Job Prospects in Tableau? How much can I earn?

Being a industry leader in reporting analytics, Tableau is quickly taking over the market and replacing other big tools. Companies are switching over to this due to ease of use and its ability to create stunning graphs.

Having worked as consultant for the past five years, I have had a chance to work with very big names in the industry. I have noticed first hand and been involved in conversion process of dashboards that were made in Qlikview, PowerBI, Business Objects due to various reasons. Cost, Ease of Use being the big ones.

An average Tableau Developer makes about 78000 in Texas and up to 110,000 if you are working in New York.

Though certification is not required by most hiring companies, this is quickly changing. Having one puts does give you an edge.

What are the different kind of Tableau Certifications out there?

A professional can demonstrate his technical skills with a different kind of Tableau certifications: Tableau Desktop or Tableau Server Exam. Tableau Desktop Exams includes Desktop Specialist, Desktop Qualified Associate, Desktop Certified Professional everyone testing on version 2018 2. Tableau Server Exams consists of Server Qualified Associate, Server Certified Professional all testing on version 2018 2. Holding a Tableau accreditation recognizes you as a specialist. Get seen by your manager or potential bosses. No need to go to a testing center. Exams are available online so you can test anytime, anywhere.

How much is certification exam ?

Tableau Desktop Exams:

Desktop Specialist Desktop Qualified Associate Desktop Certified Professional
Objective Focused on foundational functionality and product comprehension Comprehensive functionality and product expertise Advanced functionality and application of visual best practices
Suggested Training Desktop I Desktop I & Desktop II Desktop III & Visual Analytics
Required Prerequisites None None Active Desktop Qualified Associate
Fee $100 $250 $600
Suggested Product Experience 3+ Months 5+ Months 12+ Months
Title valid for No expiration Two Years Three Years

Tableau Server Exams:

Server Qualified Associate Server Certified Professional
Objective Administrative functionality and platform knowledge Architectural knowledge and platform integration expertise
Suggested Training Server Administration Server Architecture
Required Prerequisites None Active Server Qualified Associate
Fee $250 $800
Suggested Product Experience 6+ Months 9+ Months
Title valid for Two Years Three Years

What areas are focused on the exam?

Tableau Desktop Exams

  • Desktop Specialist

For Desktop Specialist are measured different skills. The skills measured are showed in the next table

Connecting to & Preparing Data it consists of create and save data connections, modify data connections and manage data properties
Exploring & Analyzing Data create basic charts, organize data and apply filters and apply analytics to a worksheet.
Sharing Insights includes format view for presentation and create and modify a dashboard.
Understanding Tableau Concepts dimensions and measures, discrete and continuous fields and aggregation.
Timeliness This exam is timed because we view time as a critical competency needed to be successful.
  • Desktop Qualified Associate

For Desktop Qualified Associate are measured different skills. During the exam, you will have access to public, online resources aside from sites or applications allowing for communication. The skills measured are showed in the next table.

Data Connections - 23% Understand how to connect to Tableau Server, performance and Optimization, understand how to use Automatic & Custom Split, how to join tables from single and multiple databases and how to use Data Preparation, understand connection options, how to connect to different file types, Understand data extract capabilities and Shadow extracts
Organizing & Simplifying Data - 10% Understand how to: Filter data, Sort data Build groups Build hierarchies Build sets
Field & Chart Types - 15% Understand discrete v. continuous, measure names and measure values, generated fields, how and when to build: Histograms, Heat maps, Tree maps, Bullet graphs, Combined Axis Charts, Dual Axis Charts, Scatter Plots, Data Highlighter, Cross tabs, Motion charts, Bar in bar charts, box plots. Understand how to effectively use titles, captions and tooltips, how to edit axes, mark labels and annotations.
Calculations - 17% Understand how to Manipulate string and date calculations, create quick table calculations, Use LOD calculations; types of LOD, calculations, Use Ad-hoc calculations, Work with aggregation options
Mapping - 9% Understand how to use: Pan & Zoom, Filtering Map layering. Understand how to modify locations within

Tableau, how to import and manage custom geocoding, a background image map, Geographic search, connect to spatial files

