The AWS Data Analytics Cert Was Retired: Now What?

Editor's Note: In 2024, Amazon retired the AWS Certified Data Analytics Specialty certification and replaced it with AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate. This guide remains a valuable resource and now includes information about the replacement certification. 

Advanced data analytics is specialized and specific, and people who take the time to learn how to capture the data, analyze it, and process the results are highly valuable. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers dozens of tools and services to make data analytics more responsive and more powerful. They also offer a specialty certification, AWS Data Analytics, that identifies someone as an expert in AWS big data tools. Read on and learn about AWS Data Analytics and whether or not it's worth it for your career.

What was the AWS Data Analytics Certification?

AWS Data Analytics was a specialized certification owned by AWS, formerly known as AWS Certified Big Data—Specialty. It covered designing, building, securing, deploying, and maintaining analytics solutions. While some of the certification's topics apply to broad data analytics skills, the primary emphasis is testing specific knowledge of AWS services that enable, enhance, and extend data analytics capabilities.

The AWS Data Analytics cert covered five major sections of advanced big data handling and analysis. Each step of the way, the exam validated your familiarity with the dozens of AWS tools that are custom-built for each purpose. The exam presented multiple situations and environments and tests which AWS tools and services you select and how you choose to implement them in accomplishing unique objectives.

What did the AWS Data Analytics Exam Cover?

The AWS Data Analytics exam was a 180-minute, 65-question exam that covered building, deploying, and tuning data models while leveraging AWS services to streamline and scale up the entire process. The AWS Data Analytics exam had five objectives or domains:

• Domain 1: Data Collection Systems

• Domain 2: Storage and Data Management Concerns

• Domain 3: Data Processing Solutions

• Domain 4: Analysis and Visualization of Analytical Data

• Domain 5: Security of the Data Analysis System

The questions on the AWS Data Analytics exam were either multiple choice or multiple responses. Multiple choice only had one correct response, while multiple responses can have several correct options. For each domain, you were presented with hypothetical situations and challenges to develop the right data model or approach and then implement the appropriate AWS tools. 

What is Replacing the AWS Data Analytics Certification? 

In 2024, AWS introduced the AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate certification. This certification validates an individual's skills and knowledge in core data-related AWS services, focusing on the design, development, security, and maintenance of analytics solutions on AWS.

AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate certification is a direct replacement for the retired AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty certification.

While both certifications focus on data-related AWS services, the new Data Engineer certification covers core data engineering skills like designing, developing, securing, and maintaining analytics solutions using AWS technologies. It is designed for professionals with at least five years of experience working with data analytics technologies and two years of hands-on AWS experience.

Data Analytics Courses to Consider 

If you were considering the AWS Data Analytics course, don't worry—there are plenty of courses that can help you learn the skills you need to become a data analyst or grow your career. Here are a few of our favorites: 

• Data Analytics Online Training: Just getting started?  This course will teach you the basics of assembling data and performing analytics in Azure. 

• AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate Training: If you were ready to dive into AWS Data analytics but are now pivoting to the Certified Data Engineer Cert, this course will help you prepare. 

• CompTIA Data+ Course: Get familiar with data analytics with this vendor-neutral cert. Learn about data mining, data analysis, and data visualization. 

• SQL for Data Practitioners Online Training: Learn the basics of writing SQL queries, using it to answer questions in a data set, and how to manipulate databases in SQL. 

What Experience Did You Need for AWS Data Analytics?

According to AWS, you should have had at least five years of experience with data analytics technologies and two years of hands-on experience working with AWS before attempting the AWS Data Analytics exam. 

In addition to that, AWS recommended that you have extensive experience working with AWS services to design, build, secure, and maintain analytics solutions. This speaks to the dual nature of the exam mentioned earlier – it didn’t just test your abilities with data analysis but also your knowledge of choosing, implementing, and using the right AWS services for the job.

The AWS Data Analytics exam didn't have many questions about foundational knowledge in data analytics, but it built upon that knowledge. 

Who was the AWS Data Analytics Cert For?

Data analysts and scientists were the most obvious candidates for AWS Data Analytics, but it was also useful for solutions architects, data architects, and even data platform engineers. AWS Data Analytics was ideal for experienced data practitioners — and those same people should now consider the AWS Certified Data Engineer cert. 

If you're looking to specialize, learn what it takes to become a big data expert and build a strong foundation in data engineering.

The AWS Data Analytics was Worth It — Here's What to do now 

For most data-focused IT professionals, AWS Data Analytics was worth the effort to obtain. Obviously, if you didn't work with data models or didn't need to design or implement AWS services around big data, it wasn't worth the investment of time and energy. 

Now that it's gone, what are advanced professionals who need to learn more about planning data analysis solutions and the various data analytic processes to do? Its replacement, the AWS Certified Data Engineer, requires a similar skill level and experience, though it covers a slightly different set of skills. 

Check out our AWS Certified Data Engineer Certification training.