than it used to be...it's no more limited from California to NY Island...so if you want to allow humor in your books, expand your horizons...just my two cents (or pennies). The other thing I did not like about this book that there are questions without answers. 2. SCBCD Exam Study Kit by Paul Sanghera, Manning Publications. The beauty of this book is that it is 100% fcoussed on exam objectives, and yet does not let you feel that you are just preparing for an exam. This book is good for both advanced EJB developers and also for those who are beginners like I was when I picked this book. It takes you from the very beginning, explains every concept and term that comes on the way and tells you the EJB story in a very simple yet accurate way. All the concepts and topics are linked together, and you really get the big picture. So, this book is excellent for passing the exam, and also very good if you just want to learn the basics of EJB. Also a simulated exam comes with the book which was very helpful to prepare ggooor the exam. If somebody told me earlier about this book, I won't need another book for the exam. But both of these books are good in their own ways. So I give 5 stars to both of them. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-12-11 12:52:18 EST)
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| 04-09-06 | 4 | 1\1 |
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Fun way to learn a very hard topic...
This book nicely explains the EJB technology. Any previous Java RMI programming will help to speed up the learning. Initially it may sound bit confusing but keep continue reading the book and things will get clear. If you are reading the book 2nd time you can skip most of the cartoon diagram and various character's question/thought and focus only on the `real stuff'/sample code/DD elements/Bullet Points to save time. If you can get a hold of an enterprise level ejb-jar.xml and some complete sample code of all the bean types that will help a lot to quickly grasp the technology. I have to work a lot with EJB's in one of the fortunes top three most admired company (2006). I felt like knowledge gained from the book definitely helped. This book talks about efficiency such as avoiding remote calls in batch operation scenarios and recommends getting the work done from `Home', which is good. EJB Application can become horribly slow in Response if those areas are not paid attention. I am not giving all the stars as in some areas author asks short questions but the answers are not provided! So initially when I was reading the book and coming across those questions I wasn't sure if my assumptions were right or wrong. But hey it's ok...may be I am just finding an excuse not to give all the stars!! Tazim (TazimKhan@Gmail.com) (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-12-11 12:52:18 EST)
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| 03-23-06 | 5 | (NA) |
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I have not read other EJB books, but this book is good.The complex subject made simple. Almost covers everthing needed to know.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-04-17 09:31:21 EST)
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| 03-12-06 | 5 | 1\1 |
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I got 100% on SCBCD exam and could not have done it without this book. If you believe that exam covers 80% of what is needed to be successful as a real-life development, then this is probably the best book you can get your hands on for old EJBs.
Same applies to the Head First Servlets and JSPs - simply the best book on the subject. I have read other books and nothing came close, there is no comparison. These two Head first books are by far the best. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-12-11 12:52:18 EST)
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| 02-15-06 | 3 | 5\10 |
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I have never seen any book as over-hyped as this one. It is a good collection of lecture notes and that's what it is. IT IS NOT A BOOK: a collection of lecture notes. It throws jargon words on you without explaining them. This cruelty starts from page one. Overall: not enough depth and explanation. Instead, lots of fluff in the name of Humor. Especially if you are a beginner to EJB, this is not the book for you.
Sounds like, when it comes to the humor the authors are only targetting the American audience and ignoring the global audience. Even from American standard, I find this humor CORNY at best. In the past, you did not have a choice because this was the only book on this exam. But now you do have a choice. So shop around before making the decision. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-12-11 12:52:18 EST)
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| 09-08-05 | 4 | 1\20 |
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The lastest chapter is not good. The style is Different with above. Look like other author write it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42:26 EST)
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| 09-04-05 | 5 | 4\4 |
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Like other books in the HEAD FIRST series, this book on EJB is both very good as EJB education, while remaining very "light" but extremely informative...and entertaining !
I would have need such a book some years ago, but well.... Only one small "black point" : excellent at EJB education (especially for beginners), it is probably less good for a working reference for skilled EJB-aware people (because information is spread all over in a very nice progressive learning curve, which can prove less good as being a long term daily, practical reference but this is not the objective of the book). (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42:27 EST)
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| 08-27-05 | 5 | 10\10 |
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The authors take a complex subject and make it understandable through an interesting set of didactics - they have different ways (like posing questions and giving answers in a conversational style; using metaphors, etc.) of presenting material to enhance understanding.
