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What CompTIA Data+ covers and who it fits, as of October 2026. This guide walks through the current DA0-002 exam, the five domains and their weights, the exam format and passing score, what happened to DA0-001, how renewal works, the analyst jobs Data+ lines up with, and how it compares to DataSys+ and Microsoft PL-300.
CompTIA Data+ is the vendor-neutral data analytics certification, first introduced in 2022, that validates the ability to acquire, clean, analyze, visualize and govern data so an organization can make decisions from it.
It’s aimed at early-career analysts and at people whose jobs have slowly turned into data jobs. The exam doesn’t care whether you work in Excel, Power BI, Tableau or Python. It asks whether you can pull the right data, spot what’s wrong with it, pick a sensible statistical method, and present the result in a way the person reading it will understand.
Data+ is ANAB-accredited under ISO/IEC 17024 and mapped to the NICE Framework Data Analyst (IO-WRL-001) work role. It has no formal prerequisites, though CompTIA recommends 18 to 24 months in a data analyst or similar role. The certification is issued and maintained by CompTIA, which launched the current DA0-002 version on October 14, 2025.
Data types, sources, infrastructure, tools and AI concepts. 20% of the exam.
Querying and combining data, then finding and fixing what’s wrong with it.
Statistical methods and explaining results to the right audience. The heaviest domain at 24%.
Charts, dashboards, report delivery and fixing reports that break.
Compliance, privacy and quality assurance. The lightest domain at 14%.
Four things that separate Data+ from the product badges analysts usually collect, as of the DA0-002 version.
Data+ tests the thinking behind the tools rather than one vendor’s menus. The DA0-002 objectives name Power BI, Tableau, Looker, pandas and tidyverse only as examples, and the questions ask what you would do with the data, whatever software holds it. The exam is ANAB-accredited under ISO/IEC 17024.
CompTIA recommends 18 to 24 months in a data analyst or similar role before you sit it. The exam assumes you have written a join, chased down a duplicate record, and explained a chart to someone who didn’t ask about the method.
The October 2025 DA0-002 release added generative AI and large language models, IDEs like RStudio and VS Code, regular expressions, and cloud provider and infrastructure concepts. The domain breakdown below shows what each area is worth.
CompTIA maps Data+ to the Data Analyst work role (IO-WRL-001) in the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity published by NIST. That gives hiring managers and training teams a standard role definition to line the credential up against.
Renewal is lighter than most CompTIA certifications, at 20 CEUs and a $75 fee every three years. Current exam details are published on CompTIA’s Data+ certification page.
The certification, the DA0-002 exam, and how to keep Data+ active, as of October 2026.
Data+ is a starting credential for analysts. The three below are the logical next steps, and each one pulls your career in a different direction. None requires Data+ formally, but all three assume you can already query, clean and report on data.
For analysts who end up owning the database instead of querying it. DataSys+ covers deployment, maintenance, security, business continuity and data integration. The new DS0-002 version launched October 13, 2026, and CompTIA recommends 2 to 3 years of hands-on DBA experience.
If your organization runs on Power BI, PL-300 shows you can prepare, model and visualize data in it, with Power Query and DAX. The exam runs 100 minutes, and Microsoft renews it every 12 months through a free online assessment. It pairs well with Data+, because one covers a single tool in depth and the other covers the method behind any tool.
CompTIA’s expert-level data credential, formerly called DataX. The DY0-001 exam covers statistics, modeling, machine learning and data science operations over 165 minutes, and CompTIA recommends 5 or more years in data science. For most Data+ holders it’s a long-range target.
Data+ is the analyst rung in CompTIA’s data lineup. It builds on hands-on experience rather than on another certification, and from there the path splits toward database work, vendor BI tools, or data science.
The analyst groundwork
The vendor-neutral base
Pick your path
Two questions to answer before you commit: can you sit it, and should you pursue Data+ specifically. Here’s a straight answer to both.
No prerequisites, no application.
Data+ has no formal prerequisites. You can buy a voucher and book DA0-002 without holding another certification or documenting work history. That makes it a realistic first credential for someone moving into data work from IT, finance, operations or marketing.
18 to 24 months is CompTIA’s number.
CompTIA recommends 18 to 24 months in a data analyst or similar role, and the scenario questions show why. If you have never written a SQL join or cleaned up a messy export, spend a few months doing that at work or with public data sets before you book the exam.
Data+ lines up with the analyst and reporting roles that turn raw data into decisions. CompTIA maps it to the NICE Framework Data Analyst work role, and the same skills carry into BI, reporting and governance work.
The role Data+ is built around, and the one CompTIA maps it to in the NICE Framework (Data Analyst, IO-WRL-001). Pulls data from databases and files, cleans it, runs the numbers, and turns the results into something a manager can act on.
