Tackling the MS 70-355 exam

As my current MCSD - Store Apps (Win 8.1) certification will expire at the end of August I started looking at the next step MCSD - Universal Windows Platform certification.
I quickly passed the first one MS 70-354 but then I got stuck at the second and more difficult one - MS 70-355.

Not only the syllabus for the exam is way more extensive, but the lack of an official study guide makes it hard to study for it.

So I’ve attempted to dissect the skills measured section, broke it down 3 level deep down to the base topic for each chapter, and provide links to documentation for each section (where’ there’s a missing link, I did not find any relevant official documentation on that particular topic. I will update the post as I find them)

Skills measured

1. Recognize and apply a specified design pattern

• Describe the relationship between architecture, design pattern, and framework
  • Recognize common architectures and when they should be used
  • Recognize common design patterns and when a pattern can be applied to make programming tasks faster and easier
    • Microsoft Application Architecture Guide
    • Patterns & Practices home
• Describe traditional Microsoft .NET design patterns
  • Describe the Gang of Four design patterns, including creational patterns, structural patterns, and behavioral patterns
    • The 23 Gang of Four Design Patterns (Cheat Sheet)
    • Design Patterns
  • Describe 3-tier/N-tier patterns
    • Enterprise Architectures
  • Describe enterprise patterns
    • Enterprise Architectures
  • Describe cloud design patterns
    • Cloud Design Patterns
  • Describe head first patterns
  • Describe repository patterns (service locator, trusted façade, MVC)
    • Design Patterns
  • Describe unit of work patterns
    • Unit of work 1
    • Unit of work 2
• Apply the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) Prism pattern
  • MVVM pattern
  • MVVM Prism

Develop app and business logic, code that interfaces with other line-of-business (LOB) apps, and LOB Server Services (AD, SP)

• Develop code for app-specific processes and computations
  • Create an asynchronous method or process managing the return value from an asynchronous method debugging and error handling for an asynchronous method
    • Asynchronous programming
  • Develop storyboards and custom animations for an object
    • Animations
    • Transitions
    • Storyboard
  • Represent 3-D models as code objects, manage 2-D projections of 3-D objects
  • use Task, ThreadPool, and background transfers
    • TPL
    • Threading
    • Background Transfer
• Implement background tasks Index
  • Create and register a background task
    • Register a background task
  • set and respond to triggers
    • Triggers
  • debug a background task
    • Debugging
  • implement a lock screen app
    • Lock screen
  • share data/events between an app and its background tasks
    • App services
  • directly calling a background task
    • Application Trigger
• Manage app lifecycle events
  • Prepare for suspension, resume from suspension or termination
    • Launching, resuming, and multitasking
    • App lifecycle
  • implement an extended splash screen
    • Splash screen
  • extend execution and monitor suspension errors
    • Documentation
    • Article
    • Sample
• Implement interactions with other apps
  • Integrate a share contract to share content with another app
    • Share data
  • integrate contact and appointment functionality
    • Calendar
  • implement mapping and navigation (geolocation, geofencing, and Bing Maps)
    • Maps and Spatial Data services 1
    • Maps and Spatial Data services 2
    • Maps overview
    • Geofencing
  • exchange data/file between apps, including launch for result
    • Launch for result
  • use drag and drop
    • Drag and drop
• Implement notifications and Windows Push Notification Services (WNS)
  • Implement and manage notifications
    • Guidelines for push
    • WNS Overview
  • Support Live Tile updates, including toasts and badges
    • Live tiles
  • Support Action Center
    • Action center
  • Support Secondary tiles
    • Secondary Tiles
• Implement interactions with devices
  • Develop code for camera and microphone, including photo, video, and audio index
    • Media Casting
    • Camera Capture
    • Media Capture
  • Implement screen capture
    • NOT SUPPORTED IN WIN 10
  • Implement printing and Play To
    • Print
    • Play To
  • Integrate HoloLens sensors and services
    • HoloLens
  • Support wireless communication
• Develop class libraries (code libraries, DLLs)
  • Naming assemblies, namespaces, types, and members in class libraries
  • using static and abstract classes, interfaces, enumerations, structures, and other types
  • designing and using properties, methods, constructors, fields, events, operators, and parameters
  • implementing extensibility mechanisms such as subclassing, using events, virtual members, and callbacks
  • designing, throwing, and catching exceptions

Develop code for implementing secure cloud data services and storage

• Design and implement data roaming
  • Roaming user settings and preferences, roaming app session info
    • Roaming guidelines
    • Stpre and retrieve app data
• Design and implement a RESTful data solution (oData, JSON)
  • Using the ASP.NET Web API
    • Web API
  • Implementing JSON serialization
  • Adding a service reference to the project
  • Using Windows.Web.Http.HttpClient objects
    • Http Client
• Design and implement Azure and cloud data sources Index
  • Implement offline data sync
    • App Services offline data sync
    • [Obsolete]Mobile Services conflict handling
  • Implement caching
  • Support OneDrive integration
    • OneDrive common tasks
    • OneDrive files and folders
    • Signing in to OneDrive
  • Implement file access and management (including File Picker and file access APIs)
  • Upload images to Azure Storage
    • How to use blobs
• Integrate Azure data services
  • References in a following chapter
• Design and implement removable and embedded local data sources
  • Support SD card storage
    • SD Card
  • Implement SQLite on mobile devices
    • SQL Lite

