Server Certified Associate

Exam Guide
This document provides information on the structure of the exam, along with the knowledge and skills
measured. It will suggest resources to help you prepare for success. This document is not intended to build
product knowledge.

Awarded Credentials
Upon successful completion of this exam, you will be awarded the title of Tableau Server Certified Associate.
This title is active for two years from the date achieved.

Target Audience
This exam is for those who have a comprehensive understanding of Tableau Server functionality in a
single-machine environment and approximately 4-6 months of experience. Typical roles include System
Administrator or Consultant.

There are no required prerequisites for this exam. Everyone learns differently and everyday use of Tableau
varies. Recommendations for learning resources and experience with the product are guidelines, not
requirements.

Learning Resources
The best preparation is experience and time with the product. During the exam, you will have access to
public, online resources aside from private websites that require a login or websites & applications allowing
for communication with others. We also encourage you to complete the Desktop I: Fundamentals and Server
Administration courses.
Explore additional resources here:
• Tableau Product Support
• Tableau Product Help
• Tableau Server Admin Guide

Exam Format
Time Limit: 90 minutes (please plan for extra time for online exam setup)
Passing Score: 75%
Number of Questions: 80
Scoring: Automatically scored
Question Format: Multiple choice, multiple response, true/false
Language(s) Offered: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese,
International Spanish
Delivery Platform: Windows Virtual Machine containing Tableau Server

System Preparation
For a successful exam experience, ensure your computer, network, and physical environment are properly
configured. This includes running a system tech-check before the exam. Review our Required: Exam Setup
document for complete details.

For questions, email certification@tableau.com or visit tableau.com/certification.

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide January 2020

Skills Measured
Preparation - 20% • Describe how license types map to site roles
Server Processes
User Experience
• Describe each Tableau Services Manager and
• User Interface
Tableau Server process
• Navigation
• Understand:
Topology
• Default process count at installation
• Identify client components
• Multiple-instance processes
• Identify server components
• Process-to-process workflows
• Describe how they work together
• Processes in distributed and high-availability
Versions
environments
• Understand:
• Purpose of a load balancer
• How to identify the current version of Tableau
Data Source Identification
Server
• Identify the ports required
• Where to obtain the latest release of Tableau
• Identify the necessary database drivers
Server
• Understand the differences between:
• Where to access release notes of Tableau
• File vs. Relational vs. Cube
Server
• Extract vs. Live Connections
Minimum Hardware Requirements
• Explain the benefits of published data sources
• Understand:
Infrastructure Network
• RAM requirements
• Understand network latency implications
• CPU requirements
• Explain the risks of Dynamic-IP addressing
• Hard disk requirements
Software Requirements Installation & Configuration - 25%
• List the supported Operating Systems Installation
• Understand:
• Understand installation steps and options:
• Browser requirements
• Install Path
• Options for email alerts
• Gateway port
• Anti-virus concerns
• Understand Identity Store and SSO options:
• Identify the SMTP Server
• External (Active Directory) vs. local
• Be familiar with potential port issues
• Trusted Tickets
• Explain the purpose and benefits of a dedicated
• SAML
server
• Kerberos and OpenID Connect
• Identify the considerations for running in the
• Describe the impact of the automatic-login
cloud
option
Licensing
• Understand how to set up SSL
• Understand user-based licensing
• Understand Tableau best practices for installing a
• Describe the different license types
single-machine environment

