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ACD100 Appian Practice Test Questions and Exam Dumps

Question 1

Which three objects can be a valid page in a Site? (Choose three.)

A. Data store
B. Report
C. News Feed
D. Process models with a start form
E. Record type

Correct answers: B, D, E

Explanation:
In Appian, a Site is a type of user interface where developers can organize and present specific application content to users in a streamlined and controlled manner. A Site can contain multiple pages, and each of these pages can display different types of Appian objects. However, not all Appian objects are eligible to be used directly as pages.

Let’s examine each option to determine whether it qualifies as a valid page in a Site:

Option A: Data store
A data store is used to define a connection to external relational databases and to map process and rule data types to database tables. However, it is a back-end object and does not present any interface or user interaction. Because of this, a data store cannot be displayed as a page on a Site. It is strictly for data persistence and does not support visualization or user access on the front end.

Option B: Report
A report in Appian, particularly those created with Appian Reports or interfaces, is a valid object type that can be displayed on a Site page. These reports are typically used to present filtered, summarized, or real-time data to users, often based on records or process analytics. They are interface-based and easily embeddable in Sites, making them a good fit as Site pages. Therefore, B is correct.

Option C: News Feed
The News Feed is a legacy component of Appian’s Tempo environment. While users may see updates and announcements in the News Feed, it is not a customizable page or an object that can be added to a modern Site. Appian Sites are intended to provide a clean, application-specific user interface, and the News Feed does not fit into this structure. Thus, it is not valid as a Site page.

Option D: Process models with a start form
A process model that includes a start form can be used as a Site page. Appian allows users to start processes directly from Site pages when the process model is configured with an input form. This is especially useful for submitting requests, launching workflows, or creating new cases directly from the interface. Therefore, D is correct.

Option E: Record type
A record type is one of the primary components designed for use in Sites. Records are powerful objects used to display business data from various sources and support actions and views associated with that data. Appian allows direct linking to record types in Sites, including summary views, related actions, and more. So, E is correct.

To summarize: Reports, process models with a start form, and record types are all valid page types for inclusion in a Site, while data stores and the News Feed are not. These three valid objects are commonly used to create user-friendly, functional, and focused application pages within a Site framework.

Question 2

What is the correct method for restricting a user's access to Tempo?

A. Change the user type from System Administrator to Basic.
B. Remove the user from all application groups.
C. You cannot restrict access to Tempo.
D. Update the members and/or membership rules of the Tempo Users Group.

Answer: D

Explanation:

Tempo is a social collaboration feature in platforms like Appian, designed to allow users to interact with tasks, records, news feeds, and reports in a user-friendly environment. While it provides valuable functionality for many users, not every organization or role within an organization may need access to it. Therefore, it’s often important to control and restrict access to Tempo for specific users.

The correct way to restrict user access to Tempo is to modify membership in the Tempo Users Group, as described in option D. Tempo access is governed by group-based permissions. Specifically, there is a predefined group—often named something like Tempo Users—that includes users who are granted access to the Tempo interface. If a user is not a member of this group, they will not be able to access the Tempo UI or its features. Administrators can manage access by either manually adjusting group membership or by editing the membership rules if group membership is dynamically assigned (e.g., based on user attributes like department or role).

Option A, which suggests changing the user type from System Administrator to Basic, is incorrect because the user type defines overall capabilities in the environment (like managing system settings or viewing reports), but it does not directly control access to Tempo. Even a Basic user could still access Tempo if they are a member of the Tempo Users group.

Option B, removing a user from all application groups, is misleading. Application groups are typically used for permissions related to specific applications, not the platform-level features like Tempo. A user can be removed from all application groups and still have access to Tempo if they remain in the Tempo Users group. This method does not guarantee restriction from Tempo.

Option C, stating that access to Tempo cannot be restricted, is incorrect. Access to Tempo can indeed be restricted, and doing so is a standard practice in many organizations. The platform provides explicit controls to enable or disable Tempo for individual users or groups by modifying group memberships.