Develop code to implement authentication and business security requirements

• Implement code to manage authentication and identity
  • Web authentication broker
    • Web authentication broker
  • Azure authentication
    • Get started with Azure App Service Mobile
  • implement code to manage identity
    • Get started with Azure App Service Mobile
  • implement biometric identity verification, including Windows Hello
    • Fingerprint biometrics
  • implement Credential Locker, implement single sign-on
    • Credential Locker
• Implement code to manage authorization and access to resources
  • Implement authentication requests
    • Azure AD in Windows Store apps
  • authorize users and apps
    • OneDrive sign users
    • Blog: App to app communication
  • manage authorization IDs
  • restrict access to resources, including data, files, folders, and devices
    • OneDrive files and folders
• Implement cryptography within an app
  • Create cryptographic keys
  • Hash and sign content
    • Macs, hases and signatures
  • Create message authentication codes
    • Macs, hases and signatures
  • Encrypt and decrypt data
    • Data Protection
• Support enterprise security considerations
  WindowsPrincipal
  Impersonating
  • Implement security transparency
    • Security-Transparent Code Level 1
    • Security-Transparent Code
  • Implement code access security
    • Using Libraries from Partially Trusted Code
    • Code Access Security Basics
  • Implement role-based security
    • Role-Based Security

Integrate cloud services and Azure App Service services

!!! The Mobile Services product that is referenced in the syllabus is now obsolete, replaced by the new Azure Mobile Apps component.
[Obsolete]Mobile Services documentation
Azure Mobile Apps documentation

• Build native and cross-platform apps using services
  • Integrate Azure App Service mobile app functionality within an existing mobile app
    • App Service mobile apps
  • Use a .NET client with Mobile Services
    • [Obsolete] Get started with Mobile Services
  • Call a custom API from a client
    • Define a custom controller
• Connect to your enterprise systems using services
  • Build a service that uses an existing SQL database
    • [Obsolete] Using existing SQL database
  • Connect to an on-premises SQL Server from an Azure mobile service using hybrid connections
    • Hybrid connections
  • Scale mobile services backed by Azure SQL database
    • [Obsolete] Connect to SQL database
  • Authenticate your app with Active Directory Authentication Library single sign-on
    • [Obsolete] AD Authentication scenarios
    • AD Authentication scenarios
  • Add role-based access control to mobile services with Azure Active Directory
    • Role based access control
  • Access Microsoft SharePoint on behalf of the user
  • Schedule backend jobs in mobile services
    • [Obsolete]Mobile services recurring tasks
  • Troubleshoot a mobile services .NET backend
    • Troubleshooting
• Connect to SaaS APIs using services
  • Implement single sign-on using credentials from third-party identity providers
    • Web authentication broker
    • Get started
  • Build a service that uses MongoDB as a data store
    • Using MongoDB
• Build offline-ready apps with sync using services
  • Allow employees to work offline when connectivity is not available
    • Offline data sync
  • Synchronize with your enterprise backend systems when devices comes back online
    • [Obsolete] Offline Data
    • Offline Data
  • Recover in the event of a disaster
    • [Obsolete] Disaster recovery
• Push notifications to users using services
  • Add push notifications to your app
    • [Obsolete]Push notifications
    • Push notifications
  • Send push notifications to authenticated users
    • [Obsolete]Push to authenticated users
    • Push to authenticated users

Develop code that is maintainable and that supports app versioning, compatibility, and coexistence

• Develop code using version control (TFVC or Git)
  • Develop code using a standardized coding convention
  • Implement best practices for assembly versioning
    • Git Branches
    • TFS Changeset
    • Branching
    • TFS lock types
• Implement best practices for assemblies and side-by-side execution
  • Use strong-named assemblies
    • Strong-Named Assemblies 1
    • Strong-Named Assemblies 2
    • Delay Signing an Assembly
  • Including version, culture, and publisher
    • Managing references in a project
  • Use the GAC to provide version-aware storage
  • Create an app that runs in isolation
    • Creating Windows Runtime Components
    • Windows Runtime components
    • Use Application Isolation
• Implement best practices for assembly placement and the GAC
  • Using an app configuration file
    • Package version numbering
    • Managing Application Settings
  • Using codebases
    • <bindingRedirect> Element
    • <codeBase> Element
    • <probing> Element
  • Providing a binding context

Other links:

• Uap:Capability
• Azure Storage REST
• Application Manifest
• MVA course: MVA course
• UWP Develop
• UWP Design
• Artchitecture guidance