AEM Forms Backend Developer Professional study plan
AEM Forms Backend Developer Professional · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
AEM Forms architecture and installation/configuration & Adaptive Forms authoring and data model bindings
Map the AEM Forms deployment topology (author, publish, JEE vs OSGi) and explain how Document Services and Forms Workflow fit into each
Install or configure a local AEM Forms author instance and verify the Forms add-on packages are active
Configure Adaptive Forms editor settings, themes, and client libraries at the instance level
Build a two-panel Adaptive Form with a basic panel layout and a submit action
Your checkpoint
A working local AEM Forms instance with one Adaptive Form submitted end to end, plus a one-page topology diagram with configuration notes
Adaptive Forms authoring and data model bindings
Bind Adaptive Form fields to an XML and a JSON schema and validate the generated data model
Implement rule editor logic (show/hide, calculate, validate) across at least three field types
Configure prefill from a data source and a client library for custom field behavior
Author a fragment and reuse it across two forms
Your checkpoint
A schema-bound multi-panel Adaptive Form with rules, prefill, and a reused fragment, exported and reviewed against a checklist
Form Data Model and data integration
Create a Form Data Model backed by a relational data source and expose read and write services
Bind form fields to FDM services and invoke a get and a post operation from the form
Configure authentication for the data source and confirm service invocation under a non-admin user
Document the FDM service layer and its invocation paths
Your checkpoint
An FDM connected to a database with at least two bound services exercised from a form, plus a written data-flow description
Document Services: Output, Assembler, and PDF generation
Generate a PDF via Output Service from an XDP template with a submitted data payload
Assemble multiple PDFs with Assembler Service using a DDX and confirm the output structure
Convert submitted form data into a PDF/A document and verify compliance settings
Capture the invocation pattern for each Document Service in a reusable snippet
Your checkpoint
A scripted or service-driven pipeline that renders, assembles, and archives a PDF, with sample outputs and a snippet library
Workflows and process management (Forms Workflow, OSGi services)
Model a Forms Workflow with at least one assign task, one service step, and one gateway
Implement an OSGi service invoked from a workflow step and wire it through the process step
Configure task notifications and confirm assignment routing
Trace a workflow instance end to end and record its audit trail
Your checkpoint
A deployed workflow that routes a submitted Adaptive Form through review, invokes a custom OSGi step, and produces an auditable trail
Correspondence Management and Interactive Communications & Security, authentication, and access control for Forms
Build an Interactive Communication with a data-linked document and at least two print and web channels
Configure a Correspondence Management letter with a data dictionary and conditional content
Set up users, groups, and permissions for Forms authoring, submission, and workflow participation
Verify access control on a form and a workflow step using a least-privilege test user
Your checkpoint
A published Interactive Communication and a permissions matrix documenting who can author, submit, and approve
Custom components, APIs, and OSGi/Java development
Write a custom Adaptive Form component with a Sling model and register it in a client library
Expose a REST endpoint backed by an OSGi service that validates and stores submitted data
Implement a custom prefill or submit action and register it in the form configuration
Unit test the OSGi service and document its API contract
Your checkpoint
A custom component plus a custom submit action deployed and exercised from a form, with tests and an API contract document
Performance tuning, deployment, and troubleshooting & AEM Forms architecture and installation/configuration & Workflows and process management (Forms Workflow, OSGi services)
Profile form submission latency and tune dispatcher, cache, and thread pool settings
Package and deploy a forms solution across environments and verify configuration parity
Reproduce and resolve three common failure modes (FDM connection, PDF generation, workflow routing)
Review weak domains from earlier weeks and close gaps with targeted practice
Your checkpoint
A deployment and troubleshooting runbook with measured before/after performance numbers and a final gap-closure log
Milestones
Week 2: Can build a schema-bound Adaptive Form with rules and prefill from scratch in under 90 minutes without notes
Week 4: Can explain and demonstrate the difference between Output, Assembler, and PDF generation paths, and produce a compliant PDF/A on demand
Week 6: Can articulate the full permission model for Forms and workflows and demonstrate it with a restricted test user
Week 8: Can deploy, tune, and troubleshoot a Forms solution end to end, and score at least 80% on a self-written practice set covering all nine domains