Starburst Certified Practitioner exam guide
Introduction
The Starburst Practitioner exam validates an individual's foundational understanding of Starburst's platforms, architecture, and features. It also allows individuals to demonstrate their knowledge of the big data ecosystem, including the unique way Starburst fits within it.
Suggested preparation
The following self-paced, free courses are available online through Starburst Academy. Completing them is the best way to get ready for the exam.
Starburst Fundamentals
This course provides the foundational knowledge you need to understand Starburst data lake analytics platforms. You’ll explore the challenges organizations face and how Starburst platforms and their features allow organizations to solve them.
Data Fundamentals
This collection of courses provides a conceptual and contextual background to help you understand how Starburst fits inside big data ecosystems. You’ll learn about technologies like data lakes, data lakehouses, data products, and data warehouses and understand how Starburst Galaxy and Starburst Enterprise provide an innovative data lake analytics platform.
Learn basic SQL using Starburst Galaxy
This tutorial briefly introduces SQL, the query language used by Starburst. Concrete examples are provided throughout the tutorial to solidify syntax and encourage you to “learn by doing.”
Note: Some courses include knowledge checks that assist in learning and preparation for certification. Additional study resources are available via Starburst documentation.
Response Format
Certification candidates will generally complete a statement or answer a question by selecting from four (4) or more potential answers. The exam includes distractors and wrong answers considered plausible responses relevant to the content area and that certification candidates with incomplete knowledge or skill may choose.
This exam uses the following test-item formats:
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- Multiple choice: Examinee selects one option that best answers the question or completes a statement.
- Multiple responses: Examinee selects multiple options that best answer the question or complete a statement.
- True/False: Examinee reads the statement or question and selects "true" or "false" depending on the correct option.
Note: This exam blueprint includes weighting, test objectives, and example content. Examples of topics and concepts are included to clarify the test objectives but do not represent a comprehensive list of all content included in this exam.
Exam Content Information & Limits:
The exam will consist of forty (40) questions derived from the two domains listed below. The question bank includes more than forty questions, so each time you attempt the exam you will be presented with different questions from your previous exam(s). The question weighting will remain consistent for all your attempts.
Domain 1.0: Starburst Foundations – 50% of the exam will be derived from this section
Content may include the following topics:
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- Starburst fundamentals
- Starburst platforms
- Starburst architecture
- Starburst connectors
- Parallel Processing
- Cluster performance
- SQL and parallelization
- Aggregation
- Conditional statements
- Starburst features tutorials
- Starburst Warp Speed
- Fault-tolerant execution
- Data federation
- Cluster scaling
- Data products
- Role-based access control
- Attribute-based access control
- Schema discovery
- Universal search
- Starburst fundamentals
Domain 2.0: Data Foundations – 50% of the exam will be derived from this section
Content may include the following topics:
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- Databases
- Relational databases
- Non-relational databases
- Database management systems (DBMS)
- Data Warehouses
- Schema definition
- Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
- Row-oriented and column-oriented file formats
- Data Lakes
- Data structure
- Schema-on-read
- Cloud object storage
- Metadata
- Table formats
- File formats
- Starburst data lake analytics platform
- Data Lakehouses
- Modern table formats
- Hive vs. Iceberg
- Data lakehouse features
- Data Pipelines
- ETL
- Data pipelines and data lakes
- Data pipelines and Starburst
- Data pipeline automation
- Data Products
- Curated datasets
- Data-as-a-product
- Data products and data pipelines
- Data products and Starburst
- Basic SQL
- Data definition language (DDL)
- SQL syntax
- SQL joins
- Databases
Frequently Asked Questions
Before the exam
Should I disable my web browser pop-up blocker? What will happen if I don't?
In order to immediately receive your score upon submitting your exam, you must disable the pop-up blocker. If you don't disable your pop-up blocker, your score will not be provided on the screen. Instead, you will only receive the score via email. If you choose to disable pop-up blockers, please find the instructions below for Chrome and Safari.
Chrome:
- At the top right of your browser, click the three vertical dots for the "Customize and control Google Chrome" commands
- Select Settings.
- From the Settings menu, select Privacy and Security.
- Select Site Settings.
- Scroll down. Select Pop-ups and redirects.