Builds and maintains the dashboards and self-service reports that teams check every morning. Much of the day is spent in tools like Power BI, Tableau or Looker, which the DA0-002 objectives name as examples.
Owns recurring and ad hoc reports, checks that the numbers reconcile, and tracks down the stale data, broken filters and slow refreshes that Domain 4.0 asks you to troubleshoot.
Sits between stakeholders and the data. Gathers requirements, defines KPIs, and decides how much detail an executive needs compared with an individual contributor, which is close to how objective 3.1 is written.
Profiles data sets, sets up quality checks, and documents lineage and data dictionaries. Governance is the smallest exam domain at 14 percent, but in this job it becomes most of the work.
Not an entry role for most new Data+ holders. CompTIA lists data scientist as a direction once experience builds, and its DataAI certification, which recommends five or more years in data science, is the credential at that level.
Two CompTIA credentials and one Microsoft exam that analysts weigh against Data+. They overlap less than the names suggest.
| Data+ | DataSys+ | PL-300 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer | CompTIA | CompTIA | Microsoft |
| Focus | Data analysis and reporting | Database administration | Power BI modeling and reports |
| Vendor Scope | Vendor-neutral | Vendor-neutral | Microsoft Power BI |
| Prerequisites | None (rec. 18 to 24 months as an analyst) | None listed (rec. 2 to 3 years as a DBA) | None listed (Power Query and DAX expected) |
| Exam Format | 1 exam, up to 90 items, 90 min | 1 exam (DS0-002), up to 90 items, 90 min | 1 exam, 100 min |
| Passing Score | 675 of 900 | 700 of 900 | 700 or higher |
| Renewal | 3 years, 20 CEUs and $75 fee | 3 years, 30 CEUs and $150 fee | Every 12 months, free online assessment |
| Best For | Early-career data analysts | Working database administrators | Analysts who build in Power BI |
Details reflect CompTIA’s Data+ and DataSys+ pages and Microsoft Learn’s PL-300 page as of October 2026. DataSys+ V2 (DS0-002) launched October 13, 2026, and the older DS0-001 stays available in English until April 16, 2027.
Certification Matchups: the published facts, strengths and weak spots of 33 certifications, side by side.
Our CompTIA Data+ boot camp covers all five DA0-002 domains in four days of live, instructor-led training, in person or online. Official CompTIA courseware, hands-on labs, practice questions and your exam voucher are included, along with a free retake if you need one.
Career moves, renewal rules, exam costs, and the CompTIA and Microsoft certifications that sit next to Data+.
Data analytics is one of the moves this guide covers, and it names CompTIA Data+ and Microsoft PL-300 as the two credentials that show up on data job listings most often. It also lays out the SQL, BI tool and scripting skills to build first.
The CompTIA certifications that can follow Security+, including where Data+ and DataSys+ fit for people who work with security metrics and the databases behind them.
How continuing education works across the major certification bodies, including the CompTIA rule that matters for Data+, which sits outside the renewal hierarchy and renews on its own.
Where PL-300, the Power BI Data Analyst exam, ranks among the Microsoft certifications people are sitting for in 2026, next to the Azure, security and AI exams.
The Microsoft data analyst path in context: PL-300 for Power BI roles, DP-900 for data fundamentals, and DP-600 for analytics work in Microsoft Fabric.
CompTIA voucher pricing after the June 2026 increase, plus the academic pricing, employer reimbursement and military routes that cut what you pay out of pocket.
How to read a CompTIA exam objectives PDF, what the “given a scenario” wording tells you about question depth, and how to turn domain weights into a study plan.
The DA0-002 exam is organized into five domains, each carrying its own weight. Data Analysis is the heaviest at 24 percent and Data Governance the lightest at 14 percent, but the spread is narrow, so no domain is safe to skip. Click any domain for what it covers.
Database types, structured and semi-structured data, file formats like .csv and .json, and data types down to varchar and UUID. It also covers data sources (APIs, logs, lakes, warehouses, marts), cloud and storage concepts, common tools from RStudio to Power BI, and AI concepts, an area CompTIA added in V2, from generative AI and LLMs to NLP and robotic process automation.
Getting data in and making it usable. SQL joins, unions, grouping and nested queries, basic query optimization with indexing and temporary tables, ETL versus ELT, and sampling. Then the cleanup work, which means spotting missing values, duplicates and outliers and fixing them with parsing, imputation, standardization, RegEx and derived fields.
The heaviest domain. Choosing descriptive, inferential, predictive or prescriptive methods, applying measures of central tendency and dispersion, and matching the communication approach to the audience, a C-suite reader versus an individual contributor. It also covers troubleshooting connectivity problems, corrupted data and basic SQL errors.
Choosing charts, maps, pivot tables and infographics, applying labels, legends and color schemes, and delivering results as dashboards, executive summaries or self-service portals. Expect scenario questions on slow refreshes, filters that don’t work and stale data, plus the validation techniques that catch them.