The most complex part of the subject is entity beans whose methods are inconsistent with stateless session beans of the same name. I think after reading the book one needs to rethink even using entity beans for anything because of the overhead and complexity. I would really be concerned about performance so testing a vertical slice would be a necessity. The real question at this time is whether you should learn and get involved with EJB 2 at all - since EJB 3 is destined to completely simplify the whole process - eliminate the home interface, ejb component objects, etc. Using POJOs (Plain Old Java Objects) to accomplish the same task is the strategy of the new light, non-J2EE standards based frameworks such as Spring. It's anticipated that EJB 3 will be very Spring like - whether they hide all the EJB 2 details under the covers or re-architect the whole framework (and hopefully get Spring like performance). There is also the whole notion (and nightmare) of testing your bean using separate containers that one should consider before embarking on the EJB 2 path. All in all, I enjoyed the book's style, and if nothing else, it will help you appreciate the simplicity (hopefully) of EJB 3 when it becomes available. If you need to support legacy EJB architectures, this is the book to use to learn EJB 2. If you are architecting a new solution, wait for EJB 3, or better yet, look into the light weight non-standards based frameworks like Spring. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42:27 EST)
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| 08-25-05 | 5 | 7\7 |
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I passed the SCBCD exam last week with 82 % - I used this book as my core preparation material in conjunction with exam simulation software. This combination worked again for me (I also got 82% in the SCWCD exam). One useful piece of advice I read in a previous review was that if you want a high mark - read it once, then 'skim' through a 2nd time.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42:27 EST)
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| 08-15-05 | 5 | (NA) |
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I recently opened the books (both, The Servlets book and the EJB book) to reread a few chapters here and there to refresh my memory. I enjoyed every minute and had a hard time putting the books aside.
Many reviewers have written about the "Head First"'s refreshing style. Among other things, part of this success I attribute to the "No Dumb Questions" sections: the authors keep impressing me with their ability to anticipate not so superficial questions popping in my head as I read or re-read the books some time later. My wishes for the 2nd editions: more detailed indexes and hard covers. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42:27 EST)
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| 07-07-05 | 4 | 1\4 |
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H i had purchased the books 2 days back.the book is very good to cover all basics,in depth.the way of explaining is too very good..!!even though iam not writing exam now..but i hpe the basics covered in this will be quite usefull in my work.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42:27 EST)
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| 06-30-05 | 5 | 2\3 |
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This book is very educational and funny. The way they express the idea of EJBs by means of pictures, dialogues... make it easy to learn and remember. Compared to all other EJBs books I've known so far, this one is really worth buying & reading. Im looking for more Head First series coming out.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 06-13-05 | 5 | 2\2 |
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It is not worth of it to write again everything about this book. There is a lot of details from other reviewers.
Before reading this book I had already read a few books about EJB including specification and I did not feel quite comfortable. EJB technology is a little bit tricky. BUT after reading this book everybody can easily learn EVERYTHING about EJB. As a proof of quality of this book I can tell I have successfully passed certification exam and I am happy I have mastered EJB technology. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 06-03-05 | 3 | 4\9 |
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I love the head first series but IMO this is the worst of them. But that's not bad, this one is still great. The problem with this book is it gives you soooooo much info before it lets you apply it.
Here's a real book example: There are like 3 chapters that talk about Entity Beans. But it doesn't explain how to build the deployment descriptor until chapter 3! How much are you going to be able to remember if every page has 2-3 concepts on it and you can't use any of them until you've read ~100 pages? That being said, is there a better book out there to help you start learning EJBs? I highly doubt it. What i'm saying is this book is great, but it could be better. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 05-28-05 | 5 | 0\1 |
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In a few words, a joy of reading. A must for any Java developer.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 05-24-05 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This is the third book in the most excellent Head First series, and, as far as I can tell, just about the only book that covers the Business Component exam. We're are in luck that we have a good one. Actually I'd only give it 4 1/2 stars, mostly because of the outstanding quality of the first, "Head First Java". This book lacks the CD with the online test, which really helps since that's the format the real test takes. Good luck though trying to find any better practice exams than the one that comes with the book. The cover price of the book is nothing compared to just its worth alone. Gone are the quality control problems that the second book, "Servlets and JSP's", had. The book is much more thoughtful and less rushed. Of course I have to complain again about the indexes. I need to return to things I've read and that is very hard to do in the format the book is written in. There are few answers to the many exercise pages and you spend a lot of time thumbing through the pages trying to find answers. A good reference book will help here.
This is not a reference book. It is however, in many ways an excellent primer that will complement a good reference. So if you're taking the exam -- buy the book -- and be grateful it's there. PS: I also now know why so many Java applications go so slow. Java people have no clue how databases work (I think perhaps even including the authors). This is clearly Sun's fault. Avoid CMP at all costs. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 04-06-05 | 5 | 7\7 |
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I'm this certification freak whom you would like to dismiss with an airy wave of hand. I fully acknowledge that certifications don't prove a thing about the holder's abilities to react to real-life situations. But my predicament is that without them I never get the motivation to read a subject in full.
