Course: Develop your Basic Knowledge of Software Development (incl. guidance)

In computer programming, commands are a common method of interacting with a computer to perform specific operations. A computer's command line interface (CLI) tool is used to enter, accept, and forward commands to the computer's operating system (OS). The commands and CLI will vary depending on the OS used (Microsoft, Linux, macOS, etc.) Use this course to get started with some of the most common commands used in Windows and Linux systems. Learn the commands that generate the most return in terms of productivity, such as engaging with files, folders, and programs. In doing this, become comfortable with using Windows and Linux CLIs. By the end of the course, you'll be able to execute the most frequently used commands on a Windows or Linux system.

The fundamentals of computer programming are not only for novice programmers. Knowing how humans manipulate computer programs can be game-changing for many other roles, such as UI designers, support engineers, or system administrators. This course acts as an introduction to programming for all. Discover the structure of a simple program, identifying the role of each part. Examine variables, looking at their types and purpose in a program. Dive into the role of functions, discovering how they use variables to achieve a result. Moving along, explore standard file operations, the use of a main method, the difference between compilation and interpretation, and different types of programming languages. When you're done, you'll be able to give a theoretical explanation of the elements and methods involved in programming.

The first step in the process of dependable computer programming is to plan and design how that program will be structured and behave. This involves using pseudocode and other design tools before diving into writing the actual computer program. Use this course to become familiar with the design process behind writing a computer program. Learn how to use pseudocode to turn a computer into a series of logical steps. Explore program flow, decision making, and looping. Moving on, examine how algorithms and flowcharts are used in computer program design. By the end of the course, you'll be able to start developing a computer program using pseudocode and algorithms.

Sorting and searching involve the three programming concepts of sequence, selection, and repetition. At least one of these three concepts is present in every program ever written. There are special sorting and searching algorithms that you'll likely need to use when developing a computer program. Use this course to investigate the main algorithms used in program development. Recognize their efficacy and how they're used as problem-solving tools. Learn about various algorithm types. Moving along, examine two sorting and two searching algorithms in detail. By the end of the course, you'll be able to recognize how sorting and searching algorithms apply to computer program development.

If you're learning computer programming, you need to know what object-oriented programming (OOP) is. One of the most prolific and frequently used programming paradigms, OOP has many benefits, such as code reusability, maintenance, scalability, and collaboration. The pragmatic structure of OOP means you can build large and complex programs with ease and efficiency. Use this course to examine what comprises OOP, including its use of objects and its core features of inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism. Distinguish between OOP and another standard programming paradigm, procedural programming. Finally, explore the most popular OOP languages and begin writing programs using three of these. Upon completion, you'll recognize how to use object-oriented programming to build versatile computer programs.

Like any valuable and skilled process, there are best practices established in computer programming that, if used, will make your work more effective in every respect. Use this course to become familiar with programming best practices at all phases of development. Firstly, examine the rationale for using standards and best practices in the programming world. Then, delve into the "how and why" behind multiple types of best practices. Among others, explore documentation, programming style, and integrated development environment (IDE) usage. As you advance, practice exception handling, as most beginner programmers introduce errors in their programs. Lastly, take a look at code review as a vital tool in developing good programs. When you're done, you'll be able to level up as a programmer by using game-changing best practices.

In this lab, you will perform beginner programming tasks, such as working with Linux files and folders and Linux terminal commands before moving on to create your first Java program. You will then declare variables in Java followed by performing linear and binary searches and bubble and insertion sorts.

Final Exam: Programming Fundamentals will test your knowledge and application of the topics presented throughout the Programming Fundamentals track of the Skillsoft Aspire Developer Fundamentals Journey.

HTML is the backbone of all web documents, web applications, and now e-commerce. Despite all this power, HTML remains very easy to learn. Use this course to explore the history and versions of HTML. Study the structure, parts, and role of an HTML document. Examine menus, HTML tags and attributes, semantic tags, tables, and forms. Learn about the elements of the DOM (Document Object Model) and identify its role in document structure. On the practical front, build a web page that includes form controls, tables, combo boxes, radio buttons, and more. Upon completion, you'll be able to build simple web pages using HTML.

