Server QA Exam Guide
ServerQA_ExamGuide
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Server Qualied Associate
Exam Guide
Exam Details
This document provides information on the structure of the exam, along with the knowledge and skills
being measured. It will also guide you to 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 Qualied 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.
System Preparation
For a successful exam experience, ensure your computer, network, and the physical environment are
properly congured. This includes running a system tech-check before the exam. Review our Required:
Exam Setup document for complete details.
Learning Resources
While there are no required prerequisites for this exam. To be successful, you are strongly encouraged to
complete the Desktop I: Fundamentals and Server Administration courses. Information on these courses can
be found here.
Explore additional resources here:
• http://www.tableau.com/support/help
• https://onlinehelp.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/admin.htm
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) Oered: English, Japanese, Simplied Chinese, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese,
International Spanish
Delivery Platform: Windows Virtual Machine containing Tableau Server
For questions, email certication@tableau.com or visit tableau.com/certication.
Server Qualied Associate Exam Guide September 2018
Skills Measured
Preparation - 20%
User Experience
• User Interface
• Navigation
Topology
• Identify client components
• Identify server components
• Describe how they work together
• Dierentiate Public v. Server
• Tableau Mobile
Versions
• Understand:
• How to identify the current version of Tableau
Server
• Where to obtain the latest release of Tableau
Server
• Where to access release notes of Tableau
Server
Minimum Hardware Requirements
• Understand:
• RAM requirements
• CPU requirements
• Hard disk requirements
Software Requirements
• List the supported Operating Systems
• Understand:
• Browser requirements
• Options for email alerts
• Anti-virus concerns
• Identify the SMTP Server
• Be familiar with potential port issues
• Explain the purpose and benets of a dedicated
server
• Identify the considerations for running in the
cloud
Licensing
• Understand user-based licensing
• Describe the dierent license types
• Describe how license types map to site roles
Server Processes
• Describe each Tableau Services Manager and
Tableau Server process
• Understand:
• Default process count at installation
• Multiple-instance processes
• Process-to-process workows
• Processes in distributed and high-availability
environments
• Purpose of a load balancer
Data Source Identication
• Identify the ports required
• Identify the necessary database drivers
• Understand the dierences between:
• File vs. Relational vs. Cube
• Extract vs. Live Connections
• Explain the benets of published data sources
Infrastructure Network
• Understand network latency implications
• Explain the risks of Dynamic-IP addressing
Installation & Conguration - 25%
Installation
• Understand installation steps and options:
• Install Path
• Gateway port
• Understand Identity Store options:
• External (Active Directory) vs. local
• Trusted Tickets
• SAML
• Kerberos and OpenID Connect
• Describe the impact of the automatic-login
option
• Understand how to set up SSL
• Understand Tableau best practices for installing a
single-machine environment
Server Qualied Associate Exam Guide September 2018
Skills Measured (cont’d)
• Understand silent installs
Windows Server Conguration
• Understand cache settings
• Understand how to:
• Apply process distribution
• Congure Email alerts/ subscriptions
• Congure SSL
• Congure optional customizations
Tableau Server Conguration
• Describe:
• Site conguration options
• User quotas
• Storage quotas
• How to enable and edit site subscriptions
• Project conguration options
• Group and User Conguration options
• Understand who can add users
Adding Users
• License type and site role
• Admin level
• Publisher level
• Importing via Active Directory or Local
Security
• Describe the security congurations for:
• Site level
• Project level
• Group level
• User level
• Data source level
• Workbook level
Permissions
• Understand:
• System permission composition
• The ramications of permission design
• The Tableau Security Model
• Describe the dierences between Allow v. Deny v.
None
Administration - 36%
Understand how to:
• Maintain Data connections
• Create schedules
• Create, edit and delete Subscriptions
• Perform Server analysis
• Complete a backup and restore
• Perform cleanup
• Add, remove, or deactivate users
• Update licenses
• Start, stop or restart
• Utilize tsm and tabcmd
• Use REST API
• Work with Log Files
• Understand Embedding
• Monitor Desktop license usage
• Manage workbook and datasource revision
history
Describe how to:
• View server status in multiple ways
• View email alerts
• Set data-driven alerts
• Use built-in administrative views
• Create custom admin views
• Create a performance recording
• Create a nested project
• Work with Sites and Site Admin options
Contrast Content and System administrator rights
End-user Abilities
Understand:
• Table recommendations
• Publishing views and data sources
• Renaming a workbook
• Interacting with a view via the Web
• Web authoring & editing
• How to share views
• Data Source Certication
Server Qualied Associate Exam Guide September 2018
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 les 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 dierent hardware
Understand backwards compatability
Timeliness
Completing a task eectively and eciently 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 Qualied Associate Exam Guide September 2018
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 aected by a particular workbook permissions rule?
a. Navigate to the host project’s Permissions page, and then click the permissions rule.
b. Click Content on the menu, click Workbooks, and then click the List icon.
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 will 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 clicking Add under Subscribe Others
d. By using URL parameters in the view’s Share Link
Answers: 1 (c), 2 (b & c), 3 (c), 4 (b), 5 (c)
Server Qualied Associate Exam Guide September 2018
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 Qualied Associate Exam Guide September 2018