When i started getting conversant with EJBs (Essentially stateless session beans), i obviously tried my hand at the EJB specifications. Somehow, I found it to be high-browed and way too serious (I do acknowledge that it is supposed to be that way only). And I wasn't going any distance. I hadn't even given my SCJP when I picked this book by Sierra and Bates. In fact, i picked this book only towards getting to know the EJB architecture in detail. And learn I did. Chapters were light and I was flipping through the pages at a frenetic speed. Using various modes and means, important points were getting drummed in. The mocks given at the end of every chapter seriously helped though the final mock exam given at the very end can catch one off-guard. Having said that, I wouldn't have done so well in the exam but for going through the specifications. There is no substitute for it. Taking the mocks at ejbcertificate.com and jdiscuss.com also helped me to a great extent. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 03-18-05 | 4 | 1\6 |
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i was expecting little, got a lot.
There is a lot of good info here. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 03-12-05 | 4 | 1\2 |
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An excellent learning book for aspiring EJB developers. Excellent teaching methodology! I notice there are some topics where the context got lost and I had to read back again to fill in the blanks, which is fair enough to get someone thinking. :)
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 02-24-05 | 5 | 2\3 |
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One of the best books for the SCBCD certification. The books assumes you know nothing about ejb. Again well written by Kathy and bates.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 02-16-05 | 4 | 3\3 |
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This books has quite a number of pages, which is too much for the 'matter' it covers, the reason being most of the pages contain just graphics to illustrate some of the concepts. This really helped absorbing the concepts quickly instead of reading lines and lines of text. However, this book does not cover everything on EJB. Are you a beginner? Do you want to learn just what is required to pass SCBCD? Do you need strong EJB foundation? Then this is the book.
If you are a serious EJB programmer and need to tackle more real-life problems and understand everything EJBs can do, this book is probably not for you. Richard Monson-Haefel and Ed Roman's books cover more ground on the subject. All in all, this book has served its purpose well. Why 4 stars? Because not only this book is heavy but also the book's errata. Highly recommended for SCBCD aspirants. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:11 EST)
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| 01-31-05 | 2 | 7\16 |
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Some people may like this strange format of the book, but I really hated it. It's confusing, and not clear. It tries to be funny, but no, it's not. Too many unnecessary pictures/photos. You won't be able to use this book as a reference either. Waste of money. I only bought this book because it was the only EJB cert. book available at that time.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 01-02-05 | 4 | 1\3 |
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I bought Head First EJB because: 1. I didn't know anything about EJB, and 2. I bought Head First Java a while back and really enjoyed the style and learned a lot. This style is not for everyone as I read in some of the other reviews. But I personally prefer this style to the "traditional" how-to-program books - much more readable to me. Keep it up, Head First!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 12-22-04 | 5 | 1\2 |
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If your not buying this to pass the test, do yourself a favor and don't use EJB. That being said:
I bought this book about a year ago after already owing Ed Roman's Mastering Enterprise Java Beans. It is a great introduction to EJB and an awesome study guide. I went through this book start to finish in about eight hours before going to take the SCBCD test. I scored very well. This is the best book on EJB development I have read. It is well detailed and explains everything in manner that is easy to understand. I was suprised that the "Head First" series from O'Reilly was so good. Normally, I hate O'Reilly books. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 12-02-04 | 2 | 6\7 |
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While it presents all of the information you need to pass the test, I found the style of the book didn't really work well for me. I also felt that the grouping of information/topics didn't help the learning process (e.g. by the time you get to security, exceptions, etc. at the back of the book, you find yourself forgetting about the session beans, etc. at the front of the book that they are referring to). While the book was ok to learn the EJB concepts (an easy read), it required me to read through it quite a few times. I was also annoyed by the number of errors in the book (wrong answers for questions, etc.). There seem to be a fair number of errata you definitely want to look at on the website. As far a prepping for the Sun Certification exam, the information was so dispersed throughout the text, it didn't help much and I relied on a number of mock exams separate from the book. However, many people taking the SCBCD test swear by it, so your mileage may vary.
Personally, I thought Kathy's Java2 Sun Certified Programmer & Developer was a better effort. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 11-12-04 | 2 | 6\7 |
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The book helped me in passing the exam. However it was quite hard to learn from a book with such a confusing layout. During the first reading it is quite entertaining. But beware, if you have to lookup some forgotten facts. The index is poor and you have to skim through crazy cartoons and handwritten poorly organized notes. Frequently I gave up searching for some facts. So the 'head first' approach is definitely not for me. After passing the exam I gave tho book to someone else, because I didn't want to store such an optical cacophony on my bookshelf.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 10-25-04 | 3 | 2\4 |
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This book written in the Headfirst style is good enough to get you through the SCBCD exam sucessfully. Unfortunately the book contradicts it's self in quite a few places and barely ever goes into the details of why things are organized the way they are. It has many errors too, so be sure to check the errata on the oreilly website. It is by no means enough for an EJB developer and it has even not enough information on the EJB spec.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 10-04-04 | 5 | 2\3 |
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Enterprise Java Beans are not easy to understand. A great way to get started in that area is the book Head First EJB by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates (O'Reilly).