Analytics - 15% Understand how to use: Reference Lines, Reference Bands, Trend Lines, Trend Model, Forecasting
Dashboards - 11% Understand publishing & sharing optiona. Understand how to build dashboards, dashboard actions, device designer, how to create a drill down report.
Timeliness This exam is timed because we view time as a critical competency needed to be successful.
  • Desktop Certified Professional

For Desktop Certified Professional are three modules

Module 1 - Visual Best Practices understanding all chart types and which one produces the most effective outcome for a given scenario, ensuring the most important data stands out
Module 2 - Advanced Technical Skills calculations and level of detail calculations
Module 3 – Storytelling is about a data set with a scenario a company profile, your role, your audience and what’s important to them
Timeliness This exam is timed because we view time as a critical competency needed to be successful.

Tableau Server Exams

  • Server Qualified Associate

For this exam is important all about these items showed in the next table.

Preparation - 20% User Experience, topology, versions, minimum hardware requirements, software requirements, licensing, server process, data source identification, infrastructure network
Installation & Configuration - 25% includes Installation tableau server configuration, adding users, security, permissions,
Administration - 36% understand how to: maintain Data connection and create schedules - Describe how to: View server status in multiple ways, View email alerts Contrast Content and System administrator rights, End-user Abilities. Understand: Table recommendations
Troubleshooting - 13% Understand requirements of third party cookies in a browser, Understand how to: Reset passwords for a Tableau user or Tableau
Migration & Upgrade - 6% understand the upgrade process and explain how and why to perform a clean reinstall.
Timeliness This exam is timed because we view time as a critical competency needed to be successful.

Server Certified Professional

This is a hands-on, application mastery exam. For Server certified professional are measured the following skills showed at the table

Architecture & Planning contains topology
Preparation versions, Hardware and software requirements, licensing, process configuration, data source identification and administration, infrastructure Network
Installation steps and options (including path to install, gateway port, etc.), Authentication options
Configuration Windows Server Configuration, Tableau Server Configuration, Adding Users, Security, Understand Permissions
Maintenance & Administration Maintain data connections, Create schedules, Edit and delete subscriptions, Perform server analysis and cleanup
Troubleshooting Understand requirements of third-party browser cookies, Reset Tableau user or Tableau Run As Service passwords
Migration & Upgrade Perform point version and full version upgrades, Perform a clean install
Interactions with Tableau Desktop Publish a data source, Publish a workbook, Publish an extract as a data source
Timeliness This exam is timed because we view time as a critical competency needed to be successful.

How should I start?

You need a single-machine environment and approximately 3-6 months of experience. To be successful, you are strongly encouraged to complete the Suggested Training Desktop I: Fundamentals and Server Administration courses. For a successful exam experience, ensure your computer, network, and the physical environment are properly configured. This includes running a system tech-check before the exam. The Tableau QA Exam can be a little intimidating, but there are lots of resources out there from the community and Tableau itself to help you pass the certification.

How was the Tableau Certification Exam? Are there any tips?

Take time to hang around the Tableau Community and watch the online videos, if you haven’t done so already. Make sure you really understand what’s happening and you can reproduce the steps. Don’t panic if you get stuck with the question. Mark it with a flag and come back to it later.

Tips

-Remember that the Tableau Community and Google are your friends! You are allowed to use Google throughout your exam so make sure you know what kind of things to Google to get the information you need.

-When answering a new hand on question always open a new data source connection, even if it is using the same data source!

-Open a new sheet for each new question and keep all of the used sheets as they were when you came to the answer.

-Flag up questions that you had difficulty with, don’t spend too much time getting confused over them.

-Go back through questions if you have enough time at the end.

-Read other blogs about people’s experiences of taking the exam

-Ofcourse use the Tableau Videos in the Blog Section, Do the quizzes and Exams which closely represent the type of questions you would see on the exam.

How do I get certified?

The quizzes and exams I have created will help give you a better understanding of how to navigate through the software to find the answers when you are taking the exam.

How to prepare for the interview?

The questions that I have listed out with answers in the Interviews sheet are the most commonly asked interview questions that will help you ace any interview or the very least Tableau portion of it . The questions listed are what I personally have been asked in interviews and stand by them.

I would recommend learning SQL, I am working on a full free SQL course but until then, I would recommend going to w3schools.com