Is Tableau Certification Useful?
Undertaking Tableau training and working toward a formal certification can assist data analysts and other professionals in adding a certified skill to their resume, verifying software proficiency and proven ability to provide advanced data visualizations.
Certified Tableau analysts can use their tuition to improve their data management capabilities, with the exam-verified certifications covering the principles, concepts, and best practices Tableau users must demonstrate to leverage the tools and features within the software.
Tableau certification may be useful to augment your resume, improve your career opportunities within the diverse field of data management and engineering, or secure the knowledge required to introduce Tableau to your organization.
What to Expect From a Tableau Certification Course
Visual data analytics software is used in varied sectors to produce business intelligence, solve problems, and uncover opportunities to maximize the value of the data an organization collects and interpret that data into formats and mediums that are engaging, clear and understandable.
While Tableau has several products with different applications, the two most in-demand are Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server. Desktop is used within data analysis applications, whereas the Server module is applied to commercial systems administration and workforce data mapping and deployment.
During a course, you can expect to:
- Attend instructor-led or group classes online through an interactive portal or access self-study materials and tutorials to work through
- Spend between two to three days studying, depending on the course level you select and the format of your chosen course
- Participate in discussions, practical learning, and review concepts to understand what Tableau does and how it works
How much does Tableau certification cost? Depending on your existing knowledge and proficiency within Tableau applications, courses can cost from around $1,000 upward, including tuition and exam prep to ensure you have the skills required to achieve a passing grade.
Levels of Tableau Certification
There are currently three potential certifications within the Tableau software suite, including Tableau Desktop Specialist and Tableau Certified Data Analyst. Tableau Server users can also study for the Server Certified Associate qualification.
The software provider removed previous certifications from the tuition framework in 2021, following a reform of the certificates available. Still, older qualifications held by data scientists and analysts remain valid. The appropriate course and certification will depend on the learner and whether they already have a firm understanding of the software and wish to enhance and formalize their knowledge or are learning as a novice, beginning with the fundamental concepts and building up to more advanced certifications.
ONLC offers courses at levels one though three, catering to students at every experience level and allowing professionals to progress through the hierarchy of certifications and classes.
Course structures are carefully designed to reinforce the baseline principles of the software as a starting point, from data integrations to preparing and cleaning raw data to extract the most meaningful results. As learners progress, they can move forward to creating visualizations, using custom formatting, and designing Tableau dashboards for different devices and display requirements.
Preparing for a Tableau Certification Examination
Tableau certificates rely on candidates passing an online exam, monitored by an AI exam proctor to verify that all participants are taking the exam without assistance from books or other materials through webcam and microphone monitoring. This level of invigilation ensures that analysts and data professionals with certified status are considered fully verified, with a photo ID process used to maintain standards of integrity and credibility.
Most Tableau exams last an hour, with a minimum 70% pass mark and a mixture of multiple-choice questions and practical assignments. Exam questions change regularly, so candidates are advised to study through an approved provider and follow exam preparation advice before enrolling in the testing process.
Preparatory courses cover the full scope of Tableau functions and tools, ensuring that students who complete the materials and participate in interactive study sessions have the knowledge required to achieve a passing score. Users require a good understanding of software such as Excel to access the full value of a foundational level Tableau course, and those with previous experience using data visualization tools and other analytics programs may have the necessary knowledge to access higher-level courses or those designed for IT professionals.