Chapter list: Welcome to EJB; EJB Architecture; Exposing Yourself; Being a Session Bean; Entities are Persistent; Being an Entity Bean; When Beans Relate; Getting the Message; The Atomic Age; When Beans Go Bad; Protect Your Secrets; The Joy of Deployment; Final Mock Exam; Index When I first started trying to learn EJB technology awhile back, I used a different book. Within two chapters I was totally lost and feeling really stupid. Not one to give up quickly, I gave it another try with Head First EJB. I learned more in the first chapter of that book than I learned in the entire prior book. The Head First method of writing and learning almost ensures that you'll be able to pick up even the most difficult concepts, and you'll definitely have more fun doing so. The primary goal of this book is to help you pass the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam. Since Kathy and Bert are co-developers of the test, you can pretty much figure out they understand the content and style of the questions that you will face. It'd be hard to go wrong using this as a primary study guide. You can read the material to fill in the gaps of your understanding, and then use the mock exam to figure out if you're ready for the real test. But even if the test is not on your radar screen, this book will give you the foundational information you'll need to start out with EJBs. Once you've got that down, then you can go play with the more "serious" material... Once again, a great title from the Head First team. I can't wait to see what they will cover next. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 07-01-04 | 5 | 3\4 |
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I just passed the exam using only this book and my own EJB experience. This book provides a thorough review of everything needed on the exam. For all you "just the facts ma'am" types, I'd like to say that I'm one too, but if you relax and enjoy the humor in this book, it actually does make it an easier read. The conversational style also helps in comprehension and retention. The only downside is that occasionally the humor contains what I would consider to be inappropriate language. Overall however, I highly recommend this book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 06-25-04 | 5 | 2\3 |
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I have gone through half of the book in a week, and this is the best book I have come accross reagarding EJB spec. "There Are No Dumb Questions", section is just wonderful. Answers questions that U might be thinking of or have not thought of. A MUST HAVE FOR ANY EJB developer.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 05-29-04 | 5 | 0\1 |
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This is a very excellent book for SCBCD. Anyone interested to pass the exam should not miss this book. This book is very clear and makes learning EJB very easy. This book is very outstanding and I wish the authors write more books so that we can enjoy them. I passed the SCBCD with a score of 92% and I am very thankful to the authors. I cannot imagine how difficult it would have been to learn EJB without this book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:13 EST)
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| 05-27-04 | 5 | 3\3 |
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In my opinion Head First EJB is a great study guide for the Sun Certified Business Component Developer exam. It's format is designed to make you understand and remember things in an easy and fun way and it definately worked for me! I studied for the exam mainly using this book, and passed with a score of 97%.
The book explains all aspects you need to know clearly and contains many useful excercises and mock tests. Altough it covers not every tiny detail of the specs and the exam, I'm sure you will pass the exam if you know this book in and out. I already had some experience wit EJB and the book made me understand a lot of what's going on behind the scene! So i'ts not only a good book for SCBCD, but also a very good and thorough introduction/course to the EJB-theory ! Head First rocks! (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:14 EST)
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| 05-03-04 | 4 | 3\4 |
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It is a good book for you to pass SCBCD. All content focuses on exam objectives. However, I didn't give it 5 stars because it is too wordy. Some people might love the book since it makes them smile. But if your goal is only to pass SCBCD, the wordy content is useless and wastes your time.
Anyway, I passed SCBCD with 91% by using this book. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:14 EST)
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| 05-02-04 | 5 | 2\3 |
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So many books (too many books) forget that people who are studying using a book look at one spread (two pages) at a time. After reading through HFE (twice!), then going back to some of my other books, I've become spoiled! Some books take the linear approach (write the whole dang book and let some mindless word processor paginate it). I guess one might guess that I don't appreciate that approach very much. It's obvious that with HFE, there was a lot of careful thought about what made-up the page / spread. I image discussions about maybe we have some extra room here, we could talk about this or that related thing. Or blast! We're running out of room here. I'd like to talk about this or that, but we need to be really tight here. Or, this is important enough to justify another page or two. Let me say that this makes the book much more pleasing and effective as a study guide than one with that linear approach.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:14 EST)
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| 04-28-04 | 5 | 2\2 |
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This is my first to write a review of any book.. I can't help it I just have to say I wish all books are presented this way.. It's the IKEA of all Java books... Unboring! Great!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:14 EST)
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| 04-23-04 | 5 | 2\2 |
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Pros:
- easy to read (although it has 700 pages) - good intro for beginners. - good review guide for exam takers. Cons: If you are new to EJB, read this book, play with some examples from Sun's tutorials and go through the book again before you take the exam, it will make a lot more sense the second time around and it will help you score high. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-24 06:14:14 EST)
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