An IT professional reviewing a 2022 data-certification roundup should not assume that all listed programs remain open to new candidates. AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty was retired in April 2024. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst Associate qualification continues to evolve through the PL-300 examination. A practical decision starts by separating analytical reporting, data engineering and data-platform administration.

This post was originally published 12 November 2021 as a 2022 credential list. The later AWS retirement and current Microsoft exam details are editorial updates, not claims about what applicants knew in 2021.

Three data job families require different proof

A data analyst often turns messy business information into trustworthy measures and reports. A data engineer designs reliable ingestion, transformation and storage pipelines. A data scientist develops and evaluates models, experiments and statistical methods. Employers may value overlapping SQL and programming knowledge, but the daily decisions are distinct.

Before choosing a credential, examine the target job’s responsibilities. If the work emphasizes semantic models and stakeholder dashboards, build evidence around measures, filters, relationships and refresh reliability. If it emphasizes moving and governing large datasets, focus on pipelines, schema quality, processing failures and access boundaries.

AWS Data Analytics – Specialty is a retired exam

AWS formally announced the retirement of its Data Analytics – Specialty certification in April 2024, alongside other retired specialty assessments. The official AWS certification retirement announcement explains the program changes and the shift toward role-aligned qualifications such as Data Engineer – Associate.

An archived training page for the specialty can still teach useful AWS analytics services, but it must not present the examination as bookable. Holders may retain historical badges subject to program terms. New candidates should compare the current data-engineering exam objectives with their job requirements instead of searching for a way to register for the retired specialty.

Microsoft Power BI data analyst remains a distinct path

Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification page describes the PL-300 assessment around preparing, modeling, visualizing, analyzing, managing and securing Power BI data. This is not an automatic replacement for an AWS cloud analytics credential. The products, responsibilities and practical exercises differ.

A strong Power BI work sample includes a documented source dataset, a clear star-schema or justified alternative, measures with testable semantics, an accessible report and a refresh or security plan. Explain how you validated totals and how you would detect data-quality failures. Check current exam objectives before booking because the assessed features and training resources evolve.

How to evaluate legacy Dell EMC and other titles

The original article also discussed a Dell EMC data science credential. Vendor naming, assessment families and eligibility rules can change as technology portfolios evolve. Without an explicit current issuer listing, an older program should be described as historical rather than presumed active or directly equivalent to a successor.

The underlying competencies—data exploration, quality assessment, reproducible analysis, interpreting model outputs and communicating uncertainty—remain useful. A candidate should choose practical study evidence that fits the role, then verify whether a present-day issuer exam evaluates those outcomes.

Build a role-first certification plan

For analytics, begin with SQL and data modeling, then create a report in which every important measure has a clear business definition. For engineering, construct a small reproducible pipeline with error handling, monitoring and data validation. For modeling-oriented work, document train/test separation, evaluation criteria and limitations.

Use practice assessments to reveal gaps, not as answer memorization. Record the official blueprint version, credential date, renewal terms and expected costs. Where a historic certification has been retired, consider whether its content is still worth studying without paying for an unavailable examination.

What to do next

Do not schedule the retired AWS Data Analytics – Specialty assessment. Choose a current analyst or data-engineering credential only after verifying the issuer’s current objectives, and build a project that demonstrates the daily tasks of the role you want.