ACD300 Exam Dumps - Appian Certification Questions and Answers

To design a process that is anticipated to be executed multiple times a day, that retrieves data from an external system and then calls various utility processes as needed, you should use Process Messaging to start the utility process and minimize the load on the execution engines. Process Messaging is a feature that allows you to send and receive messages between processes in Appian. By using Process Messaging, you can start the utility process asynchronously, which means that the main process does not have to wait for the utility process to finish before continuing. This way, you can improve the performance and scalability of your process design, and reduce the load on the execution engines.

The other options are not as effective. Option A, using the Start Process Smart Service to start the utility processes, would also start the utility process asynchronously, but it would require more configuration and maintenance than Process Messaging. Option B, starting the utility processes via a subprocess synchronously, would start the utility process as a part of the main process flow, which means that the main process would have to wait for the utility process to finish before continuing. This would reduce the performance and scalability of your process design, and increase the load on the execution engines. Option D, starting the utility processes via a subprocess asynchronously, would also start the utility process as a part of the main process flow,but it would not wait for the utility process to finish before continuing. However, this option would still create more overhead than Process Messaging, as it would create more instances of processes in Appian.

The two formats that are available for data generation using an out-of-the-box Appian smart service are:

• A. CSV. This is a comma-separated values format that can be used to export data in a tabular form, such as records, reports, or grids. CSV files can be easily opened and manipulated by spreadsheet applications such as Excel or Google Sheets.
• C. Excel. This is a format that can be used to export data in a spreadsheet form, with multiple worksheets, formatting, formulas, charts, and other features. Excel files can be opened by Excel or other compatible applications.

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

• B. XML. This is a format that can be used to export data in a hierarchical form, using tags and attributes to define the structure and content of the data. XML files can be opened by text editors or XML parsers, but they are not supported by the out-of-the-box Appian smart service for data generation.
• D. JSON. This is a format that can be used to export data in a structured form, using objects and arrays to represent the data. JSON files can be opened by text editors or JSON parsers, but they are not supported by the out-of-the-box Appian smart service for data generation. Verified References: Appian Documentation, section “Write to Data Store Entity” and “Write to Multiple Data Store Entities”.

To meet the application requirement of allowing users to view summary and detailed information about report data, you should implement a drilldown report pattern to show detailed information about report data. A drilldown report pattern is a user interface component that displays data in a hierarchical structure, and allows users to expand or collapse different levels of data. For example, if the user is viewing a sales report by region, the drilldown report pattern could show something like “North America > USA > California > Los Angeles”. The user can click on any level of data to see more or less details. This way, the user can see both summary and detailed information about report data, and explore different aspects of the data.

The other options are not as effective. Option A, using Tiles as Cards pattern on the home page to prominently display application choices, would provide a way for users to access different parts of the application from the home page, but it would not show summary or detailed information about report data. Option B, implementing an Activity History pattern to track an organization’s activity measures, would provide a way for users to see the recent actions performed by themselves or others in the application, but it would not show summary or detailed information about report data. Option D, including a breadcrumbs pattern on applicable interfaces to show the organizational hierarchy, would provide a way for users to see where they are in the application, and easily go back to any previous level by clicking on the corresponding link, but it would not show summary or detailed information about report data.

In this situation, pm!timezone reflects the default time zone for the environment as specified in the Administration Console. pm!timezone is a process variable that returns the time zone of the process. If the time zone is not explicitly set in the process model, then pm!timezone returns the default time zone for the environment, which can be configured in the Administration Console. In this case, the time zone is set to the (default) pm!timezone, which means that the process model does not have a specific time zone, and therefore uses the default time zone for the environment.

The other options are not correct. Option A, the time zone of the server where Appian is installed, is not what pm!timezone reflects, as the server time zone may not be the same as the default time zone for the environment. Option B, the time zone of the user who most recently published the process model, is not what pm!timezone reflects, as the user’s time zone may not be the same as the default time zone for the environment. Option D, the time zone of the user who is completing the input task, is not what pm!timezone reflects, as the user’s time zone may not be the same as the default time zone for the environment.

