Tableau Certified Architect
Exam Guide
Contents
About the Tableau Certified Architect Exam and Program
The Tableau Certified Architect certification is intended for individuals who manage Tableau Server infrastructure. They have knowledge, skills, and experience in designing, deploying, monitoring, and maintaining a scalable Tableau platform, as well as migrations to Tableau Cloud. This role implements complex deployments of Tableau Server in enterprise-level environments.
This credential validates both core Tableau knowledge and hands-on development skills of employees, partners, customers, and freelancers, who need to work with various Tableau products including Tableau Cloud and Server.
There are no prerequisites for the exam. Upon successful completion of this exam, candidates are awarded the title of Tableau Certified Architect. This title is valid for two years.
Audience Description: Tableau Certified Architect
Candidates for this exam collaborate with customers to design, deploy, monitor, and maintain a scalable Tableau platform that meets best practices and drives business value. They integrate Tableau with other products and create custom enterprise solutions. They provide strategic recommendations for the Tableau platform, including scaling, security, governance, complex customizations, and automation. They configure and maintain all services of Tableau Server, including services used by all Tableau products.
The Technical Architect typically has a minimum 1 year of experience with Tableau and Tableau products including Cloud, Server, and Bridge and has deployed Tableau Server on at least one cloud platform environment.
Purpose of this Exam Guide
This exam guide is designed to help you evaluate if you are ready to successfully complete the Tableau Certified Architect 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.
About the Exam
Read on for details about the Tableau Certified Architect exam.
Exam Overview
Content:
- Knowledge-based: 40-45 multiple-choice and multiple-select items
- Performance-based: 6-8 hands-on lab tasks
Product Version: Currently testing on 2022.3
Time Limit: 120 minutes (includes 3 minutes for reviewing the NDA and 5 minutes for tutorial).
Language(s) Offered: English
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
- Create and/or log in to your Tableau Certification Account
- Navigate to "Schedule My Exam"
- Choose "Schedule or Manage my exam with Pearson"
- 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. Larger monitors are recommended to result in the best testing experience for exams that include hands-on lab items. For questions, visit tableau.com/learn/certification, or submit a case through Trailhead Help.
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.
Find 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.
Exam Sections
The Tableau Certified Architect exam has 3 sections and some sections have more questions than others.
- The first section is knowledge-based with approximately 25 items of varying types, but no hands-on tasks.
- The second section of the exam is the hands-on lab with 6-8 tasks. This section requires the candidate to demonstrate their skills using Tableau.
Time Management Consideration: It is recommended to allow yourself 30-45 minutes to complete the hands-on lab section of the exam.
3. The third section resembles the first section with approximately 25 knowledge-based items but no hands-on lab tasks.
Note: Candidates are not allowed to go back to a previous section of the exam once they have moved on to the next section.
Access to Materials, Applications, or Internet
Access to the internet, or any other outside application is prohibited during the entire exam. The first and third sections of the exam containing the knowledge-based questions are administered without access to the Tableau Platform. The second, hands-on lab section of the exam requires the candidate to use the Tableau Platform to perform the required tasks. Candidates will have access to the .pdf version of Tableau Help during this section of the 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 about your experience 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 a lab task not performed, 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. Also, for lab tasks, there may be multiple ways to perform the task correctly. You are only graded on whether or not all of the requirements are met in your final response.
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.
Exam Outline
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.
Domain Title | % of Exam Content |
---|---|
Domain 1: Design a Tableau Infrastructure |
33% |
Domain 2: Deploy Tableau Server |
39% |
Domain 3: Monitor and Maintain a Tableau Deployment |
28% |
TOTAL |
100% |
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a comprehensive listing of the content on this examination.
