As of the date of this blog post I can proudly say that I have completed the certification suite of exams that comprise the Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) designation. My aim in taking the test was threefold.

1. Discover how my knowledge and experience stacked up against professional standards issued by a reputable body in data and computing.
2. Find additional motivation to constantly educate myself regarding data and business intelligence since the certification requires renewal.
3. Bolster credentials, because it never hurts one’s bottom line to show you have expertise in your profession.

If you’ve found this page via search, you’re no doubt already acquainted with this certification offered by The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI). I started with what I though would be the most difficult test based upon what I have researched; the Information Systems Core (i.e. IS Core). However, this was not the case as the specialty exam was the most difficult in my opinion.

Test 1: Information Systems Core (i.e. IS Core):

12/15/17: I wish I could share some detailed information about the test but that is not allowed per CBIP guidelines. All I can say is that the scope of information covered is very broad.

“The IS Core examination (Information Systems Technology) covers the base 4 year model curriculum from ACM and AIS for information systems – the entire spectrum of organizational and professional skills, teams and supervision, strategic organizational systems development and project management, systems development, web development, databases and systems integration – the subject matter, testing your ability to recognize, differentiate, and understand the definitions of the concepts covered.” – CBIP Examinations Guide

For adequate preparation, you’ll first need to spend $135 on the examinations guide. Unfortunately, the examinations guide is not something you can simply study and then go sit for the test. It is basically a reference book that points you to other sources to consider for test preparation. The guide also outlines the various subject areas that will appear on the test. Let me stress that you should not sit for this test without pertinent work experience and education. You will need to draw upon your knowledge and experiences to have a legitimate shot at passing.

My intent was to devote about 3 weeks’ worth of study time to tackle the IS Core but my work severely got in the way of that plan. I ended up devoting only ten hours of study time in total, but this was certainly not by design.

First I took the sample test of 42 questions in the examinations guide and fared pretty well. This gave me some confidence to continue with my scheduled exam date when I found out that my work was going to shorten my available study time.

The test was difficult. I’m not going to sugar coat this aspect. While I was taking the proctored exam, I could count on two hands where I was confident that I had chosen the correct answer (out of 110 questions). Part of the difficulty of the exam is the fact that you are presented with 4 choices where at least two of these choices could be a satisfactory answer.

Test 2: Data Foundations

12/31/17: I performed much better on the Data Foundations test, scoring well above the mastery level threshold of 70%. I was buoyed by my performance on the Information Systems Core test and only scheduled about 10 hours of study time in preparation for Data Foundations. I used one reference book to prepare. My advice for this test would be to have an understanding of metadata concepts; (this is listed as a subject area already cited in the CBIP Examinations Guide). Make the DAMA Guide to the Data Management Body of Knowledge your best friend. I used the 1st edition in lieu of the 2nd edition in my preparation since I already had the 1st edition in my possession.

Test 3: Specialty Exam: Data Management

1/14/18: This was the most difficult of the three exams that I sat. It may have been a function of my limited preparation as I only put in about 3 hours of study time. The scope of topics regarding this exam is so broad that I planned to again leverage my experience and knowledge to power me through. The majority of questions on this exam required narrowing down the answers to the two best answers and then selecting one. There is a persistent overlap between what could be acceptable and what the exam decrees is the one right answer. I’m not giving away anything that isn’t already on the outline shared by TDWI but you’ll really need to brush up on your knowledge of data governance, data management, data warehousing and master/reference data.

My Background:

Not to be immodest (I only want to share my mindset for sitting the exam with somewhat minimal study) but I’ve been working with data for 15 plus years and hold both an MBA and a Masters in Information Management. Before becoming a BI/data and analytics consultant, I worked back office in a bank supporting the monthly update of three credit risk data marts. Thankfully all of that hard gained experience working in a financial institution’s back office paid-off. Surprisingly, the number of right answers I gained from study time were minimal. Your mileage may vary in this regard.

Reference Material:

Here are the reference materials I used in my preparation; fortunately, (with the exception of the CBIP manual) I already had these in my library due to graduate studies. Depending upon your level of experience, you may need to supplement your effort with additional books. I will say that both Wikipedia and Search Business Analytics were very helpful for looking up unfamiliar terms.

• CBIP Examinations Guide
• Modern Database Management 11^th edition
• Managing and Using Information Systems: A Strategic Approach 6^th Edition
• DAMA Guide to the Data Management Body of Knowledge

 

Best of luck to you on your journey to CBIP certification!

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