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CompTIA • Data Plus
CompTIA Data+ (DA0-001)
Identify basic concepts of data schemas and dimensions and understand the differences between common data structures and file formats to build a strong foundation in data concepts and environments.
Practice setup
Exam info
- Exam ID
- DA0-001
- Cost of Exam
- $255.00
- Length of Test
- 90 Minutes
- Number of Questions
- Maximum of 90
View full exam details
- Exam Versions
- V1
- Launch Date
- February 28, 2022
- Expected Retirement Date
- Currently Unknown
- Recommended Experience
- 18-24 months in a report or business analyst job role, with exposure to databases and analytical tools, a basic understanding of statistics, and data visualization experience
- Validity
- 3 years
- Question Types
- Multiple Choice / Performance Based
- Passing Score
- 675 (on a scale of 100-900)
Domains and Objectives
Data concepts and environments1.015%
Objectives in this domain
- Data schemas and dimensions: identifying databases, data marts, data warehouses, data lakes, and slowly changing dimensions.
- Data types: comparing date, numeric, alphanumeric, currency, text, discrete vs. continuous, categorical/dimension, images, audio, and video.
- Data structures and file formats: comparing structured and unstructured data and file formats like text/flat files, JSON, XML, and HTML.
Data mining2.025%
Objectives in this domain
- Data acquisition: explaining integration methods like delta load, ELT, and collection methods like web scraping, APIs, surveys, sampling, and observation.
- Data cleansing and profiling: identifying duplicate data, missing values, invalid data, outliers, specification mismatches, and data type validation.
- Data manipulation techniques: executing techniques like merging, blending, concatenation, appending, imputation, aggregation, transposing, normalizing, and parsing.
- Query optimization: explaining filtering, sorting, date functions, logical functions, aggregate functions, indexing, temporary tables, and execution plans.
Data analysis3.023%
Objectives in this domain
- Descriptive statistics: applying measures of central tendency, dispersion, frequencies, percentages, percent change, and confidence intervals.
- Inferential statistics: explaining t-tests, z-scores, p-values, chi-squared tests, hypothesis testing, regression, and correlation.
- Analysis techniques: summarizing trend analysis, performance analysis, exploratory analysis, and link analysis.
Visualization4.023%
Objectives in this domain
- Business requirements: translating requirements into reports using measures of central tendency, dispersion, and percentages.
- Report and dashboard design: using cover pages, design elements, and documentation.
- Dashboard development: applying considerations for development processes and delivery.
- Visualization types: applying line charts, pie charts, scatter plots, bar charts, histograms, heat maps, geographic maps, tree maps, stacked charts, and word clouds.
- Report types: comparing static vs. dynamic, ad-hoc, self-service, recurring, and tactical research reports.
Data governance, quality, and controls5.014%
Objectives in this domain
- Data governance: summarizing access, security, storage, use, entity relationships, classification, jurisdiction, and breach reporting.
- Data quality control: applying validation methods, quality dimensions, rules, metrics, and automated checks.
- Master data management (MDM): explaining processes and circumstances for MDM.
Resources
Resources are being added for this exam.
Exam history
The History of CompTIA Data+ (DA0-001 Context)
Last reviewed: 2026-03-08
CompTIA Data+ was introduced to validate practical data analytics skills for professionals who work with data collection, transformation, analysis, reporting, and governance in business environments. It was designed as a vendor-neutral credential that emphasizes applied analytical workflow competence over tool-specific product mastery.
As organizations adopted data-driven decision-making more broadly, many teams needed analysts who could do more than build charts. Employers increasingly expected foundational capability across data concepts, data preparation, statistical interpretation, visualization design, and quality control. Data+ was positioned to validate that end-to-end baseline.
A defining characteristic of Data+ is its balance between technical data handling and business communication outcomes. Candidates are expected to acquire and shape data correctly, perform appropriate analysis, and present results in ways that support decision-makers. This practical balance aligns with common responsibilities in report analyst and business analyst roles.
From launch onward, the exam has focused on real workflow stages rather than isolated theory. Domain coverage intentionally links concepts and environments to data mining, analysis methods, visualization, and governance controls, mirroring how analytics work moves from raw data to actionable insight.
DA0-001 launched on February 28, 2022 as the initial public version of the certification. As a first-generation exam, it established CompTIA's baseline for analyst-ready data competency and created a structured on-ramp for professionals transitioning into data-oriented responsibilities.
The current blueprint reflects practical analyst expectations: understanding schemas and data formats, preparing data for use, applying descriptive and inferential methods, building business-appropriate reporting artifacts, and maintaining quality and governance discipline. That combination makes the credential useful across industries where data literacy is operationally critical.
Compared with many narrowly focused analytics badges, Data+ maintains broad transferability. The exam does not lock candidates to a specific platform and instead validates core principles and workflow skills that can be applied across SQL-based systems, BI tools, spreadsheets, and mixed reporting environments.
Data+ remains important in the CompTIA pathway as a role-aligned analytics credential for early-career and transitioning professionals. Its historical value is clear: it formalizes practical data competency in a way that is accessible, job-relevant, and adaptable to evolving business and technical contexts.
Change tracker
DA0-001 (V1) launched
CompTIA launched Data+ DA0-001 as its foundational data analytics certification, covering the practical workflow from data concepts through analysis, reporting, and governance.
Data+ established as role-aligned analyst baseline
The exam positioned itself as a practical credential for report and business analyst pathways, emphasizing day-to-day data preparation, interpretation, and communication outcomes.
Vendor-neutral analytics framing reinforced
Objective design focused on transferable data principles and methods rather than single-tool specialization, supporting applicability across mixed enterprise data stacks.
Balanced coverage across acquisition, analysis, visualization, and governance
Domain weighting continues to reflect end-to-end analytics workflow expectations, including data quality and control considerations required for trusted reporting.
Data+ maintained as practical data competency credential
Data+ continues to serve as a baseline certification for professionals building validated analytics capability before moving into deeper specialization or platform-focused roles.