8 Must-Have Data Management Certifications for Career Growth

The global enterprise data management market is predicted to hit $221.58 billion by 2030, up from $99.31 billion in 2023, driven by the strong emphasis that organizations put on data security and their increased use of quality data management tools.

Consequently, enterprises need data management professionals to help them gather, organize, secure, and store their data so they can analyze it to make more informed business decisions — all in all, it means that becoming a master data management professional is a great career choice.

So, if you’re looking to land your first job in data management or you want to boost your skills to advance your career, obtaining a certification can help you achieve your goals.

Since there are so many options, we’ve compiled a list of the top eight data management certifications to help you determine which one fits best with your data management career path.

8 Best Data Management Certifications

Certified Data Management Professional
Certified Information Professional
Certified Information Management Professional
Certified Business Intelligence Professional
Certified Analytics Professional
Certified Clinical Data Manager
Certified Data Management Expert
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate

Certified Data Management Professional

DAMA International offers the Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) certification, which is recognized worldwide. This certification validates your expertise in various data management disciplines, including compliance, data governance certification, data warehousing, data quality, and business intelligence. The CDMP certification demonstrates your proficiency in understanding, designing, and implementing data management tools.

The certification program offers four certification levels: associate, practitioner, master, and fellow, each with its requirements. To earn the base level certification, the CDMP associate certification, DAMA recommends that you have at least six months to five years of data management or industry experience.

Certified Information Professional

Offered by the Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM), the Certified Information Professional (CIP) certification focuses on data management, data protection, and information governance. This certification validates that you can manage and govern information as an asset within an enterprise. The certification covers several aspects of information management, such as risk management, compliance, and data governance. The CIP certification is recognized worldwide.

The CIP credential demonstrates that you can create, capture, and share information, extract insights from that data, digitize data-intensive processes, automate governance and compliance, and implement a management strategy. To obtain a CIP credential, you must take a proctored online exam. Although there aren’t any experience or training requirements to take the exam, AIIM recommends having five or more years’ experience in at least one of the exam’s major domains.

Cost: $450

Certified Information Management Professional

The Certified Information Management Professional (CIMP) certification program from eLearningCurve aims to provide professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to manage their organizations’ data effectively.

The CIMP certification program provides comprehensive training on the principles and processes of effective information management, including information security, data governance, data storage, data analysis, and more. This certification program is designed to help you demonstrate your expertise in the information management field. The CIMP is offered in the following tracks: data governance, data quality, master data management, and metadata management.

Cost: Varies based on the track you choose. For example, the CIMP data quality package that includes the five data management courses and five exams necessary (20 hours of education) to earn the CIMP designation in data quality is $2,095.

Certified Business Intelligence Professional

The Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) certification from TDWI is a professional certification program designed to help data professionals demonstrate their expertise in data warehousing and business intelligence.

This certification is for senior professionals in the information technology/information systems industry. The focus of the CBIP certification is on data management and business analytics. It is a comprehensive certification program that validates data professionals’ knowledge on such topics as data analysis, data modeling, data warehousing, data governance, and more.

The CBIP certification ensures that data professionals know the principles and practices of data warehousing and business intelligence.

To earn the CBIP credential, you must pass three data management courses: the data foundations exam, the business core exam or the information systems core exam, and at least one specialty area exam.

TDWI recommends – but does not require – that you have two or more years of full-time direct experience in:

Information systems
Analytics, data science
Data modeling
Requirements
Metadata systems development
Enterprise resource planning
Systems analysis
Application design and development
Information technology management

TDWI also recommends having a bachelor’s or master’s degree in any of the following:

Information systems
Computer science
Accounting, analytics
Business administration
Engineering, mathematics
Sciences
Statistics

Cost: The cost of each proctored exam is $400 (for TDWI members and free members)

Certified Analytics Professional

Offered by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), the Certified Analytics Professional certification verifies that you have the technical and soft skills sought by organizations. The CAP certification is appropriate for analytics professionals, including data managers working with data-driven insights and analytics.

You’re eligible to earn this certification if you have a bachelor’s degree and five years experience working in a related area, a master’s degree and three years experience in a related area, or seven years experience with any degree in an unrelated analytics area. You must also master “soft skills,” pledge to adhere to the CAP Code of Ethics and pass the CAP exam.

Cost: $495 – INFORMS members; $695 – non-members

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Certified Clinical Data Manager

The Certified Clinical Data Manager certification offered by the Society for Clinical Data Management aims to recognize clinical data professionals’ expertise in the data management field. The CCDM certification demonstrates your expertise in data collection, quality, and integrity within clinical trials. The certification process includes an exam that covers the principles and practices of clinical data management. It also requires you to have at least two years of experience in clinical data management. The CCDM is best if you’re looking to find data management jobs in clinical research data management.

Applicants for this certification must meet one of the following criteria:

Bachelor’s degree or higher and at least two years as a full-time clinical data manager.
Associate’s degree and at least three years as a full-time clinical data manager.
Four or more years as a full-time clinical data manager.
Part-time work experience equals or exceeds the full-time equivalent in the above criteria.

Cost: Varies based on income levels

Certified Data Management Expert

The Certified Data Management Expert (CDME) certification is an industry-recognized certification program offered by the Global Association for Quality Management. It is designed to provide professionals with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage data in various organizations.

The program covers such topics as data governance, data quality, metadata modeling, data governance, business intelligence, big data, data ethics and compliance, and more. The CDME enables you to improve and formalize your data management skills to enhance your career goals. The CDME certification is issued to candidates who qualify based on a combination of criteria, including experience, education, and exam results.

Cost: $200

Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate certification validates your skills in managing data engineering workloads on Microsoft Azure. This certification covers such areas as data storage, data security, data analysis, data processing, and data visualization.

You must demonstrate that you understand these topics and your ability to design and implement Azure data solutions. As a candidate for this certification, you must understand data processing languages, including Python, SQL, and Scala.

Passing this exam validates that you can design and deploy data storage, along with securing, monitoring, and optimizing data storage and data processing. Once you’re certified, you can manage data in Azure, create databases, develop data pipelines, and implement data security.

Cost: $165

The Bottom Line

Earning a data management certification provides several benefits. It demonstrates your commitment to the field and proves your knowledge and experience.

It can open up opportunities for higher salaries, career growth, and more job security. It also provides a way to stay current on data management best practices, ensuring that you can handle complex tasks confidently and efficiently.

Additionally, many employers look for applicants with data management certifications, so having one can help you stand out from the competition.