Qlik-Sense-Data-Architect Exam Format | Qlik-Sense-Data-Architect Course Contents | Qlik-Sense-Data-Architect Course Outline | Qlik-Sense-Data-Architect Exam Syllabus | Qlik-Sense-Data-Architect Exam Objectives

Exam Name: Qlik Sense Data Architect Certification
Provider: Pearson VUE (Qlik’s official partner)
Format: Multiple-choice, scenario-based, and hands-on tasks
Duration: ~60 minutes
Passing Score: 70% (may vary slightly)

- Given a set of business objectives, determine KPIs, dimensions or measures
- Given customer requirements, determine an appropriate solution to meet the customer needs (e.g., data, variables, master items, GeoAnalytics, advanced analytics integration)
- Interpret app security requirements
- Given a data set, identify quality issues and potential solutions
- Determine the expected effects of data quality issues
- Given a data set, determine the relationships among data and how the relationships will affect the Qlik Sense data model (e.g., performance, accuracy, scalability)

- Use various methods and explain considerations for connecting to different types of data sources
- Describe the circumstances under which different load strategies should be used (including On-Demand App Generation (ODAG), incremental load
- Explain load techniques and functions relevant to data transformation and filtering
- Understand the data profiling capabilities in Data Manager (e.g., sorting, bucketing, splitting)
- Understand the differences between Data Load Editor and Data Manager and how and when to use each or both for loading data
- Given a scenario, determine how to resolve table association issues (e.g., synthetic keys, circular references)
- Explain the circumstances under which QVD and QVX files and/or n-tiered data architectures should be recommended

- Describe the use and properties of fact tables and dimension tables
- Explain how to resolve complex calendar scenarios
- Explain the use and effects of different types of JOINs, KEEPs and CONCATENATE
- Given business requirements, determine appropriate section access configuration
- Explain the use of control statements and/or variables
- Explain scenarios in which data filtering should be used and how to filter
- Given a script, determine the cause and/or solution for a script error
- Add items to the master library, including set analysis expressions and variables

- Identify and explain the use of Qlik connectors
- Explain how to convert a QlikView document into Qlik Sense app
- Identify scenarios for and how to use calculated dimensions.
- Illustrate how to replace null values in a dataset
- Utilize ETL within the Qlik Sense environment to support a variety of analysis requirements (e.g., building data models, layering of QVDs, incremental loading)
- Explain the purpose and functionality of Qlik Sense troubleshooting tools or functions (e.g., debugger, script log)
- Explain the purpose and functionality of the Data Model Viewer
- Use visualization to validate the data model


I. Qlik Sense Enterprise Architecture and Components (Approx. 15-20%)

- Understanding the Qlik Sense Enterprise on Windows architecture.
- Identifying and describing the function of key components.
- Understanding the communication flow between components.
- Deployment scenarios (single-node, multi-node).
- Scalability considerations.
- Disaster recovery planning concepts.

- Qlik Sense Service Dispatcher (QSD): Entry point for all client and inter-service communication.
- Qlik Sense Engine (QIX): In-memory calculation engine, handles data loading, transformations, and calculations.
- Qlik Sense Repository Service (QRS): Central repository storing configuration data, security rules, and application metadata.
- Qlik Sense Proxy Service (QPS): Handles user authentication, authorization, session management, and load balancing.
- Qlik Sense Scheduler Service (QSS): Manages scheduled reloads of Qlik Sense applications.
- Qlik Sense Printing Service (QPR): Enables printing of Qlik Sense visualizations and reports.
- Shared Persistence: Centralized storage for Qlik Sense configuration and application files in a multi-node environment.
- Central Node: The primary node in a multi-node deployment hosting the QRS and often other services.
- Worker Node: Additional nodes in a multi-node deployment primarily hosting the Engine service for scalability.
- Load Balancing: Distributing user sessions and application processing across multiple Proxy and Engine services.
- High Availability (HA): Configuring the environment to minimize downtime in case of component failures.
- Disaster Recovery (DR): Strategies and procedures for restoring Qlik Sense functionality after a major outage.
- Virtual Proxy: Configuration within the QPS to define authentication methods, session timeouts, and other access parameters for specific user groups or access points.
- License Enabler File (LEF): Contains licensing information for the Qlik Sense environment.

II. Installation and Configuration (Approx. 15-20%)

- Planning and preparing for Qlik Sense Enterprise on Windows installation.
- Performing single-node and multi-node installations.
- Configuring Qlik Sense services.
- Managing Qlik Sense certificates.
- Configuring network settings.
- Initial system setup and verification.

- Prerequisites: Software and hardware requirements for Qlik Sense installation.
- Setup Wizard: Graphical interface for installing Qlik Sense components.
- Custom Setup: Option to select specific Qlik Sense components for installation.
- Service Account: Windows account under which Qlik Sense services run.
- Qlik Management Console (QMC): Web-based administration interface for managing Qlik Sense Enterprise.
- Certificates: Digital files used to secure communication between Qlik Sense components and clients (e.g., SSL/TLS).
- Root CA Certificate: The top-level certificate in a certificate chain.
- Machine Certificate: Certificate specific to a Qlik Sense server.
- Firewall Rules: Network configurations that control inbound and outbound traffic.
- Ports: Network communication endpoints used by Qlik Sense services (e.g., 443, 4747).
- Repository Database: PostgreSQL database used by the QRS to store metadata.
- Shared Network Folder: Central location for storing Qlik Sense applications and other shared resources in a multi-node environment.

