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 every day 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 [email protected] or visit tableau.com/certification.

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide April 2019

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

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide April 2019

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

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide April 2019

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 compatability

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 April 2019

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. What is the best way to see a list of individual users affected by a particular workbook permissions rule?
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 Link
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 (b & c), 3 (c), 4 (b), 5 (c)

Server Certified Associate Exam Guide April 2019

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 April 2019