InterSystems IRIS Development Professional

T1

Best practices: Architecture

T1.1

Determines database storage strategy in InterSystems IRIS

1. Determines which databases should be included in a namespace
2. Recommends database architecture based on expected data growth
3. Structures data to support global mappings
4. Identifies implications of mirroring on application performance and availability
5. Identifies implications of configuration settings when designing for scale (buffers, locks, process memory)
6. Identifies implications of InterSystems IRIS upgrades on database architecture
7. Identifies implications of security requirements on database architecture
8. Identifies costs and benefits of using InterSystems interoperability functionality
9. Identifies benefits and tradeoffs for using InterSystems IRIS BI to augment usage of object and relational models
10. Identifies secure REST API design best practices

T1.2

Determines data structures

1. Differentiates between registered object, serial object, and persistent classes
2. Determines indexes to add/update to improve performance
3. Describes relationship between globals, objects, and SQL
4. Determines when streams are the appropriate data type
5. Describes InterSystems IRIS support for JSON

T1.3

Plans data lifecycle

1. Evaluates strategies for data storage and retrieval (e.g., MDX, SQL, object)
2. Manages data life cycles (e.g., CRUD)
3. Describes expected application performance as a function of data volumes, users, and processes

T2

Best practices: Development lifecycle

T2.1

Uses recommended development tools and workflows with InterSystems IRIS

1. Uses Visual Studio Code to connect to InterSystems IRIS and develop client-side and server-side code
2. Uses InterSystems IRIS debugging tools (e.g., uses debugger in VS Code)
3. Identifies components required in Compose files used for container development
4. Enumerates available development tools (e.g., %SYS.MONLBL, ^PROFILE, and ^TRACE)
5. Describes options for automatically documenting code
6. Chooses background execution strategy

T2.2

Integrates InterSystems IRIS with CI/CD pipelines

1. Describes deployment options for InterSystems IRIS (e.g., containers vs InterSystems IRIS installer)
2. Manages changes to CPF file to support continuous deployment
3. Uses the %UnitTest framework to write and run unit tests
4. Runs integration tests to confirm expectations in other applications
5. Plans tests to meet functional and non-functional requirements at production scale
6. Identifies implications of promoting changes

T2.3

Uses source control with InterSystems IRIS

1. Describes options for integrating InterSystems IRIS with source control systems
   
2. Mitigates effects of importing an updated class/schema definition

T3

Best practices: Data retrieval

T3.1

Uses Python with InterSystems IRIS

1. Identifies Embedded Python capabilities in InterSystems IRIS
   
2. Enumerates Python strategies for given use cases (e.g., Embedded, Native SDK, etc.)

T3.2

Connects to InterSystems IRIS

1. Configures secure JDBC/ODBC connections to InterSystems IRIS

T3.3

Uses SQL with InterSystems IRIS

1. Differentiates between embedded SQL and dynamic SQL
2. Leverages IRIS-specific SQL features (e.g., implicit join, JSON)
3. Interprets query plans
4. Reviews and analyzes automatically displayed statistics via SQL Statement Index
5. Evaluates strategies for table statistics gathering (e.g., import, tune, representative data)
6. Evaluates SQL security strategies

T3.4

Creates REST services

1. Creates REST services and differentiates between implementation options
2. Describes API monitoring and control features available in InterSystems API Manager
3. Secures REST services
4. Documents REST Services

T4

Best practices: Code

T4.1

Writes defensive code

1. Chooses strategy for error handling
2. Diagnoses and troubleshoots system performance and code execution performance
3. Manages and monitors process memory
4. Manages processes (including background processes)
5. Describes general system limits in IRIS (e.g., max string vs stream, # of properties)

T4.2

Writes secure code

1. Implements database and data element encryption
2. Connects securely to external systems
3. Prevents SQL injection attacks (e.g., sanitizing, concatenating vs parameterizing)
4. Prevents remote code execution
5. Leverages InterSystems IRIS security model

T4.3

Ensures data integrity

1. Differentiates between journaling behavior inside vs outside transactions
2. Minimizes requirements for journal volumes and performance
3. Manages transactions
4. Enumerates causes for automatic transaction rollbacks

T4.4

Implements concurrency controls

1. Identifies functionality of locking mechanisms within applications
2. Follows best practices when using locks
3. Chooses between row locks and table locks