III. Security and Access Control (Approx. 20-25%)

- Understanding the Qlik Sense security model.
- Configuring authentication and authorization.
- Managing users and groups.
- Implementing security rules.
- Auditing security-related events.
- Integrating with identity providers (e.g., Active Directory, LDAP, SAML).

- Authentication: Verifying the identity of a user.
- Authorization: Determining what actions a user is allowed to perform.
- Users: Individual accounts that can access Qlik Sense.
- Groups: Collections of users for simplified management of permissions.
- Security Rules: Granular controls that define access to resources (apps, streams, objects) and actions (read, export, publish) based on user attributes, groups, and context.
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): Security model where access decisions are based on attributes of the user, resource, and environment.
- Sections Access: Mechanism within Qlik Sense applications to control data visibility for different user groups (data reduction).
- Audit Logging: Recording system events, including security-related actions, for monitoring and troubleshooting.
- Identity Provider (IdP): System that manages and authenticates user identities (e.g., Active Directory, Okta).
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Allowing users to log in once and access multiple applications without re-authenticating.
- SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language): An XML-based open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, particularly between an identity provider and a service provider.  
- LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol): A protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services.  
- Active Directory (AD): Microsoft's directory service used for managing users, groups, and other network objects.
- Claims: Pieces of information about a user that are asserted by an identity provider.

IV. Content Management (Approx. 15-20%)

- Importing and exporting Qlik Sense applications.
- Managing streams and apps within the QMC.
- Publishing and unpublishing applications.
- Managing application reloads and schedules.
- Understanding application lifecycle management.
- Version control concepts for Qlik Sense applications.

- QVF: File extension for Qlik Sense applications.
- Export: Creating a package of a Qlik Sense application (including data and metadata).
- Import: Loading a Qlik Sense application package into the environment.
- Stream: A container in the QMC used to organize and control access to published applications.
- App: A Qlik Sense document containing data connections, data models, and visualizations.
- Publish: Making an application available to authorized users through a specific stream.
- Unpublish: Removing a published application from a stream, making it unavailable to users.
- Reload: The process of refreshing the data in a Qlik Sense application from its data sources.
- Schedule: Configuring automated reloads of Qlik Sense applications at specific times or intervals.
- Task: An object in the QMC that defines a specific operation, such as a reload or an export.
- Chained App Reload: Configuring one app reload to trigger another app reload upon completion.
- Application Lifecycle Management (ALM): Processes and tools used to manage the development, testing, and deployment of Qlik Sense applications.
- Version Control: System for tracking changes to Qlik Sense applications over time.

V. System Monitoring and Troubleshooting (Approx. 15-20%)

- Monitoring the health and performance of Qlik Sense services.
- Reviewing system logs.
- Identifying and resolving common issues.
- Performing basic performance tuning.
- Utilizing monitoring tools within Qlik Sense and external tools.
- Understanding alert mechanisms.

- Qlik Management Console (QMC): Provides monitoring dashboards and log viewers.
- Qlik Sense Monitor: Dedicated application for real-time monitoring of Qlik Sense services.
- Service Status: Indicator of the operational state of each Qlik Sense service.
- System Logs: Records of events and activities within the Qlik Sense environment (e.g., Engine logs, Proxy logs, Repository logs).
- Performance Counters: Metrics that provide insights into system resource utilization (e.g., CPU, memory, disk I/O).
- Troubleshooting: The process of identifying and resolving problems.
- Error Messages: Indications of issues or failures within the system.
- Alerts: Notifications triggered by specific system events or performance thresholds.
- Performance Tuning: Optimizing system configurations and application design to improve responsiveness and efficiency.
- Session Monitoring: Tracking active user sessions and their resource consumption.
- Task Monitoring: Reviewing the status and logs of scheduled and on-demand tasks.

VI. Upgrading and Patching (Approx. 5-10%)

- Understanding the Qlik Sense upgrade process.
- Planning and preparing for upgrades.
- Performing in-place and side-by-side upgrades.
- Applying patches and hotfixes.
- Rolling back upgrades (if necessary).

- In-Place Upgrade: Upgrading the existing Qlik Sense installation to a newer version.
- Side-by-Side Upgrade: Installing a new Qlik Sense environment alongside the existing one and migrating content.
- Patch: A software update that addresses specific issues or vulnerabilities.
- Hotfix: A small, targeted update to address a critical issue.
- Upgrade Checklist: A list of steps to perform before, during, and after an upgrade.
- Backup: Creating copies of Qlik Sense configuration and application files before performing any upgrades or changes.
- Rollback: Reverting the Qlik Sense environment to a previous state.