In summary, the definitive method to restrict access to Tempo is to manage the membership of the Tempo Users group. Only users included in this group will have the ability to access and use Tempo. This allows administrators to enforce access policies based on roles, departments, or security requirements. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Question 3

You missed an Appian Product Announcement Webinar due to a scheduling conflict with a client meeting. Your team lead has now asked you to catch up on the most recent release information. 

Where should you go to find the latest Appian release notes?

A. Discussions Board
B. The Appian Community
C. The Appian Developer Playbook
D. Solutions Support Guide

Answer: B

Explanation:
The most reliable and centralized place to find the latest Appian release notes is the Appian Community. This platform is officially maintained by Appian and is designed to support developers, architects, and administrators by providing direct access to up-to-date documentation, product updates, best practices, and community discussions.

When a new product version is released, Appian publishes the official release notes on the Appian Community. These notes contain a detailed summary of what’s new in the platform, including enhancements to the low-code environment, performance improvements, security updates, deprecated features, and bug fixes. They also often include links to related documentation, tutorials, and webinars that elaborate on the new capabilities.

Option A, the Discussions Board, while part of the Appian Community, is more informal and driven by user-generated content. It may contain community insights and troubleshooting advice but is not the authoritative source for release documentation. While helpful for peer support and practical use cases, it is not where Appian officially posts version updates.

Option C, the Appian Developer Playbook, is a valuable resource for understanding how to build effective applications using Appian’s platform. It provides development best practices, design patterns, and guidance for various architectural components. However, it does not provide version-specific release notes or detailed updates on newly released features.

Option D, the Solutions Support Guide, typically includes support-related content such as troubleshooting tips, service-level agreements (SLAs), and contact procedures for customer support. While helpful in resolving issues, it does not provide release information and therefore is not the right place to look for new version details.

The Appian Community consolidates all essential materials — including release announcements, official documentation, product roadmaps, and developer forums — into a single, regularly updated hub. For professionals who need to stay informed about changes to the platform, particularly those who missed a webinar or official live session, checking the Appian Community is the best course of action. This ensures that developers and teams are always working with the most current understanding of the platform’s features and capabilities. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

Question 4

Every business process, whether inside or outside of Appian, requires which of the following?

A. Human interaction
B. Defined steps
C. Reporting
D. Automation

Correct answer: B

Explanation:
A business process refers to a series of tasks or activities performed in a specific sequence to achieve a business goal. Whether the process is automated, manual, or a hybrid of both, one fundamental requirement is that it must have defined steps. These steps provide structure and clarity, ensuring that the process can be followed consistently and evaluated for efficiency and effectiveness.

Let’s break down why defined steps are essential and evaluate the other options:

Defined steps (Option B) are critical because they outline how a process should be executed from start to finish. This includes specifying who is responsible for each step, what input is required, and what output is expected. Without defined steps, a process becomes ambiguous, inconsistent, and difficult to improve or automate. In process modeling tools like those in Appian, defining steps is often the first stage of building a functional process. These steps can include tasks performed by users, automated activities, decisions, and system integrations.

Human interaction (Option A) is common in many business processes but is not strictly required. Some processes are entirely automated and run without any human intervention. Examples include nightly data backups or system-generated notifications. Although human interaction is a valuable aspect of many workflows, especially those involving approvals or complex decisions, it is not universally necessary in every process.

Reporting (Option C) is an important part of business operations, especially for monitoring performance, identifying bottlenecks, and ensuring compliance. However, it is not a required component of every process. Many processes may exist purely for task completion or system interactions and may not involve any formal reporting. Reporting becomes relevant when there’s a need for analytics or auditing, but it is not an inherent requirement of a process itself.

Automation (Option D) is a powerful enhancement that can make processes more efficient, consistent, and scalable. Appian and other process automation platforms are built around the principle of automating tasks wherever possible. However, many business processes are still manual, particularly in small organizations or where digital transformation has not yet occurred. Thus, automation is not a universal requirement.

In conclusion, while human interaction, reporting, and automation can be valuable elements of a business process, the only fundamental, non-negotiable element that all business processes share is defined steps. These steps form the backbone of any process, enabling it to be understood, executed, and potentially improved over time. Without defined steps, it would be impossible to track or manage the process effectively, whether manually or through an automation platform like Appian.