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide January 2020

Skills Measured (cont’d)
• Understand silent installs Administration - 36%
Tableau Server Configuration
Understand how to:
• Understand cache settings
• Maintain Data connections
• Understand how to:
• Create schedules
• Apply process distribution
• Create, edit and delete Subscriptions
• Configure Email alerts/ subscriptions
• Perform Server analysis
• Configure optional customizations
• Complete a backup and restore
• Describe:
• Perform cleanup
• Site configuration options
• Add, remove, or deactivate users
• User quotas
• Update licenses
• Storage quotas
• Start, stop or restart
• How to enable and edit site subscriptions
• Utilize tsm and tabcmd
• Project configuration options
• Use REST API
• Group and User Configuration options
• Work with Log Files
• Understand who can add users
• Understand Embedding
Adding Users
• Monitor Desktop license usage
• License type and site role
• Manage workbook and datasource revision
• Admin level
history
• Publisher level
Describe how to:
• Importing via Active Directory or Local
• View server status in multiple ways
Security
• View email alerts
• Describe the security configurations for:
• Set data-driven alerts
• Site level
• Use built-in administrative views
• Project level
• Create custom admin views
• Group level
• Create a performance recording
• User level
• Create a nested project
• Data source level
• Work with Sites and Site Admin options
• Workbook level
Contrast end-user with System-administrator
Permissions
capabilities
• Understand:
End-user Abilities
• System permission composition
Understand:
• The ramifications of permission design
• Table recommendations
• The Tableau Security Model
• Publishing views and data sources
• Describe the differences between Allow v. Deny v.
• Renaming a workbook
None
• Interacting with a view via the Web
• Web authoring & editing
• How to share views
• Data Source Certification
Server Certified Associate Exam Guide January 2020
Skills Measured (cont’d)
• Extract caching

Troubleshooting - 13%
Understand requirements of third party cookies in a
browser
Understand how to:
• Reset passwords for a Tableau user or Tableau
Run-As Service account
• Package log files for reporting
• Use tsm to validate site resources
• Rebuild the search index
• Use maintenance analysis reports
• Create/open support requests

Migration & Upgrade - 6%

Understand the upgrade process
Explain how and why to perform a clean reinstall
Describe how to migrate to different hardware
Understand backwards compatibility

Timeliness
Completing a task effectively and efficiently has
become a standard that organizations expect from
employees. This exam is timed because we view time
as a critical competency needed to be successful.

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide January 2020

Sample Questions
The questions below are examples intended to give you a sense of how questions will look on the exam. They
are not intended as a learning resource for the Server product, nor do they provide the experience necessary
to pass the exam.

1. The minimum amount of RAM recommended for any production use of Tableau Server is:
a. 8 GB
b. 16 GB
c. 32 GB
d. 64 GB
e. 128 GB
f. There is no minimum.

2. Which of these user interactions will utilize the Data Server? (Select all that apply.)
a. A user publishes a workbook that uses an extract.
b. A user publishes a data source.
c. A user creates a new workbook from a Tableau Server Data Connection.
d. A server administrator accesses an administrative view.

3. For a given workbook, what is the best way to see how a permission rule impacts the effective permissions
for a list of individual users?
a. Navigate to the host project’s Permissions page, and then click All Users
b. Click Explore on the menu, click All Workbooks, and then click to List view.
c. Navigate to the workbook’s Permissions page, and then click the permissions rule.
d. Click Groups on the menu, and then click All Users.

4. A user with a Viewer license type and site role can create data-driven alerts.
a. True
b. False

5. How can an administrator subscribe a user to a view?

a. By using parameters in the view’s Embed Code
b. By clicking Subscribe on the view, and then clicking Manage
c. By clicking Subscribe on the view, and then adding them to Subscribe Users
d. By using URL parameters in the view’s Share Link

Answers: 1 (c), 2 (c), 3 (c), 4 (b), 5 (c)

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide January 2020

Sample Questions (cont’d)

6. What options are available for performing Active Directory group synchronization? (Select all that apply.)
a. Use the Settings page to synchronize on demand.
b. Set the site role for users who have been removed from Active Directory.
c. Use the Settings page to set a regular schedule for synchronization.
d. Set the minimum site role for group users to be applied during Active Directory synchronization.

7. Which are valid ways to open a Tableau Support case?

a. Contact the Developer Community Forum.
b. Contact Consulting Services.
c. Use the Tableau Community site.
d. Use Tableau’s Support website.

Answers: 6 (a,c & d), 7 (d)

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide January 2020