HTML specifies the content and structure of a webpage, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is the language used to define how HTML elements are styled and displayed. Use this course to learn how to use CSS to style your HTML documents. Distinguish between HTML and CSS and see how CSS can enhance the look and feel of HTML elements and, in turn, the entire web page. As you get hands-on, apply styles to textual content within the HTML elements. CSS can also be used to affect properties such as borders, widths, and backgrounds. Work with selectors, page layout, and transformations. Also, use animations to create subtle effects on DOM elements. Upon course completion, you'll be able to customize the design and style of your HTML-built web pages using CSS.

Scripting languages, such as JavaScript, are common in programming. Not only can they make coding less cumbersome, but they also add a level of dynamicity to applications. Anyone who wants to get their head around programming needs to know how and why to use JavaScript. Use this course to explore the origins of scripting in web pages and scripting's contribution to a more dynamic web environment. Find out how to use variables, functions, expressions, and arrays in JavaScript. More importantly, discover how JavaScript can react to events that happen on a web page and contribute to form validation and submission to a back-end database. Upon completion, you'll know to use JavaScript to make your web pages more dynamic and reactive to user interaction.

In the Web Fundamentals lab, you will create an HTML document to which you will add lists and a table. You will also add JavaScript in HTML and add JavaScript operators and events. Next you will add CSS in an HTML document and link an external CCS file.

Final Exam: Web Fundamentals will test your knowledge and application of the topics presented throughout the Web Fundamentals track of the Skillsoft Aspire Developer Fundamentals Journey.

Most businesses are unable to function without a database, even if it's just a filing cabinet. With more and more data coming from multiple sources comes an increased demand for secure and well-performing databases with adequate storage. Take this course to get a firm understanding of what exactly data means and why a database management system (DBMS) is so important for data management. Examine the origins of data and how it's stored and manipulated. Discover the different DBMS types. And learn about the roles and responsibilities involved in using a DBMS. Furthermore, find out how a DBMS can contribute to providing sound and reliable data. Navigate the MySQL Workbench to see the capabilities of an RDBMS (relational database management system) firsthand. After taking this course, you'll be able to recognize the features and capabilities of a reliable DBMS.

Stored data can be used to derive all kinds of information. And the proper storage and use of data can contribute to better business decisions. Use this course to learn how to use a relational database management system (RDBMS) to retrieve vital information. Explore the purpose of an RDBS. Examine various databases in the marketplace, taking an in-depth look at the history and features of the most popular ones, like Oracle and SQL Server. Work with MySQL Workbench, observing how records relate to tables and how tables are connected. Discover primary database terminology. Learn about organizing data and using normalization to make data retrieval easier. And find out about E.F. Codd's contribution to database evolution. Upon completion, you'll know how to glean new information from data stored in an RDBMS.

Because a database is only the storage medium, we need to use a different kind of tool in order to work with that stored data. Take this course to learn how to use structured query language (SQL) to manage data in a relational database management system (RDBMS). Perform create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) operations on data using SQL, to make raw data useful. Examine data definition language (DDL) commands that work with database and table objects. Use SQL to add constraints to data in tables, for example, to specify what kind of data gets stored in which column. And explore the repercussions of constraint violation. After completing this course, you will be able to illustrate how SQL can be used within a database to add and secure tables.

The data stored in a database can be used in a variety of ways. Take this course to explore the power of the database as a tool for storing, manipulating, and retrieving data. Use data definition language (DDL) commands to clarify structures like schema, database, and tables. Learn the most important data manipulation language (DML) commands and execute a data query language (DQL) statement. Finally, explore how tables can be combined via joins and subqueries, producing new information from existing data. Upon completion, you will be comfortable using basic commands to set up and work with databases.