Question 5

When a client requests a highly specific and uncommon feature, and no documentation is available after conducting research, what is the next best step to take?

A. Create a Support Case.
B. Check The Appian Academy.
C. Review the Appian Playbook.
D. Ask the Appian Community.

Answer: D

Explanation:

When faced with the challenge of implementing a feature that is very specific and lacks any available documentation, it is essential to find guidance beyond standard resources. In such cases, tapping into the knowledge and experience of other developers and experts becomes an invaluable strategy. This is exactly what makes asking the Appian Community, as in option D, the best next step.

The Appian Community is an open forum where developers, architects, and professionals from across the globe share their experiences, best practices, and problem-solving strategies related to the Appian platform. It is an excellent platform for addressing highly specific or uncommon feature requests, especially when those features fall outside the scope of what is typically covered in formal documentation or official training materials.

Posting a detailed question in the community may lead to responses from users who have faced similar challenges or who have devised innovative workarounds. Community members often include Appian partners, experienced consultants, and even Appian employees, making it a reliable source of real-world solutions. Furthermore, responses in the community are typically archived and indexed, which also helps others encountering similar issues in the future.

Option A, creating a Support Case, should typically be reserved for situations involving platform defects, licensing issues, or other product-level technical problems that require direct involvement from Appian Support. While support might provide some guidance on implementation, they may direct users back to the community or documentation for configuration or design-specific questions, especially if the request is more about functionality than an actual problem with the system.

Option B, checking the Appian Academy, is useful for learning core concepts, understanding how to use different features, and developing general skills through structured training. However, Appian Academy courses are designed to cover common use cases and do not typically address rare or unique client requests, especially those that are highly customized or beyond standard design practices.

Option C, the Appian Playbook, is intended to provide best practices, reference architectures, and standardized approaches for building applications in Appian. While it is an excellent source for design guidance, it may not contain specific solutions for uncommon features or fringe use cases.

In summary, when documentation is lacking and a solution is not readily apparent through official channels, the best course of action is to reach out to the Appian Community. This approach maximizes your chances of finding someone who has tackled a similar issue and can offer practical advice or creative approaches. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Question 6

During which phase of a project are you most likely to consistently refine and update the backlog?

A. Optimize
B. Release
C. Build
D. Initiate

Answer: C

Explanation:
Backlog refinement is a crucial part of the agile software development process. It ensures that the product backlog is constantly reviewed, prioritized, and adjusted based on evolving project needs, stakeholder feedback, and new discoveries. Among the stages listed in this question, the Build phase is the one where backlog refinement happens most regularly and systematically.

The Build stage is where the development team is actively constructing features and delivering working software in iterations or sprints. During this stage, teams often hold regular backlog grooming sessions—also known as backlog refinement meetings—to ensure that upcoming stories are well-defined, properly estimated, and prioritized. The team also ensures that requirements are clear and that acceptance criteria are agreed upon. This ongoing refinement keeps the development cycle smooth and prepares the team for future sprint planning.

Let’s look at why the other options are not the correct answer:

Option A, Optimize, refers to the stage after the product is released and in use. At this point, the focus is on improving performance, usability, and reliability based on real-world feedback and metrics. While the backlog may be updated based on this feedback, the process is not as regular or central as it is in the Build phase.

Option B, Release, is the phase when the product is being packaged and deployed for user access. During this stage, attention is typically on final testing, deployment logistics, and user communication rather than backlog refinement. Any backlog activity here tends to be minor or focused on preparing for the next release cycle, not on routine refinement.

Option D, Initiate, refers to the earliest phase of the project when initial planning, requirements gathering, and high-level scoping occur. A preliminary backlog may be created during this phase, but regular refinement is not yet necessary because development has not started and priorities are still being finalized.

Therefore, it is during the Build phase—when development is ongoing, and the team is actively engaging with the product backlog—that backlog refinement is most frequently and regularly performed. This ensures the team always has a ready set of high-quality stories to work on in upcoming sprints. For these reasons, the correct answer is C.

Question 7

A feature is being deployed to the test environment. In which environment is unit testing performed for the feature?

