Announcing a new name for the Data Analyst Associate certification

Power BI and business users, we’ve got great news to share about our certification portfolio. On February 28, 2022, the Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate certification will be renamed to Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate. We regularly review our portfolio to ensure that it’s up to date with the latest technology. This new name reflects our current vision on the data analyst job role and the skills that are required for that role today. Plus, it indicates the direction we’ll take as we prepare to include additional skills in the future.

On the same day, we’ll release the new Exam PL-300: Power BI Data Analyst, which will be required to earn the Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification. This exam is focused on skills in preparing, modeling, visualizing, and analyzing data to maximize value for an organization.

This new exam will replace Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI, which retires on March 31, 2022. These exams cover the same knowledge domain.

What this means to you

• If you’ve already earned the Data Analyst Associate certification, you will see the new name in your Certification Dashboard on February 28, 2022.
• If you’ve been studying for Exam DA-100, no worries. You have until March 31, 2022, to take it. 
• If you’ve just started preparing for Exam DA-100, consider reviewing the skills requirements for new Exam PL-300 and switching your focus to the new exam because the exams are very similar.  However, between February 28 and March 31, 2022, learners can pass either exam to earn their Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification.

If you plan to take the exam, you might start by exploring the data analyst certification journey. You can also find valuable resources for data analysts on the certification and exam pages. Next, review the required skills for Exam PL-300, use curated self-paced learning paths on Microsoft Learn. Until March 31, 2022, you can take a trial run for the exam using the Microsoft Official Practice Test for DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI.

The role of the data analyst

If you’re a data analyst or business user who uses Power BI to help your organization maximize the value of its data assets, you might consider earning this certification. In this role, your responsibilities include designing and building scalable data models, cleaning, and transforming data, and enabling advanced analytic capabilities that provide meaningful business value through easy-to-understand data visualizations. You’re a subject matter expert who collaborates with key stakeholders across verticals to deliver relevant insights based on business requirements. And you should have a fundamental understanding of data repositories and data processing, both on-premises and in the cloud.

It’s easy to renew a Microsoft Certification

When your Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification expires, we’ve got good news. You can renew it and other current certifications by passing a free renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn—anytime within six months before the certification expires.

Shine a spotlight on your data analyst skills

If you’re a data analyst or business user with a passion for data, it’s time to validate your expertise and showcase your data insights. The Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification can validate that you have what it takes to stand out and help to differentiate your organization in this high-demand field.

Source: techcommunity.microsoft.com