- Under "Default behavior," select Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects. Alternatively, under "Customized behaviors," add "https://academy.starburst.io/starburst-practitioner-certification-exam" as a url Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects.
Safari
- Please visit https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/block-pop-ups-sfri40696/mac for the most up to date instructions.
Why get Starburst Certified?
By getting Starburst Certified, you validate your Starburst knowledge. You broaden your professional network by displaying your Starburst digital credential on LinkedIn. You showcase your skill set by adding your Starburst-certified logo to your email signature or website.
How much does taking the Starburst Certified Practitioner exam cost?
The Starburst Data Certified Practitioner exam costs $49.00 USD.
What is the Starburst Data Certified Practitioner exam format?
The exam consists of forty (40) multiple-choice, multiple-response, and true/false test questions.
How much time do I have to take the Starburst Certified Practitioner exam?
Certification candidates will have one hour to take the Starburst Certified Practitioner exam.
Is the purchase of Starburst training classes required before attempting the Starburst Certified Practitioner exam?
Starburst classes are not mandatory. However, we strongly suggest you take advantage of the several free training options available on academy.starburst.io. These will serve as excellent resources to help you prepare for your exam.
Can I take a Starburst Certification exam on a mobile device?
Starburst Certification exams can be taken on macOS or Windows. At this time, we do not advise taking Starburst Certification exams on mobile devices.
Do I need to take my exam immediately?
Your exam will remain available for fourteen (14) days after registering. After this period, you will lose access. We advise you complete your preparations prior to registering.
Can I get an exam refund?
All sales are final. If you have any questions, please email certification@starburstdata.com.
During the exam
How many questions will I be asked during the Starburst Certified Practitioner exam?
The Starburst Certified Practitioner exam consists of forty (40) test questions.
How do I receive my exam scores?
Your exam scores will be emailed to you after the exam. However, if you would like to receive your score immediately on screen, please ensure that pop-ups are enabled in your browser.
How many questions do I need to answer correctly to pass?
You must get thirty (30) test questions correct to pass.
Can I mark questions for review and return to them during the exam?
Yes. Candidates can highlight or select questions and return to them at the end of the exam.
After the exam
When I pass the exam, what happens next?
Individuals who pass the exam will receive a digital badge and an invitation to the exclusive Starburst Certified Professional LinkedIn group. The badge will be emailed to the email address used to register for the exam.
If you don't receive your badge, please check your spam folder. If the badge is not in your spam folder, please email: certification@starburstdata.com.
What happens if I don't pass the exam?
Individuals who fail to pass the exam will be eligible to retake the exam after a fourteen (14) day waiting period between exam attempts. Certification candidates must pay the full fee of $49.00 for each new exam attempt.
How long is the Starburst Certified Practitioner certification valid?
The Starburst Certified Practitioner certification is valid for three years.
Are more Starburst certification exams being developed?
Yes! More exams will be coming out this year. Make sure to check back here regularly!
Where can I view Starburst's legal terms and conditions for certification?
Starburst's Certification Candidate Agreement can be found here.
Sample test questions
Q1. What advantages do data lakes offer when compared to data warehouses?
- Data lakes are faster than data warehouses but are less secure.
- Data lakes allow data storage and processing from multiple sources in multiple data formats.
- Data lakes are faster and more efficient than data warehouses and offer more security features.
- Data lakes do not provide any advantages over data warehouses.
Q2. When is the structure of the data in a data warehouse determined?
- Before the data warehouse is built.
- Data structure within a data warehouse can be determined anytime because of the flexibility of data warehouse technology.
- Data in a data warehouse is unstructured and, as such, is not organized.
- Data structure can vary in a data warehouse.
Q3. What is the difference between a table format and a file format?
- A table format specifies how a schema is enacted when recorded as actual files; a file format controls how each individual file stores the data inside it.
- A table format controls how each individual file stores the data inside it; a file format specifies how a schema is enacted when recorded as actual files.
- A table format is only used for structured data and, for this reason, is only deployed in data warehouses; a file format is used in both data lakes and data lakehouses.
- A table format is only used for unstructured data and, for this reason, is only deployed in data lakes; a file format is used in data lakehouses.
Q4. When data from disparate data sources is combined, it is called data virtualization or data federation.
- True
- False
Answers