A. Upgrade
B. Development
C. Production
D. Staging

Correct answer: B

Explanation:
Unit testing is one of the earliest and most fundamental phases of the software development lifecycle. It involves testing individual components or functions of an application to ensure that each piece performs as expected in isolation. In the context of environments used in application development—especially in platforms like Appian—unit testing is typically performed in the development environment.

Let’s consider what happens in each of the given environments and why development is the correct one for unit testing:

Development Environment (Option B):
This is where developers design, build, and configure application features. Since this environment is intended for creation and modification, it is the natural setting for unit testing. Here, developers write and execute tests for specific interfaces, expressions, process models, and other components. This allows issues to be identified and corrected early, before code is promoted to later environments like test, staging, or production. Unit testing in the development environment helps maintain code quality and ensures that features are working as intended at a granular level.

Test/Staging Environment (Option D):
After unit testing is complete and the feature has passed initial validation, it is typically deployed to a test or staging environment. These environments are used for broader testing, such as integration testing, regression testing, performance testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT). These types of tests evaluate how well the various parts of the application work together and how they behave under more realistic usage conditions. However, by the time a feature reaches this stage, unit testing should already be complete.

Production Environment (Option C):
This is the live environment where the application is used by end users in real business operations. No testing, especially unit testing, should be performed in production because it could affect real data, disrupt operations, or expose sensitive functions. Production is meant only for stable, fully tested code that has passed all earlier validation stages.

Upgrade Environment (Option A):
An upgrade environment is sometimes used to validate system or platform upgrades before they are applied to the production environment. While it can be used to test overall application compatibility with new platform versions, it is not a standard environment for unit testing. It serves more of a risk mitigation role in the upgrade process.

In summary, unit testing is always done in the development environment because it focuses on testing the smallest parts of an application in isolation. Conducting these tests in development ensures that issues are caught early, making the rest of the testing pipeline more efficient and reducing the risk of defects reaching the later stages like test, staging, or production.

Question 8

Who is responsible for estimating the amount of effort required to complete items in the Product Backlog?

A. Product Owner
B. Testers
C. Developers
D. Scrum Master

Answer: C

Explanation:

In Scrum and other Agile methodologies, estimating the effort required to complete work is a critical part of the planning and delivery process. This responsibility falls squarely on the developers, making option C the correct answer.

Product Backlog items represent features, fixes, technical work, or knowledge acquisition tasks that the team may deliver in future sprints. While the Product Owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing these items based on business value, customer needs, and stakeholder input, the actual effort estimation is done by the developers. This is because developers are the ones who will be implementing the work, and thus are in the best position to judge how complex, risky, or time-consuming a task might be.

Agile frameworks such as Scrum emphasize self-organizing teams and shared ownership. Developers typically use techniques like Planning Poker, T-shirt sizing, or story points to collaboratively estimate the relative effort or complexity of each backlog item. These estimations help the team forecast how much work they can take on during a sprint and support long-term planning with tools like burndown charts or velocity tracking.

Option A, the Product Owner, has no role in estimating the effort required to implement Product Backlog items. Their focus is on the “what” and “why” — defining features, clarifying requirements, and ensuring the backlog reflects stakeholder priorities. While they may provide insights into business value or dependencies, they do not determine how difficult a task is from a technical perspective.

Option B, the Testers, may be involved in the development team, particularly in cross-functional Agile teams where testing is integrated into the sprint work. However, if “Testers” is used to mean a separate quality assurance group, they are not solely responsible for estimating backlog items. Instead, testers collaborate with other developers in estimating tasks, especially those involving testing complexity, but they do not estimate in isolation.

Option D, the Scrum Master, serves as a coach or facilitator for the team, helping ensure that Scrum practices are followed correctly. The Scrum Master does not estimate work, assign tasks, or prioritize the backlog. Their role is to help the team stay focused, remove obstacles, and promote a culture of continuous improvement—not to dictate effort estimations.

Therefore, because the people who are going to do the work are best suited to estimate it, Scrum best practices assign this responsibility to the developers. This promotes accuracy in planning, accountability, and realistic sprint commitments. Hence, the correct answer is C.