There is no doubt that data is a key asset for organizations, and it is important to treat data right in order to get the most out of it. Tableau is a best-of-breed technology currently on the market that allows us to work with data, slice it, and do complex data analysis on the fly. However, it requires you to understand the key concepts of data analytics and how to drive Tableau in order to deliver value. Moreover, as we are working in a competitive environment, we should constantly improve our skills and learn new technologies, new features, and new data analysis methods to be on the cutting edge.
The goal of this book is to prepare you for the Tableau Desktop Certified Associated exam. This book is written by people who passed this exam and they will share their experience and resources so that you can also successfully pass the exam.
So, why is it important to obtain a Tableau certification? Well, the certification not only assesses our knowledge of Tableau, but it evaluates our ability to comfortably work with data and communicate with people using powerful visualization techniques. Moreover, it requires an understanding of overall Business Intelligence (BI) solutions and their role in an organization.
The idea behind Tableau is to democratize access to data. In other words, business users will use Tableau's functionalities to slice and dice data; connect various systems, databases, and files; visualize data; build dashboards; and explore data.
As a professional Tableau developer, you should know how to connect data, explore it, and slice and dice it. Often, you will have to build a dashboard or tell a story with data. It is good to know the best practices for data visualization in order to make your work effective. In some cases, you should calculate new metrics and leverage Tableau with table calculations or level of detail calculations. Sometimes, parameters can help you to filter data and add self-service functionality. Finally, you should have some knowledge of statistics and know how to use built-in functionalities for forecasting, trend lines, and clustering. You should know about Tableau Server and how to share and publish your work. This book will help you to cover all of these areas and not only prepare for the exam, but also help you to improve your overall skills in analytics.
This book will help you to prepare for the Desktop Specialist and Desktop Certified Associate certifications. In addition, it will provide you with the foundational knowledge for Desktop Professional. Based on my experience, Desktop Specialist isn't anywhere near as valuable as Desktop Associate.
Before diving into the Tableau lessons, let's review the success stories of the authors and learn more about their Tableau journeys in their own words.
Dmitry Anoshin, Tableau Desktop and Server Qualified Certified:
"I have worked with Tableau since 2011. Most of the time, I was working on data warehouse projects and used Tableau as a primary BI tool. I didn't spend much time on great visualizations and complex calculations. Also, I was responsible for Tableau Server deployment and support. My employer never asked me to complete a Tableau certification. Just recently, I was involved in Tableau communities and user groups and decided to pass the exam and fill the gaps in my knowledge. After some preparation, I was able to pass the Tableau Desktop Qualified Certification and Tableau Server Qualified Certification. It wasn't easy and it took a lot of extra effort. But it is totally worth it. Now, I feel more confident in my skills and can demonstrate my knowledge to my colleagues and employer."
Gleb Makarenko, Tableau Desktop Qualified Associate Certified:
"I began using Tableau in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the intuitiveness and ease of use of the software. I was able to easily adapt to its interface and create powerful visualizations. I decided to get certified on Tableau software to receive proper credentials that I could use on my resume, as well as learn intricacies that I wasn't using at the time. With a bit of effort and research, I was able to complete the examination and would recommend doing the same to anyone who is serious about working with Tableau."
JC Gillet, Tableau Desktop Qualified Associate Certified:
"I have worked with Tableau since 2014. For the first few years of my career, I was using Tableau mostly for its map feature, as I found this was a very efficient way to convey insights. I started to use it almost exclusively in 2018 as it was my new team's BI tool. Once you get past its few quirks, it is a really powerful and easy-to-use platform. It seemed like a natural step for me to take the certification exam once I found myself being the local expert on Tableau. Now, I hold a widely recognized qualification that I can use to promote myself to my current and future employers. I even learned a few things while taking the exam!"
Fabian Peri, Tableau Desktop Qualified Associate Certified:
"I was first introduced to Tableau in 2015 as a graduate student. It was recommended to me by my professor for a data visualization assignment. After a few days of use, I understood how it could help the stakeholders at my company gain insights from vast quantities of data. Since then, Tableau has been my preferred visualization tool. Although I have been working with Tableau for years, I was hesitant to take the Tableau certification exam because I did not know if it would be of any use. During my last job search, I realized that a Tableau certification would set me apart from other candidates. After reading numerous resources I passed the certification exam – the entire process was a great learning experience. In addition, it gave me confidence in my skills as a Tableau developer."
Radhika Biyani, Tableau Desktop Qualified Associate Certified:
"I was first introduced to Tableau in 2016 as a master's student while working on a data visualization assignment. I fell in love with it and, since then, it has been my preferred visualization tool. When I started using it on a day-to-day basis for my clients in an analytics consultant capacity, I knew that being Tableau Certified would help me gain the trust of any new or potential clients easily. I got certified in 2017 and studying for the certification helped me learn certain nuances of the tool that I wasn't familiar with, despite using Tableau on a day-to-day basis. These made my work faster, more efficient, and better and I still use those skills in my job to date. I would totally recommend the Tableau exam to anyone who wants to take their skills to the next level!"
Now that we have covered what the certification is in general and have learned why it is important to prepare for and pass the Tableau exam, it's time to learn about the key topics of Tableau that will help you to successfully prepare for the Tableau Desktop Certified Associate exam and pass it with a score of more than 75 percent in less than 2 hours. Good luck!
