Tableau Server Certified Associate

About the Tableau Server Certified Associate Exam and Program

Audience Description: Tableau Server Certified Associate

Purpose of this Exam Guide

About the Exam

Recommended Training and References

Exam Outline

Maintaining Your Certification

Tableau Server Certified Associate is intended for individuals who have a comprehensive knowledge and skills related to Tableau Server functionality in a single-machine environment.

This credential validates core Tableau knowledge of employees, partners, customers, and freelancers, who need to work with various Tableau products including Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server.

There are no prerequisites for the exam. Upon successful completion of this exam, candidates are awarded the title of a Tableau Server Certified Associate. This title is valid for two years.

Candidates for this exam have a comprehensive understanding of Tableau Server functionality in a single-machine environment. They typically have a minimum 6 months experience applying this information in the product.

This exam guide is designed to help you evaluate if you are ready to successfully complete the Tableau Server Associate exam. This guide provides information about the target audience for the exam, the recommended training and documentation, and a complete list of exam objectives. We highly recommend a combination of on-the-job experience, course attendance, and self-study to maximize your chances of passing the exam.

Read on for details about the Tableau Server Certified Associate exam.

Exam Overview

• Number of questions: 55 multiple-choice and multiple-select items 
• Product Version: Currently testing on 2022.3
• Time Limit:  90 minutes (includes 3 minutes for reviewing the NDA). 
• Language(s) Offered: English and Japanese
• Passing Score: 750
• Results: Results are reported by email within 48 hours of completing the exam
• Prerequisite: None required
• Registration fee: USD $250 plus applicable taxes as required by local law
• Reschedule fee: USD $25 plus applicable taxes as required by local law
• Delivery options: Proctored exam delivered onsite at a Pearson VUE testing center or in an online proctored environment. 
• Exam Check-in: Check-in begins 30 minutes before the scheduled exam time.
• References: No hard-copy or online materials may be used during the exam

Exam Registration, Scheduling, and System Preparation 

Registration and Scheduling

1. Create and/or log in to your Tableau Certification Account
2. Navigate to "Schedule My Exam"
3. Choose "Schedule or Manage my exam with Pearson"
4. On your Pearson Dashboard, you will select the exam you would like to take and proceed with scheduling. 

System Preparation

For a successful exam experience, ensure your computer, network, and the physical environment are properly configured. This includes performing a system test before the exam.  Be sure to conduct the system test in the same conditions under which you will take the test (e.g., time of day, number of people connecting to the system, etc.)

Review the Technical Requirements for complete details. For questions, submit a case through Trailhead Help or visit tableau.com/certification.

Check-in process

During the check-in process you must show a valid government-issued ID in its original form (not a photocopy). The name on your ID must match the name on your exam registration and must include a recent, recognizable photo. More information on ID requirements can be found here. Failure to meet ID requirements will result in the termination of your exam session. 

Additional information about the check-in process and testing experience for each method here.

Exam Structure

Timeliness

Completing a task effectively and efficiently has become a standard that organizations expect from employees. This exam is timed as a critical competency of successful candidates. 

Access to Materials, Applications, or Internet

Access to the internet, or any other outside application is prohibited during the entire exam. 

Comments

Candidates have the ability to comment on items in the exam. Please note that you will not receive a direct response to your comment(s). The Certification Team reviews all comments submitted and considers this feedback along with item statistical performance before the release of new versions of the exam.

Technical Issues

If you encounter technical issues during the exam, please contact the proctor. In many cases, the only course of action the proctor can recommend or take, is to restart the exam. More than one restart may be needed. However, if you are not seeing a resolution in a timely manner and you feel your results will be negatively affected or you will not be able to finish the exam, ask the proctor to stop the exam and log a case with Pearson VUE. Once the exam has been stopped, please follow up with the Tableau Certification Team by logging a case through Trailhead Help. 

Results and Scoring

Results

Candidates will receive an email when their score report is available (within 48 hours of completing the exam.) To navigate to that score report, log into your certification account. Once you are logged in, click on Schedule My Exam/Schedule or Manage my exam with Pearson then, GO TO PEARSON. In your Pearson VUE account dashboard, click on my Exam History or View Exam Results to download your score report.

Scaled Scoring

Scaled scores are a mathematical conversion of the number of items that a candidate answers correctly so that there is a consistent scale used across all forms of the exam. A relevant example is the process of converting pounds to kilograms. The weight of the object has not changed, only the units being reported. 

