Cloudera Certified Associate (CCA) Data Analyst

Certification Overview

The CCA Data Analyst certification, offered by Cloudera, validates your ability to prepare, structure, and analyze data in Hadoop using SQL. You’ll use Apache Hive and Apache Impala to write queries, perform transformations, and extract insights — all on massive data sets typical in enterprise environments.

This certification is ideal for aspiring data analysts, business intelligence specialists, and data engineers working in Hadoop or Cloudera environments.

Who It’s For

• SQL analysts moving into big data environments

• Business intelligence professionals working with Hadoop ecosystems

• Data engineers or data warehouse developers

• IT professionals transitioning to cloud or distributed data systems

• Candidates working with Cloudera CDP, Hive, Impala, or HDFS

Skills Measured

You must demonstrate proficiency in the following tasks using Impala or HiveQL:

1. Data Definition Language (DDL)

• Create, alter, and drop tables/views in Hive and Impala

• Define external vs. internal tables

• Manage partitions and file formats (Parquet, ORC, Avro, Text)

2. Data Manipulation

• Load data into tables from HDFS or local files

• Use INSERT, SELECT, and JOIN statements

• Filter, aggregate, sort, and transform datasets

• Handle missing or invalid values

3. Data Transformation & Analysis

• Perform complex joins, subqueries, and window functions

• Use GROUP BY, HAVING, CASE, and string/date functions

• Optimize queries for performance and readability

• Work with nested data structures

4. Data Management on HDFS

• Understand file structures and locations

• Manage large datasets across distributed file systems

• Identify best practices for schema design and partitioning

Exam Details

• Exam Code: CCA159

• Format: Performance-based (live environment; not multiple choice)

• Duration: 120 minutes

• Number of Questions: 8–12 hands-on tasks

• Passing Score: 70%

• Cost: $295 USD

• Delivery: Remote proctored exam via browser-based environment

• Platform: Cloudera QuickStart VM or CDP (Cloudera Data Platform)

Prerequisites

• Basic to intermediate SQL skills

• Familiarity with Hadoop concepts, HDFS, and Hive/Impala

• No mandatory prerequisites, but real-world querying experience is highly recommended

Tools & Technologies Covered

• Apache Hive

• Apache Impala

• HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System)

• Hue (query editor often used in exams)

• File formats: CSV, JSON, Avro, Parquet, ORC

Benefits of the Certification

• Proves your ability to work with real-world big data systems using SQL

• Enhances your resume for roles involving data lakes, Hadoop, and distributed computing

• Offers a hands-on, performance-based credential respected in enterprise data environments

• Validates both your technical and practical ability to analyze big data

Career Paths It Supports

• Big Data Analyst

• Business Intelligence Analyst

• SQL Data Analyst

• Data Engineer (Entry level)

• Hadoop Developer

• Cloudera Platform Specialist

Preparation Resources

• Cloudera Exam Guide (CCA159)

• Practice with Cloudera VM or CDP

• Learn Hive and Impala SQL syntax

• Sample exercises using HDFS + Hive tables

• Recommended Books:

  • “Programming Hive”

  • “Learning Spark with SQL” (for broader big data context)

What’s Next After CCA?

• Cloudera Certified Professional (CCP): Data Engineer (advanced level)

• Google Cloud Certified – Professional Data Engineer

• AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty

• Apache Spark + Databricks certifications

• SQL + Python for more general data science applications