Deploying an object that is dependent on another object from a different application can cause errors and inconsistencies in the production environment. The best practice is to halt the production deployment and contact the other team for guidance on how to promote the object to PROD. The other team may have a different deployment schedule, or they may have some dependencies or customizations that need to be considered. By communicating with the other team, you can ensure that the object is deployed in a safe and coordinated manner, and avoid any potential conflicts or issues. Verified References: [Appian Deployment Guide], [Appian Best Practices]

Requirement: Read barcode values from images containing barcodes and QR codes. Correct approach: C. Smart Service plug-in Exact explanation of correct approach taken from Appian Documentation: A smart service plug-in is a type of plug-in that allows you to create custom smart services that can be used in process models. A smart service can perform complex logic, interact with external systems, or manipulate data in Appian. A smart service plug-in can also leverage Java code to implement the functionality of the smart service. A smart service plug-in would be suitable for reading barcode values from images, as it can use Java libraries or APIs that can scan and decode barcodes and QR codes from image files. A smart service plug-in can also return the barcode values as outputs that can be used by other nodes or processes in Appian. A smart service plug-in can also be configured with input parameters, such as the image file, the barcode type, or the output format, that can customize the behavior of the smart service. A smart service plug-in can also have error handling and logging features that can handle any exceptions or failures that might occur during the barcode reading process.

Requirement: Display an externally hosted geolocation mapping applications interface within Appian to allow users of Appian to see where a customer (stored within Appian)is located. Correct approach: A. Web-content field Exact explanation of correct approach taken from Appian Documentation: A web-content field is a type of user interface component that allows you to display web content from an external source in a SAIL interface. A web-content field would be suitable for displaying an externally hosted geolocation mapping applications interface, as it can embed the web content in an iframe and render it within the Appian interface. You can also pass parameters to the web content, such as the customer’s location, using the url parameter of the web-content field. A web-content field can also interact with other components in the Appian interface, such as buttons, grids, or forms, using the postMessage API. This way, you can create a seamless user experience that integrates the external geolocation mapping applications interface with the Appian functionality.

Requirement: Display an externally hosted geolocation mapping applications interface within Appian to allow users of Appian to select where a customer is located and store the selected address in Appian. Correct approach: A. Web-content field and C. Smart Service plug-in Exact explanation of correct approach taken from Appian Documentation: A web-content field and a smart service plug-in would be suitable for displaying an externally hosted geolocation mapping applications interface within Appian to allow users of Appian to select where a customer is located and store the selected address in Appian. A web-content field would be suitable for displaying the external geolocation mapping applications interface, as explained above. A smart service plug-in would be suitable for storing the selected address in Appian, as it can use Java code to receive the address data from the web content, validate it, and write it to a data store entity or a process variable.

Requirement: Generate a barcode image file based on values entered by users. Correct approach: B. Component plug-in Exact explanation of correct approach taken from Appian Documentation: A component plug-in is a type of plug-in that allows you to create custom user interface components that can be used in SAIL interfaces. A component plug-in can also leverage Java code to implement the functionality of the component. A component plug-in would be suitable for generating a barcode image file, as it can use Java libraries or APIs that can encode values into barcode formats and generate image files. A component plug-in can also display the barcode image file in the Appian interface and allow users to download or print it. A component plug-in can also interact with other components in the Appian interface, such as text fields, buttons, or forms, using the a!refreshVariable() function. This way, you can create a dynamic user experience that updates the barcode image file based on the values entered by users.

The three things that might help to address the findings of the Health Check report are:

• B. Optimize the database execution using standard database performance troubleshooting methods and tools (such as query execution plans). This can help to identify and eliminate any bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the database queries that are causing slow query rules or slow write to data store nodes.
• C. Reduce the size and complexity of the inputs. If you are passing in a list, consider whether the data model can be redesigned to pass single values instead. This can help to reduce the amount of data that needs to be transferred or processed by the database, which can improve the performance and speed of the queries or writes.
• E. Use smaller CDTs or limit the fields selected in a!queryEntity(). This can help to reduce the amount of data that is returned by the queries, which can improve the performance and speed of the rules that use them.

