What Is Tableau Certification? And How to Qualify

Tableau is an analytics tool used to visualize data in various settings. You can earn certifications to boost your Tableau knowledge and make yourself more appealing to potential employers. In this article learn how to become Tableau certified to help land your next job or advance in your current one.

Read more: 6 Business Intelligence Tools You Need to Know

What is Tableau?

Tableau is a business intelligence platform that allows you to visualize data covering a variety of topics, making it easier to explain data using its data analytics tools. You can convey information to users through maps, line graphs, charts, and other tools. Tableau tools include several products, such as desktop, server, and cloud services. 

Read more: What Is Tableau? Features, Use Cases, and More

What is Tableau certification? 

Tableau certification allows you to prove your knowledge of the different tools available in Tableau or test your Tableau skills. Certification can show employers or clients your Tableau expertise as you seek to grow within your current position or pursue your next job.

Tableau certification can also help you gain confidence and advance your skills. Depending on the job requirements for a particular position, you may be able to boost your earning potential or receive a salary increase at your current job.

Types of Tableau certifications

Tableau has five certification options that you can choose through the company’s certification process. All five require the completion of an exam and registration fees for the exams.

Take a look at your options to become certified as a Tableau user and operator.

Tableau Desktop Specialist

Cost: $100 

A desktop specialist certification tests your fundamental understanding of Tableau, particularly the Tableau Desktop environment. The certification exam for Tableau Desktop includes 45 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions you must answer in 60 minutes, with results reported within 48 hours of the exam. 

Tableau Certified Data Analyst

Cost: $250

A data analyst certification tests your understanding of a business problem to develop recommendations for a client or business. This certification emphasizes the ways you identify data in your analysis process. The exam includes a knowledge-based section with multiple-choice items and a performance-based section with lab items. 

Tableau Server Certified Associate

Cost: $250

Tableau’s products include Tableau Server, which allows you to store data and analysis on your organization’s server. A Tableau Server Certified Associate credential shows your understanding of how Tableau Server functions and how to operate and maintain the product. The exam includes 55 multiple-choice questions completed in 90 minutes.

Tableau Certified Consultant

Cost: $250

Certification as a Tableau consultant proves you can work independently with customers using Tableau’s platform to solve client issues. The exam includes multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge as well as performance-based tasks. 

Tableau Certified Architect

Cost: $250

A Tableau-certified architect leads the development of the architecture for Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud, depending on the needs of an organization. The exam includes knowledge-based multiple-choice questions as well as a performance-based section.

Requirements and prerequisites for Tableau certification

It’s important to review other qualifications in addition to the exams, as they can vary depending on the certification.

Previous experience

Tableau does not have prerequisites for its exams, so you are not required to earn specific professional hours to qualify for any certification. However, the company does offer work experience recommendations before taking a particular certification exam:

• Tableau Desktop Specialist: To understand the concepts covered in this certification exam, you typically need to spend at least three months with the product.

• Tableau Certified Data Analyst: Tableau suggests at least six months of experience with Tableau products, including Tableau Prep, Tableau Desktop, and Tableau Server or Tableau Online.

• Tableau Server Certified Associate: A Tableau Server certification candidate usually needs a minimum of six months of experience with the Tableau Server product.

• Tableau Certified Consultant: Generally, you need at least one year of experience with Tableau products before taking the exam. It’s also important to have the skills needed to pass the Tableau Desktop Specialist or Tableau Certified Data Analyst exams, but these certifications aren’t required to be a Tableau Certified Consultant.

• Tableau Certified Architect: The company recommends one year of experience with Tableau products, particularly Tableau Cloud, Tableau Server, and Tableau Bridge.

How to keep your Tableau certifications up to date

Some Tableau certifications require you to update your status to maintain an active certification. For those that do, you will retake the exam to renew your certification. From the date you took the exam, each Tableau certification remains current for:

• Tableau Desktop Specialist: Does not expire

• Tableau Certified Data Analyst: Two years

• Tableau Server Certified Associate: Two years 

• Tableau Certified Consultant: Two years

• Tableau Certified Architect: Two years

Tableau certification salary and job outlook 

Tableau certification typically helps you gain confidence in your skills and shows you understand Tableau’s products. This knowledge is helpful for both job seekers and those looking to grow in their existing careers.

Certification can also boost your salary, depending on the field you’re in or the need for Tableau experience. According to Payscale, a data analyst with Tableau certification earns $71,560 in average annual salary [1]. A data analyst, in general, without accounting for Tableau certification, makes an average base salary of $68,000 [2].

It’s also important to have certification so you can stand out in the growing field of data science. Expect positions for data scientists to grow 36 percent from 2023 to 2033, which is much faster than the average national growth rate, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [3]. The BLS also estimates the median annual salary for data scientists as $108,020 [3].

Learn Tableau with Coursera

Tableau has a wide variety of uses to help you visualize data and make it easier to understand for users. You can explore how to use Tableau generally or specialize in specific tasks to use Tableau in different cases. Consider courses to help you prepare for various Tableau certification exams.

Earn a Tableau Business Intelligence Analyst Professional Certificate on Coursera. This beginner course can help you build skills that you can use to earn certification on your understanding of Tableau.

Explore a Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization with the University of California -Davis on Coursera. The program includes learning how to create and design data visualizations as well as assessing data quality.