Appian ACD200 Appian Certified Senior Developer Exam Practice Test

 Two places to get information on process model memory usage are:

• Process monitoring tab. The process monitoring tab is a feature in the Appian Designer that allows you to monitor and manage the performance and status of process models and instances. You can use the process monitoring tab to view various metrics and statistics about your processes, such as memory usage, execution time, node count, error count, etc. You can also filter, sort, and export the data for further analysis. The process monitoring tab can help you identify which processes have the highest memory footprint and potential performance issues.
• Appian Health Check report. The Appian Health Check report is a tool that provides insights into application design patterns and performance risks in your environment. The report covers four areas of your environment: design, user experience, infrastructure, and configuration. The report also includes graphs highlighting historical trends, such as user activity, average response times, and resource utilization. The Appian Health Check report can help you identify which processes have the highest memory consumption and suggestions for mitigating them. References: Process Monitoring Tab, Understanding the Health Check Report

 Two true statements are:

• It is not possible to undo changes from an import to all types of objects. Once a package is imported to an environment, it applies changes to the existing objects or creates new objects based on the package contents. There is no built-in mechanism to revert these changes or delete these objects automatically. Therefore, it is important to test the package in a non-production environment before importing it to production, and to backup any objects that may be overwritten by the import.
• It is possible to import the same package multiple times. A package can be imported to an environment more than once, as long as it does not contain any conflicts or errors that would prevent the import. However, importing the same package multiple times may not have any effect if there are no changes in the package contents or in the target environment since the last import. References: Prepare Deployment Packages, Application Deployment Guidelines

 Two things that can be done to increase the performance of a poorly-performing process model that has a lot of nodes and is mainly used to do background updates are:

• Remove all activity chaining. Activity chaining is a feature that allows a process to move from one node to another without waiting for a commit point. This can improve the performance of some processes, but it can also cause memory issues and data inconsistency if used excessively or incorrectly. Removing activity chaining can reduce the memory consumption and ensure data integrity of the process model.
• Refactor some nodes into subprocesses when possible. Subprocesses are processes that are called from within another process model. Refactoring some nodes into subprocesses can simplify the main process model and improve its readability and maintainability. It can also reduce the memory usage and execution time of the main process model, as subprocesses are executed in parallel and have their own memory allocation. References: Activity Chaining, Subprocess Node, Process Model Best Practices

When troubleshooting a process model instance with an error in a node, two options that can provide more information about the error are to view the Process Details dialog and to view the properties dialog of the affected node. The Process Details dialog shows the status, history, and variables of the process instance, as well as any errors or warnings that occurred during the execution. The properties dialog of the affected node shows the configuration, inputs, outputs, and expressions of the node, as well as any errors or warnings that occurred during the evaluation. These options can help to identify the cause and location of the error, and to apply any necessary fixes. Therefore, the correct answers are B and D.

References:

• [Process Details Dialog]
• [Properties Dialog]

 Peer Dev Review is the most efficient way to coach team members and improve code quality, because it allows developers to share feedback, learn from each other, and identify and fix issues before they become problems. Peer Dev Review also fosters collaboration, communication, and best practices among the team. Peer Dev Review can be done using tools like Appian Designer or Appian Code Review. References: [Peer Dev Review], [Appian Code Review]

When building a process model that transforms a large data set, two things that should be ensured to include in the process model are an XOR gateway before the transformation node, to check for empty/null values, and a transformation applied with an expression rule that takes the data set as an input, and loops through the dataset using a looping function, such as foreach. These things can help to improve the performance and reliability of the process model. The XOR gateway can prevent unnecessary processing of empty or null data sets, which can save time and resources. The expression rule can perform the transformation in one transaction, instead of using multiple nodes or subprocesses, which can reduce the memory footprint and the database load of the process model. Therefore, the correct answers are B and D.

References:

• [XOR Gateway]
• [Expression Rules]
• [foreach() Function]

 The best way to restrict the uploading of documents without extensions at the environment level is to enable the File Upload > Block files without an extension option under the Administration Console. This option will prevent users from uploading files that do not have a valid file extension, such as .docx, .pdf, or .png. This can help to avoid security risks and compatibility issues with unsupported file types. Therefore, the correct answer is A.