Tableau exam results are reported as a score from 100 to 1000. The score shows how the candidate performed on the examination as a whole and the pass or fail designation. Scaled scoring models are used to equate scores across multiple exam forms that may have slightly different difficulty levels.

Score reports are sent when a candidate fails the exam. This report contains a table of categories of performance at each section level. This information is designed to provide general feedback concerning examination performance. The examination uses a compensatory scoring model, which means candidates do not need to “pass” the individual sections, only the overall examination. Each section of the examination has a specific weighting, some sections have more questions than others. The scoring table contains general information, highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Section level feedback should be interpreted with candidate caution and paired with other available forms of remediation before retaking the exam.

Scoring Insight

Please keep in mind that your final score is based on the number of questions answered or tasks performed correctly. If you leave a question unanswered or, you will not receive credit. Furthermore, you do not receive partial credit. For example, if a question requires you to select three correct options, you do not receive credit for selecting one or two of the three options that are correct. 

Unscored Content

This examination includes unscored items. These items are placed on the exam to gather statistical information to verify their validity for future use. These items are not identified on the exam and do not affect the scoring of the exam.

We recommend a combination of hands-on experience, training course completion, and self-study in the areas listed in the Exam Outline section of this guide.

In addition to experience, candidates are also strongly encouraged to be familiar with the content of the following Tableau training and resources:

Instructor-Led Courses:

• Desktop I: Fundamentals
• Server Administration

We also recommend exploring these additional resources:

• Tableau Product Support
• Tableau Product Help
• Tableau Server Admin Guide

As a reference, this exam guide includes test domains, coverage percentages and objectives only. The table below lists the main content domains and their weightings.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a comprehensive listing of the content on this examination.

Domain 1: Connecting to and Preparing Data

1.1 User Experience 

• 1.1.1 User Interface 
• 1.1.2 Navigation

1.2 Topology 

• 1.2.1 Identify client components 
• 1.2.2 Identify server components 
• 1.2.3 Describe how they work together

1.3 Versions 

• 1.3.1 Understand: 
  • 1.3.1.1 How to identify the current version of Tableau Server 
  • 1.3.1.2 Where to obtain the latest release of Tableau Server 
  • 1.3.1.3 Where to access release notes of Tableau Server

1.4 Minimum Hardware Requirements 

• 1.4.1 Understand: 
  • 1.4.1.1 RAM requirements 
  • 1.4.1.2 CPU requirements 
  • 1.4.1.3 Hard disk requirements

1.5 Software Requirements 

• 1.5.1 List the supporting Operating Systems 
• 1.5.2 Understand: 
  • 1.5.2.1 Browser requirements 
  • 1.5.2.2 Options for email alerts 
  • 1.5.2.3 Anti-virus concerns 
  • 1.5.3 Identify the SMTP Server 
  • 1.5.4 Be familiar with potential port issues 
  • 1.5.5 Explain the purpose and benefits of a dedicated server 
  • 1.5.6 Identify the considerations for running in the cloud

1.6 Licensing 

• 1.6.1 Understand user-based licensing 
• 1.6.1.1 Describe the different license types 
• 1.6.1.2 Describe how license types map to site roles

1.7 Server Processes 

• 1.7.1 Describe each Tableau Services Manager and Tableau Server process 
• 1.7.2 Understand: 
  • 1.7.2.1 Default process count at installation 
  • 1.7.2.2 Multiple-instance processes 
  • 1.7.2.3 Process-to-process workflows 
  • 1.7.2.4 Processes in distributed and high-availability environments 
  • 1.7.2.5 Purpose of a load balancer

1.8 Data Source Identification

• 1.8.1 Identify the ports required 
• 1.8.2 Identify the necessary database drivers 
• 1.8.3 Understand the differences between: 
  • 1.8.3.1 File vs. Relational vs. Cube 
  • 1.8.3.2 Extract vs. Live Connections 
• 1.8.4 Explain the benefits of published data sources

1.9 Infrastructure Network 

• 1.9.1 Understand network latency implications 
• 1.9.2 Explain the risks of Dynamic-IP addressing