Domain 1: Design a Tableau Infrastructure
1.1 Gather requirements for implementing a complex Tableau deployment
- 1.1.1 Evaluate requirements for users and their role distributions
- 1.1.2 Identify relevant constraints and requirements, including future growth
- 1.1.3 Identify requirements for and recommend a strategy for licensing, including ATR (Authorization-to-Run)
- 1.1.4 Assess the need for high availability and disaster recovery
- 1.1.5 Map the features and capabilities of the Tableau Server Add-Ons to requirements
1.2 Plan and implement Tableau Cloud
- 1.2.1 Plan and implement Tableau Bridge
- 1.2.2 Plan and implement authentication
- 1.2.3 Plan and implement automated user provisioning, including System for Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM)
- 1.2.4 Troubleshoot advanced configuration issues
1.3 Plan a migration
- 1.3.1 Plan a migration of Tableau Cloud to Tableau Server
- 1.3.2 Plan a migration of Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud
- 1.3.3 Plan a migration from Windows to Linux
- 1.3.4 Plan a migration from one identity store to another
- 1.3.5 Plan a consolidation of multiple Tableau servers or sites into one
- 1.3.6 Plan a migration from one Tableau Server environment to another
- 1.3.7 Create scripts for migration
- 1.3.8 Use the Tableau Content Migration Tool
1.4 Design an appropriate process topology
- 1.4.1 Specify process counts (sizing)
- 1.4.2 Specify node count
- 1.4.3 Specify service-to-node relationships, including service isolation and service collocation
- 1.4.4 Specify when to use external services
1.5 Recommend a Tableau Server configuration
- 1.5.1 Recommend an appropriate identity store and authentication configuration
- 1.5.2 Recommend specific configuration keys and values to suit a given use case
- 1.5.3 Recommend a configuration to address security requirements such as encryption at rest and encryption over the wire
- 1.5.4 Recommend hardware and network specifications
- 1.5.5 Create a disaster recovery strategy
Domain 2: Deploy Tableau Server
2.1 Implement production-ready Tableau Server deployments
- 2.1.1 Deploy, configure and troubleshoot Tableau Server processes
- 2.1.1.1 Configure an external file store
- 2.1.1.2 Configure an external repository
- 2.1.1.3 Configure an external gateway
- 2.1.1.4 Configure an unlicensed node
- 2.1.1.5 Configure a coordination ensemble
- 2.1.1.6 Configure a backgrounder process with a specific node role
- 2.1.1.7 Configure Tableau for a load balancer
- 2.1.1.8 Configure the Metadata API
- 2.1.2 Install in an air-gapped environment
- 2.1.3 Validate a disaster recovery/high availability test strategy
- 2.1.4 Perform a blue-green deployment
- 2.1.5 Locate and interpret Tableau Server installation logs
- 2.1.6 Install and configure Resource Monitoring Tool server and agents
2.2 Configure and troubleshoot supported authentication methods
- 2.2.1 Configure and troubleshoot SAML
- 2.2.2 Configure and troubleshoot Kerberos
- 2.2.3 Configure and troubleshoot OpenID Connect
- 2.2.4 Configure and troubleshoot Mutual SSL
- 2.2.5 Configure and troubleshoot trusted authentication
- 2.2.6 Configure and troubleshoot Connected App authentication
- 2.2.7 Configure and troubleshoot LDAP
- 2.2.8 Configure and troubleshoot Azure Active Directory
- 2.2.9 Identify dependencies between authentication methods and Tableau environments, including Tableau Cloud
2.3 Implement encryption
- 2.3.1 Implement SSL encryption
- 2.3.2 Implement database encryption
- 2.3.3 Implement extract encryption
- 2.3.4 Set up service principal names (SPNs) for Kerberos
2.4 Install and verify Tableau Server on Linux
- 2.4.1 Install Tableau Server on Linux by using CLI or the Installation Wizard
- 2.4.2 Identify and resolve issues with installation on Linux
- 2.4.3 Identify and resolve issues with operating system and networking configurations
- 2.4.4 Identify and resolve issues with interfaces and interactions with external systems
- 2.4.5 Identify and resolve issues with proxy issues
- 2.4.6 Identify appropriate operating system logs and Tableau logs for troubleshooting
- 2.4.7 Verify system groups and file system permissions
2.5 Install and verify Tableau Server on Windows
- 2.5.1 Install Tableau Server on Windows by using CLI or the Installation Wizard
- 2.5.2 Identify and resolve issues with installation on Windows
- 2.5.3 Identify and resolve issues with operating system and networking configurations
- 2.5.4 Identify and resolve issues with interfaces and interactions with external systems
- 2.5.5 Troubleshoot proxy issues
- 2.5.6 Identify appropriate operating system logs and Tableau logs for troubleshooting
- 2.5.7 Verify system groups and file system permissions
- 2.5.8 Use the Run As service account
Domain 3: Monitor and Maintain a Tableau Deployment
3.1 Create custom administrative views
- 3.1.1 Interpret the repository schema and the event types
- 3.1.2 Build admin dashboards for common scenarios
3.2 Perform load testing
- 3.2.1 Recommend a load testing strategy
- 3.2.2 Configure and use a load testing tool such as TabJolt
- 3.2.3 Configure a test environment
- 3.2.4 Create appropriate test plans
- 3.2.5 Interpret load test results and determine the appropriate action
3.3 Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks
- 3.3.1 Troubleshoot complex performance issues related to workbooks, data sources, and other types of content
- 3.3.2 Perform resource analysis, latency analysis, and workload analysis to determine root cause of performance issues
- 3.3.3 Create an action to resolve issues identified in performance recordings
- 3.3.4 Optimize caching for Tableau Server
3.4 Maintain and tune a Tableau Server environment by using observability data
- 3.4.1 Map the features and capabilities of the Tableau Server Resource Monitoring Tool to observability requirements
- 3.4.2 Recommend a strategy for collecting and analyzing Tableau Server logs
- 3.4.3 Recommend a strategy for collecting and analyzing Tableau Server process metrics
- 3.4.4 Recommend a strategy for collecting and analyzing operating system and hardware-related metrics
- 3.4.5 Interpret observability data
- 3.4.6 Revise architecture based on observability data
- 3.4.7 Troubleshoot connectivity in multi-node environments, especially database connectivity
3.5 Automate server maintenance functions
- 3.5.1 Manage and change Tableau Server resources programmatically, including Tableau Services Manager (TSM), REST APIs, and tabcmd
- 3.5.2 Recommend a script deployment method, including Windows Scheduler and cron
- 3.5.3 Recommend automated deployment methods for Tableau Server, Tableau Desktop, and Tableau Prep
- 3.5.4 Design an automated complex disaster recovery process
- 3.5.5 Plan and implement multi-node server upgrades
- 3.5.6 Automate maintenance tasks, such as cleanup and backup
3.6 Manage server extensions
- 3.6.1 Schedule content automation tasks by using webhooks, tabcmd, REST, or Hyper APIs
- 3.6.2 Implement and configure dashboard extensions and web data connectors
- 3.6.3 Configure trusted tickets and connected apps for a custom embedded solution
Recommended Resources
The following list of compiled resources can help candidates become familiar with topics in each domain of the Tableau Certified Architect Exam. These resources include links to Tableau Help articles and best practices whitepapers, which can provide an overview of important concepts covered in the exam. However, role experience and time with the product remain the best preparation. Exam candidates are strongly encouraged to have a minimum of 1 year of experience with Tableau and Tableau products including Cloud, Server, and Bridge and have deployed Tableau Server on at least one cloud platform environment.