References:

• [File Upload Settings]
• [File Extensions]

The performance log that should be used to see the mean evaluation time of a slow-performing expression rule every hour is expressions_details.csv. This log records information about how expression rules are performing in the system, such as the number of evaluations, the total time, the mean total time, and the standard deviation of the total time. The log is written to once every hour, and it provides fine-grain aggregation by type of expression rule. The mean total time column shows the average time it took to evaluate an expression rule in milliseconds. Therefore, the correct answer is A.

References:

• Expression Performance Logs
• Performance Best Practices

The most appropriate action to display a Gender dropdown whose choice label may change in the future as per the business requirement is to create these entries in a table and reference them through a query entity rule as per the business requirement. This is because storing the choice labels in a table allows for easy maintenance and modification of the data without affecting the transactional database tables that rely on this data for reporting. Using a query entity rule allows for retrieving the data from the table and populating the dropdown component dynamically and consistently across different interfaces or processes that use this data. References: Dropdown Component, Query Entity Rule, Data Management

Three best practices that should be applied when code-checking a process model are:

• All XOR/OR gateways should have a single incoming flow. This is because XOR/OR gateways are used to split the process flow based on a condition or an event. Having multiple incoming flows to a gateway can cause confusion and ambiguity about the logic and order of execution. If multiple incoming flows are needed, they should be merged into a single flow using an AND gateway before reaching the XOR/OR gateway.
• All outgoing flows from a gateway should be labeled. This is because labels provide clarity and readability to the process model. They also help to document the business logic and rules that determine the path of execution. Labels should be concise, descriptive, and consistent throughout the process model.
• Node inputs should not make the same query call more than once. This is because repeated query calls can negatively impact the performance and efficiency of the process model. They can also cause data inconsistency and duplication if the query results change over time. Node inputs should use variables or rules to store and reuse query results whenever possible. References: Process Model Best Practices, Process Model Object, Process Modeling

 The Number (Integer) data type should be chosen for the BOOK_ID, because it is a unique identifier for each book record. The Number (Integer) data type is used to store whole numbers without decimals, such as IDs, counts, or ordinal values. The Number (Integer) data type can also be used as a primary key for a CDT or a foreign key for referencing another CDT. References: [Number (Integer) Data Type], [CDT Primary Keys]

 According to Appian best practices, the preferred style and size for the images to display the profile picture of each employee inside an employee grid are style: “AVATAR” and size: “SMALL”. This is because the avatar style creates a circular image that is suitable for profile pictures, and the small size creates a 32x32 pixel image that fits well inside a grid cell. The standard style creates a rectangular image that may not look good for profile pictures, and the large size creates a 128x128 pixel image that may be too big for a grid cell. References: Image Component

The question is about allowing external systems to invoke Appian web APIs. A service account is the user role that should be used for this purpose, as it is a special type of basic user that can be configured to authenticate with web APIs using an API key. A service account can also be assigned to specific groups or roles to control the access to web APIs. The other options are not user roles, but rather groups or user types that are not suitable for this purpose. References:

• Service Accounts
• Web API Security

 The requirement is to use space efficiently in a user interface where the meaningful order of components is vertical. A columns layout is the most appropriate layout component for this requirement, as it allows you to arrange components into columns that stack vertically on smaller devices. A columns layout also provides options to control the width, alignment, and visibility of each column. The other options are not suitable for this requirement, as they either do not preserve the vertical order of components or do not use space efficiently. References:

• Columns Layout

 A materialized view is the best option to show joined data from 5 tables that contain a large number of rows and could generate a large result set after executing the joins. A materialized view is a physical table that holds the results of the SQL that a view would normally be constructed from and can be generated periodically. A materialized view can improve performance by reducing the execution time of complex queries that involve multiple joins, aggregations, or calculations. A materialized view can also reduce the load on the database server by storing the query results in advance. A materialized view can be refreshed at regular intervals or on demand to reflect the changes in the underlying tables. References: [Materialized Views], [View Performance]

The requirement is to create a service account for a consumer to access the Appian Web API. A basic user is the user type that should be created for this purpose, as it has the minimum permissions needed to invoke web APIs and does not consume a license. A basic user can also be assigned to specific groups or roles to control the access to web APIs. The other options are not suitable for this purpose, as they either have more permissions than needed or consume a license. References:

• User Types
• Web API Security

 The question is about troubleshooting slow response times on a SAIL interface. The following are two potential causes of the performance issues:

• Multiple a!save operations: This means that the interface has multiple expressions that use a!save to store data in variables or update components. This can cause performance issues, as each a!save operation triggers a server round-trip and refreshes all dependent components on the interface. You should minimize the use of a!save operations and use local variables or component parameters instead.
• Configuration of refresh variables: This means that the interface has components that use refresh variables to control when they should be refreshed based on changes in other components or variables. This can cause performance issues, as some components may be refreshed unnecessarily or too frequently due to incorrect or excessive refresh variables. You should optimize the refresh variables and use them only when needed.