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

• A. Reduce the batch size for database queues to 10. This might not help to address the findings, as reducing the batch size could increase the number of transactions and overhead for the database, which could worsen the performance and speed of the queries or writes.
• D. Optimize the database execution. Replace the new with a materialized view. This might not help to address the findings, as replacing a view with a materialized view could increase the storage space and maintenance cost for the database, which could affect the performance and speed of the queries or writes. Verified References: Appian Documentation, section “Performance Tuning”.

The field would benefit greatly from the index in the following scenarios:

• A. The field contains a textual short Business code. This is a scenario where an index can improve the performance of queries that search for exact matches or ranges of values in the field. A textual short Business code is likely to have high cardinality, meaning that it has many distinct values and low duplication. This makes the index more selective and efficient, as it can quickly narrow down the results based on the search criteria.
• C. The field contains many datetimes, covering a large range. This is a scenario where an index can improve the performance of queries that search for exact matches or ranges of values in the field. A datetime field is likely to have high cardinality, meaning that it has many distinct values and low duplication. This makes the index more selective and efficient, as it can quickly narrow down the results based on the search criteria.
• D. The field contains big integers, above and below 0. This is a scenario where an index can improve the performance of queries that search for exact matches or ranges of values in the field. A big integer field is likely to have high cardinality, meaning that it has many distinct values and low duplication. This makes the index more selective and efficient, as it can quickly narrow down the results based on the search criteria.

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

• B. The field contains long unstructured text such as a hash. This is a scenario where an index might not improve the performance of queries that search for exact matches or ranges of values in the field. A long unstructured text field is likely to have low cardinality, meaning that it has few distinct values and high duplication. This makes the index less selective and efficient, as it cannot quickly narrow down the results based on the search criteria. Moreover, indexing a long unstructured text field could increase thestorage space and maintenance cost for the database, which could affect the overall performance.
• E. The field contains a structured JSON. This is a scenario where an index might not improve the performance of queries that search for exact matches or ranges of values in the field. A structured JSON field is not a native data type in MySQL, and it requires special functions or operators to access or manipulate its elements. Indexing a structured JSON field could increase the complexity and overhead for the database, which could affect the overall performance. Verified References: Appian Documentation, section “Query Optimization”.

Indexing columns can improve the performance of queries that use those columns in filters, joins, or order by clauses. In this case, the columns that should be indexed are site_id, status, and priority, because they are used for filtering or joining the tables. Site_id is used to join the case and site tables, so indexing it will speed up the join operation. Status and priority are used to filter the cases by the user’s input, so indexing them will reduce the number of rows that need to be scanned. Name, modified_date, and case_id do not need to be indexed, because they are not used for filtering or joining. Name and modified_date are only used for displaying information in the record grid, and case_id is only used as a unique identifier for each record. Verified References: Appian Records Tutorial, Appian Best Practices

• D. The join between the tables order_detail and product needs to be fine-tuned due to Indices. This is correct because the result of the explain statement showsthat the join between these two tables has a high cost of 0.99, which indicates that it is inefficient and needs to be fine-tuned. One possible reason for the high cost is that there are no indices on the columns that are used for joining these two tables, which leads to a full table scan. Therefore, creating indices on these columns could improve the performance of this join.
• E. The worst join is the one between the table order_detail and customer. This is correct because the result of the explain statement shows that the join between these two tables has a very high cost of 1.00, which indicates that it is the worst join in terms of efficiency and needs to be fine-tuned. One possible reason for the high cost is that there are no indices on the columns that are used for joining these two tables, which leads to a full table scan. Therefore, creating indices on these columns could improve the performance of this join.

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

• A. The request is good enough to support a high volume of data, but could demonstrate some limitations if the developer queries information related to the product. This is incorrect because the request is not good enough to support a high volume of data, as it has two joins with very high costs that need to be fine-tuned. Moreover, querying information related to the product would not necessarily cause any limitations, as long as the join between order_detail and product is optimized.
• B. The worst join is the one between the table order_detail and order. This is incorrect because the result of the explain statement shows that the join between these two tables has a low cost of 0.01, which indicates that it is efficient and does not need to be fine-tuned.
• C. The join between the tables order_detail, order and customer needs to be fine-tuned due to indices. This is incorrect because there is no such join between three tables in the result of the explain statement. There are only two joins: one between order_detail and order, and another between order_detail and customer. Each of these joins needs to be fine-tuned separately due to indices.