MQSeries.net :: View topic - Lifehack: How to learn and use the Knowledge Centers

mqjeff

First, make sure you identify the various Knowledge Centers you will be using frequently. Make bookmarks.

Learn and memorize the overall structure of a particular KC. For example, the overall structure of the MQ v8 KC is this

Product Overview
Technical Overview
Scenarios
Planning
Migrating and upgrading
Installing
Security
Configuring
Administering
Developing Applications
Monitoring and Performance
Troubleshooting and support
Reference
Glossary

Each high level category is well organized under that - or at least 80% well organized. If you have a question about a very particular aspect of an MQ object or command or process, or etc - you would go to the Reference section and then find the relevant subsection category. For example, if I want to know the full syntax of the DIS CHSTATUS MQSC command, I would go to the Reference section, the Administration reference subsection and then I would see that there's a subsection labelled "MQSC Reference".

Learn the search function. Instead of memorizing how to find the syntax for the DIS CHSTATUS command, I can just enter DIS CHSTATUS in the search bar and the first hit I get is for the MQSC Reference.

Learning the structure of the KC and it's sections, however, can be much faster to find a particular piece of information than the Search. If you're looking for design patterns on using MQGet, you will have to wade through a large amount of links from the search results for "patterns MQGet".

But if you know the structure of the KC, then you can quickly go to the developing applications section and find topics on designing MQ applications and Getting messages from a queue usign the MQ API.

It can also be a large help to simply read through each section one page at a time. You won't memorize all of it, but you may find that you've got little bits stored away. When you have a question that relate to those bits, you can find the answer easier.