Domain 2: Installation and Configuration

2.1 Installation 

• 2.1.1 Understand installation steps and options 
  • 2.1.1.1 Install Path 
  • 2.1.1.2 Gateway port 
• 2.1.2 Understand Identity Store and SSO options: 
  • 2.1.2.1 External (Active Directory) vs. local 
  • 2.1.2.2 Trusted Tickets 
  • 2.1.2.3 SAML 
  • 2.1.2.4 Kerberos and OpenID Connect 
• 2.1.3 Describe the impact of the automatic-login options 
• 2.1.4 Understand how to set up SSL 
• 2.1.5 Understand Tableau best practices for installing a single-machine environment 
• 2.1.6 Understand silent installs

2.2 Tableau Server Configuration 

• 2.2.1 Understand cache settings 
• 2.2.2 Understand how to: 
  • 2.2.2.1 Apply process distribution 
  • 2.2.2.2 Configure Email alerts / subscriptions 
  • 2.2.2.3 Configure optional customizations 
• 2.2.3 Describe: 
  • 2.2.3.1 Site configuration options 
  • 2.2.3.2 User quotas 2.2.3.3 Storage quotas 
  • 2.2.3.4 How to enable and edit site subscriptions 
  • 2.2.3.5 Project configuration options 
  • 2.2.3.6 Group and User Configuration options 
• 2.2.4 Understand who can add users

2.3 Adding Users 

• 2.3.1 License type and site role 
• 2.3.2 Admin level 
• 2.3.3 Publisher level 
• 2.3.4 Importing via Active Directory or Local

2.4 Security 

• 2.4.1 Describe the security configuration for: 
  • 2.4.1.1 Site level 
  • 2.4.1.2 Project level 
  • 2.4.1.3 Group level 
  • 2.4.1.4 User level 
  • 2.4.1.5 Data source level 
  • 2.4.1.6 Workbook level

2.5 Permissions 

• 2.5.1 Understand: 
  • 2.5.1.1 System permission composition 
  • 2.5.1.2 The ramifications of permission design 
  • 2.5.1.3 The Tableau Security Model 
  • 2.5.2 Describe the differences between Allow v. Deny v. None

Domain 3: Administration

3.1 Understand how to: 

• 3.1.1 Maintain data connections 
• 3.1.2 Create schedules 
• 3.1.3 Create, edit and delete subscriptions 
• 3.1.4 Perform Server analysis 
• 3.1.5 Complete a backup and restore 
• 3.1.6 Perform cleanup 
• 3.1.7 Add, remove, or deactivate users 
• 3.1.8 Update licenses 
• 3.1.9 Start, stop or restart 
• 3.1.10 Utilize tsm and tabcmd 
• 3.1.11 Use REST API 
• 3.1.12 Work with Log Files 
• 3.1.13 Understand Embedding 
• 3.1.14 Monitor Desktop license usage 
• 3.1.15 Manage workbook and data source revision history

3.2 Describe how to: 

• 3.2.1 View server status in multiple ways 
• 3.2.2 View email alerts 
• 3.2.3 Set data-driven alerts 
• 3.2.4 Use built-in administrative views 
• 3.2.5 Create custom admin views 
• 3.2.6 Create a performance recording 
• 3.2.7 Create a nested project 
• 3.2.8 Work with Sites and Site Admin options

3.3 Contrast end-user with System-administrator capabilities 

3.4 End-user Abilities 

3.5 Understand: 

• 3.5.1 Table recommendations 
• 3.5.2 Publishing views and data sources 
• 3.5.3 Renaming a workbook 
• 3.5.4 Interacting with a view via the Web 
• 3.5.5 Web authoring & editing 
• 3.5.6 How to share views 
• 3.5.7 Data Source Certification 
• 3.5.8 Extract caching

Domain 4: Troubleshooting

4.1 Understand requirements of third party cookies in a browser

4.2 Understand how to: 

• 4.2.1 Reset passwords for a Tableau user or Tableau Run-As Service account 
• 4.2.2 Package log files for reporting 
• 4.2.3 Use tsm to validate site resources 
• 4.2.4 Rebuild the search index 
• 4.2.5 Use maintenance analysis reports 
• 4.2.6 Create/open support requests

Domain 5: Migration & Upgrade

5.1 Understand the upgrade process 

5.2 Explain how and why to perform a clean reinstall 

5.3 Describe how to migrate to different hardware 

5.4 Understand backwards compatibility

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