The lightest domain, but it’s where the compliance and privacy questions live. Data dictionaries and lineage, retention rules, GDPR and PCI DSS, role-based access, encryption, masking and anonymization, and quality assurance through profiling, user acceptance testing and monitoring for data drift.
Domains and weights reflect the CompTIA Data+ DA0-002 (V2) exam objectives, document version 2.0, for the exam launched October 14, 2025. CompTIA estimates V2 will retire around 2028.
The questions candidates ask most often when researching the CompTIA Data+ certification.
CompTIA Data+ is a vendor-neutral, early-career data analytics certification. It validates that you can acquire and clean data, apply basic statistics, build visualizations and reports, and follow data governance and quality practices. CompTIA maps it to the NICE Framework Data Analyst work role (IO-WRL-001), and it’s accredited by ANAB under ISO/IEC 17024.
The current exam is DA0-002, also called V2, which CompTIA launched on October 14, 2025. It replaced DA0-001, which retired in English on April 14, 2026, with the Japanese and Thai versions kept available until July 16, 2026. V2 added generative AI, integrated development environments, regular expressions and cloud infrastructure topics. CompTIA estimates V2 will retire around 2028.
No. Data+ has no formal prerequisites, so anyone can register for DA0-002. CompTIA recommends 18 to 24 months in a data analyst or similar role, with exposure to databases, analytical tools, basic statistics and data visualization. You can book the exam without it, but the scenario questions are written for people who have done the work.
DA0-002 has a maximum of 90 questions and a 90-minute time limit, with a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions. You need a scaled score of 675 on a scale of 100 to 900 to pass. The exam is offered in English and Japanese through Pearson VUE, at a test center or online through OnVUE.
Under DA0-002 the five domains are Data Concepts and Environments (20 percent), Data Acquisition and Preparation (22 percent), Data Analysis (24 percent), Visualization and Reporting (20 percent), and Data Governance (14 percent). Data Analysis is the heaviest single domain, and Domains 2.0 through 4.0 together carry 66 percent of the exam.
As of October 2026, a Data+ exam voucher costs $264 at CompTIA’s US store, and the voucher with Retake Assurance costs $344. Prices vary by country. Training Camp’s Data+ boot camp and its self-paced bundle both include the exam voucher in the course price.
Data+ fits entry-level and early-career roles such as Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Reporting Analyst, Business Analyst and Data Quality Analyst. CompTIA positions it for entry-level data analyst jobs and lists data scientist, IT manager and project manager as directions to grow into with experience.
Yes. CompTIA states that Data+ is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to the ISO/IEC 17024 standard, which sets the rules for how certification programs are developed and maintained. CompTIA also maps it to the NICE Framework Data Analyst (IO-WRL-001) work role.
Data+ is valid for three years from your pass date. You renew through CompTIA’s Continuing Education program by earning 20 continuing education units and paying the $75 CE fee for the three-year cycle, or by passing the latest version of the exam. Some CompTIA certifications renew automatically when you earn a higher-level one. Data+ is not one of them.
Data+ is CompTIA’s vendor-neutral data analytics certification. DataSys+ is CompTIA’s database administration certification, with the DS0-002 version launched on October 13, 2026 and 2 to 3 years of DBA experience recommended. PL-300 is Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst Associate exam, which tests one product in depth and renews every 12 months through a free online assessment.
You need to read and reason about basic SQL. Objective 2.1 covers joins, unions, filtering, grouping, aggregation and nested queries, and objective 3.3 includes troubleshooting basic SQL code. Python, R, SAS and Scala appear in objective 1.4 as tools to identify, so expect to know what they’re used for rather than write programs in them.
It depends on where you want the work to go. DataSys+ moves you toward database administration, PL-300 adds depth in Power BI if your organization runs on it, and CompTIA DataAI (formerly DataX) is the expert-level data science credential, with 5 or more years of experience recommended. Most people need several years of analyst work before DataAI makes sense.
Data+ is built for early-career analysts, and CompTIA calls it a realistic challenge for new data analysts. The difficulty sits in application. Nine of the 18 objectives start with “Given a scenario” or “Given a set of requirements,” including every objective in Domains 2.0 through 4.0. Memorizing chart types won’t carry you. Candidates who have cleaned real data sets and built real reports tend to find the scenarios familiar.
For early-career analysts and people moving into data work from IT or business roles, yes. Data+ shows the core analyst skills without tying you to one vendor’s tools, and the DA0-002 version is current through an estimated 2028. It’s less useful if you already have years of analyst experience, or if your employer standardizes on Power BI and asks for PL-300 by name.
Whether you’re weighing the certification, working out funding, or planning training for an analytics team, tell us where you are and we’ll help you map out the right path.