On March 31st, Oracle Education announced the retirement of the a number of exams and certification tracks. A number of certifications that were put into production during the Oracle 9i release were included. Among other things, Oracle Education is preparing for the exams that will come into existence with the release of Oracle 12C. One of the exams that is being retired is 1Z0-141: Oracle Forms: Build Internet Applications and its associated certification: Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate. Unlike most of the exams being retired, the replacement for 1Z0-141 is not really clear based solely on the information available on Oracle's certification website.  The 1Z0-141 exam is currently displayed in the PL/SQL development track, as one of the pre-requisites in the associated certification is to become an Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate. The replacement exam for 1Z0-141 is 1Z0-151 Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g: Build Applications with Oracle Forms. The name of the associated certification is Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Forms Developer. Currently, this does not appear in the PL/SQL certification track. However, like 1Z0-141, one of the re-requisites for the associated certification is the PL/SQL OCA. As of the time this article is written, the 1Z0-151 exam is listed in an entirely separate 'Middleware' track. It is possible that with the retirement of 1Z0-141 that it will be moved to the PL/SQL track. Whether or not the replacement is moved to the PL/SQL track, the new exam is the path that Forms developers must take to become Oracle Certified Professionals. The exam topics are closely related to those that appeared on the earlier exam. The areas covered by the exam include:

• Introduction to Oracle Forms Builder and Oracle Forms Services
• Running an Oracle Forms Application
• Working in the Forms Builder Environment
• Creating a Basic Form Module
• Creating a Master-Detail Form
• Working with Data Blocks and Frames
• Working with Text Items
• Creating LOVs and Editors
• Creating Additional Input Items
• Creating Noninput Items
• Creating Windows and Content Canvases
• Working with Other Canvas Types
• Introduction to Triggers
• Producing Triggers
• Debugging Triggers
• Adding Functionality to Items
• Run-Time Messages and Alerts
• Query Triggers
• Validation
• Navigation
• Transaction Processing
• Writing Flexible Code
• Sharing Objects and Code
• Using WebUtil to Interact with the Client
• Introducing Multiple Form Applications
• Creating a Menu Module
• Managing Menu Modules

  If you are currently studying for the 1Z0-141 exam, you either need to complete your preparation quickly and take the exam, or switch to preparing for the 1Z0-151 exam. After July 31st, you will no longer be able to schedule a test for 1Z0-141. Whichever option you choose, good luck on the exam.