The following are not likely causes of slow response times on a SAIL interface:

• Multiple rule inputs: This means that the interface has expressions that use rule inputs to pass data or parameters to expression rules. This does not affect the performance of the interface, as rule inputs are evaluated on the server and do not cause additional server round-trips or refreshes.
• Stacked button layout: This means that the interface has a layout component that arranges buttons in a vertical stack. This does not affect the performance of the interface, as it is a simple layout component that does not require any server interaction or refresh logic.

References:

• a!save()
• Refresh Variables
• Rule Inputs
• Stacked Button Layout

The question is about referencing and using arrays of a CDT (Custom Data Type). The following statements are true:

• There is no difference between using “dot notation” and the index() function. Both methods can be used to access elements of an array by their position. For example, if a is an array of CDTs, then a[1] and index(a, 1) will return the same element.
• An array of integers can be passed as the second parameter to the index() function to return the data at those positions in the array. For example, if a is an array of CDTs, then index(a, {1, 3, 5}) will return an array of CDTs containing the elements at positions 1, 3, and 5 in a.

The following statements are false:

• Other Appian functions can be used within the square brackets “[]” when using dot notation to return specific data from the array. This is not possible, as dot notation only accepts integers or integer arrays as indices. For example, if a is an array of CDTs, then a[length(a)] will cause an error, as length(a) is not a valid index.
• The function wherecontains can act on operands of different types. This is not true, as wherecontains only works on operands of the same type. For example, if a is an array of CDTs and b is an array of integers, then wherecontains(a, b) will cause an error, as a and b are not of the same type.

References:

• Dot Notation
• index()
• wherecontains()

The question is about presenting data through data visualization and matching the chart types to the data they are best suited to represent. The following are the correct matches:

• A pie chart is best suited to represent proportional data in one category and can help us understand the contribution of parts to a whole. A pie chart shows the relative size of each part as a slice of a circular pie, and can display percentages or absolute values. For example, a pie chart can show the market share of different smartphone brands in one country.
• A line chart is best suited to represent direct comparison of data with multiple categories with a relatively small set of positive and negative values. A line chart shows the change or trend of data over time or another variable, and can display multiple lines for different categories. For example, a line chart can show the temperature change of different cities over a year.
• A bar chart is best suited to represent values across a relatively large number of categories that are not sequential or time-based. A bar chart shows the magnitude or frequency of data using horizontal or vertical bars, and can display multiple bars for different categories. For example, a bar chart can show the number of students enrolled in different courses in a university.

References:

• Pie Chart
• Line Chart
• Bar Chart

An index is a data structure that allows for faster retrieval of data from a table based on one or more columns. Indexes increase the performance of read operations, such as select queries, by reducing the number of records that need to be scanned. However, indexes decrease the performance of write operations, such as insert, update, and delete queries, by requiring additional work to maintain the index structure and ensure its consistency with the table data. Therefore, indexes should be used judiciously and only on columns that are frequently used in queries and have high selectivity (i.e., low number of duplicate values). 

The database object that should be used to create a virtual relation in a database to query the data is a view. A view is a searchable object that is defined by a query. It does not store any data but retrieves data from one or more tables at run time, creating a virtual table and returning the data in the defined format. It is created using joins, filters, aggregations, or other SQL operations. A view can be used to simplify complex queries, provide security, or enhance performance. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

References:

• Relational Database Guidance
• Views

The most appropriate testing method to achieve this using Appian is Unit Testing. This is because unit testing allows you to test individual components of your application, such as forms, rules, or expressions, in isolation from other components or dependencies. Unit testing can help you verify that your Related Action works as expected for different users and data scenarios, as well as identify and fix any errors or bugs before deploying your application to production. References: Unit Testing

The appian_log4j.properties file is used to configure the logging levels for Appian components, including authentication. You can modify this file to increase or decrease the verbosity of the log output for different categories. For example, to enable trace-level logging for SAML authentication, you can add this line to the file: log4j.logger.com.appiancorp.suite.authentication.saml=TRACE References: [Appian Logging Configuration], [SAML Troubleshooting]