Once a database is part of your IT infrastructure, you need to protect and maintain it. You also have to ensure that it is operating at optimal capacity. This course focuses on the database administrator (DBA), the individual charged with building, maintaining, and backing up the database. Explore key responsibilities and tasks performed by the DBA involving the security, migration, troubleshooting, and configuration of databases. Discover how the role of the DBA compares to that of a database developer. Finally, learn about common maintenance functions performed for a database such as backup and restore, user management, and performance tuning. Upon completion of this course, you'll understand the role of a DBA and how the DBA's day-to-day responsibilities differ from those of a database developer.

In the Database Fundamentals lab, you will perform database essentials such as importing a database into MySQL Server, creating a Database, adding and deleting records, running queries and creating indexes.

Final Exam: Database Fundamentals will test your knowledge and application of the topics presented throughout the Database Fundamentals track of the Skillsoft Aspire Developer Fundamentals Journey.

Software development is no different from any other creative process. It involves the planning, development, controlling, testing, and maintenance of software products. The software development life cycle (SDLC) is a framework used to expand that development process into different stages, ensuring that the team works together to minimize risk, reduce cost, and deliver a high-quality product. Begin by exploring the role of software engineering in development. Then, examine the SDLC phases to discover the business needs for project analysis and project plan development. Finally, investigate development and implementation steps and learn about the importance of testing prior to deployment. Upon completion, you will be able to list all the phases of the SDLC and name a final document of each phase.

Most business related development processes include some kind of formal methodology. For software development we call these software development life cycle (SDLC) models and there are several of them. Learn why a software development model is needed for better software development. Discover several SDLC models including the waterfall model, incremental and spiral models, the V-model, and Agile models. Explore the features of each model and consider what they have in common. Finally, utilize comparative techniques and use cases to choose the best model for your development. After completion of this course, you'll be able to differentiate between and define popular software development methodologies.

In this course we adopt the object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) methodology for developing computer programs. This methodology guides the developer into the proper structure for developing programs. We will begin by looking at this methodology to see how it helps the programmer develop better computer programs and consider how this approach compares to the traditional procedural style of software development. Next, we will discuss design patterns and take a look at how object-oriented relationships work. Finally, you will use an object-oriented programming (OOP) approach to solving programming problems and developing code based on your solutions. After completing this course, you'll be able to outline the object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) approach to solving programming problems.

Programmers have several tools to choose from that can help make the development process easier, more streamlined, and more cost effective. One important tool is the Unified Modeling Language (UML) - a generalized modeling language that standardizes visualization of system design, giving everyone on the team one clear direction. UML helps present projects visually while maintaining the flexibility to be interpreted in different ways. Explore the many reasons for applying a UML approach to program development. Examine the architecture of UML, including the different types of models and diagrams. Learn about UML notations, and look at static and dynamic diagrams and apply use cases to each. At the end of this course, you will be able to add UML to your programmer's toolbox to design parts of an object-oriented program.

Since computer programming is now a mature industry, there are some functions that almost all programs perform, such as authenticating users. These practices have been formalized into programming patterns, which are the subject of this course. We begin by discussing the need for design patterns and look at the three basic types - creational, structural, and behavioral. Next, dive deeper into each pattern type and use examples in each case. Additionally, we discuss the SOLID design principles in detail. Finally, we talk about best software design practices in a general sense. After completing this course, you'll be able to employ tried and true design patterns to solve programming problems.

Computer programming has matured to the point where we can develop most business applications using three distinct technologies within the client-server framework. The three tiers of presentation, logic, and database (storage) lead to separate development teams in larger companies. This three-tier development means that code must be tested and synchronized before production. For this reason, version control of the entire code as a program is implemented. Explore the history of version control software and the most popular versioning systems, including Git. Take a deep dive into Git and discover its most important features. Then, install and configure Git on your local system before using Git to configure a project and create a workflow. Finally, branch out into GitHub's features and various version control activities. After this course you will be able to implement Git as a tool to keep track of the changes in your program.

Final Exam: Software Design and Development Fundamentals will test your knowledge and application of the topics presented throughout the Software Design and Development Fundamentals track of the Skillsoft Aspire Developer Fundamentals Journey.