Domain 1: Design a Tableau Infrastructure
- Tableau License Types
- Licensing Activation
- Login-based License Management
- Distributed Requirements
- Data Management
- Plan Your Bridge Deployment
- Authentication
- SCIM
- Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud
- Manual Migration
- Migration with CMT
- Windows to Linux
- Change Identity Store
- Consolidate Sites with CMT
- Migrate to New Hardware
- Site Migration
- CMT Migration Plan Scripts
- About Tableau CMT
- Initial Node Default
- Physical Cores vs Logical Cores
- Tableau Server Processes
- Extract Query-Heavy Environments
- External File Store
- External Repository
- Identity Store
- Recommended Baseline Configurations
- Extract Encryption at Rest
- Configure SSL for External HTTP Traffic to and from Tableau Server
- Hardware Requirements
- Communicating with Internet
- Proxies for Tableau Server
- Tableau Services Manager Ports
- Clone Tableau Server
- Disaster Recovery Whitepaper
Domain 2: Deploy Tableau Server
- External File Store
- External Repository
- Independent Gateway
- Troubleshoot Licensing
- Deploy a Coordination Service Ensemble
- Node Roles
- Load Balancer
- Enable Tableau Metadata API
- Air-gapped Install
- High Availability Whitepaper
- Blue/Green Upgrade Approach
- Server Logs and Locations
- Install RMT
- Configure SAML
- Troubleshoot SAML
- Configure Kerberos
- Troubleshoot Kerberos
- Configure OpenID
- Configure Mutual SSL
- Configure Trusted Authentication
- Troubleshoot Trusted Authentication
- Configure Connected Apps
- Troubleshoot Connected Apps
- Configure LDAP
- Configure Azure AD
- Troubleshooting Azure AD
- Configure External SSL
- Configure Postgres SSL
- Implement Extract Encryption
- SPN
- Install and Initialize TSM
- Tableau Server in Container
- Install and Upgrade Troubleshooting
- General Linux Troubleshooting
- OS Requirements
- Network Requirements
- Configure Proxies
- Files and Permissions in TSM
- Add Accounts to TSM-authorized Group
- Install TSM
- Install and Upgrade Troubleshooting
- General Windows Troubleshooting
- OS Requirements
- Network Requirements
- Configure Proxies
- Folder Permissions
- Run As Service Account
Domain 3: Monitor and Maintain a Tableau Deployment
- PostgreSQL Tables
- Admin Views
- Load Testing
- TabJolt
- TabJolt Installation
- TabJolt Github
- Performance Monitoring
- Collect Data with Windows Performance Monitor
- Create Performance Recording
- Interpret Performance Recording
- Data Cache
- View Acceleration
- Resource Monitoring Tool (RMT)
- Monitor Tableau Server Performance
- Tableau Services Manager (TSM)
- TABCMD
- REST API
- Automated Install of Tableau Server (Windows)
- Install From the Command Line (Desktop/Prep for Windows/Mac)
- Multi-node Upgrade
- Backup Tableau Server (Windows)
- Tableau Server Housekeeping (Linux)
- Dashboard Extensions in Tableau Server
- Web Data Connectors in Tableau Server
- Connected Apps
Maintaining Your Certification
Tableau certifications are valid for 24 months from the date you passed the exam. To maintain your active status you will want to pass the corresponding exam again. Expired titles are unable to receive certain benefits and do not allow for discounts on exam purchases. Digital badges for expired titles will remain available to you but will show as expired.