Master high‑stakes data centre design, validation & project execution

The Certified Data Centre Expert (CDCE®) is an intensive five‑day advanced program that prepares participants to analyse business cases, validate mission‑critical data centre designs, and evaluate project implementation plans on a technical and operational level.

Building on the CDCP® and CDCS® certifications, this expert‑level training develops the competencies required to design, audit, and validate complex data centre infrastructures.
Participants learn how to conduct design reviews, evaluate equipment, perform compliance audits, create test scripts, and carry out integrated performance and validation testing — all essential skills for ensuring high‑availability and high‑resilience data centre environments.

Upon passing the exam, participants join the industry’s elite group of certified data centre design professionals.

After completing the course, you will be able to:

• Select the optimal site for mission‑critical data centres based on current and future requirements
• Understand and position all components that contribute to high availability
• Explain data centre design lifecycle stages and project execution phases
• Analyse a business case and develop a project brief aligned with resilience, site selection and design requirements
• Review preliminary and final design documents and audit compliance with TIA standards
• Interpret electrical Single Line Diagrams (SLD) and identify common design flaws
• Evaluate technical specifications vs. functional requirements for equipment suitability
• Align equipment specifications to design constraints (space, cooling capacity, power quality, redundancy levels, tier requirements)
• Develop IET (Individual Equipment Test) and IPVT (Integrated Performance Validation Test) plans
• Define handover guidelines covering architectural, mechanical, electrical and IT components
• Prepare decommissioning and retirement plans for ageing facilities

Course Modules

Module 1 – Data Centre Life Cycle

• Lifecycle stages and phases
• Exercise: Stage/Phase/Milestone/Document mapping

Module 2 – Design Preparation

• Creating the Statement of Need (SON)
• Technology reviews
• Conceptual sizing for rooms, facilities and incoming power
• Exercises: Sizing building space and electrical power
• Assessing existing capacity
• Evaluating investment options
• Site selection / permits & approvals
• Exercise: Site evaluation
• Conceptual design, budgeting & timelines
• Business case development
• Delivery structure & project management models
• Project manager roles & responsibilities

Module 3 – Design Planning

• OSRA – Operational Systems Requirement Analysis
• TFRA – Technical Facilities Requirement Analysis
• Operations & maintenance review
• RFP processes
• Vendor selection

Module 4 – Design Development

• Project planning & design development
• PDR – Preliminary Design Review
• Equipment selection
• FDR/V – Final Design Review & Validation
• Exercise: Full design validation (power, cooling, floor plans, fire suppression)
• Design freeze & LLTI
• Construction documentation
• BOM/BOQ creation
• Exercise: Equipment selection

Module 5 – Acquire

• Purchase order specifications
• Shipping terms & logistics
• FWT/FAT – Factory Witness / Factory Acceptance Test
• Sequencing & handling
• Incoming goods inspection
• Asset management

Module 6 – Construct

• Temporary essential services
• Building erection
• Permanent essential services
• Building inspections
• Snag list creation
• COF – Certificate of Fitness

Module 7 – Fit‑Out

• Fit‑out processes
• Builders cleaning
• As‑Built documentation

Module 8 – Test & Commissioning

• IET – Individual Equipment Test
• IPVT/IST – Integrated Performance Verification / System Test
• Common mistakes in testing
• Deep cleaning
• Exercise: IET/IPVT scripting

Module 9 – Hand‑Over

• Handover documentation and requirements
• PCC – Practical Completion Certificate
• DLP – Defect Liability Period
• Defect management
• ICT systems installation & testing
• Handover / DLP expiry
• FCC – Final Completion Certificate

Module 10 – Retirement

• Definition & reasons for retirement
• Business case & project planning
• Sequencing
• Transfer of site
• Site demolition
• Legal considerations
• FCC – Final Completion Certificate

Target Audience

This course is ideal for:

• IT professionals involved in high‑availability environments
• Data centre designers & infrastructure engineers
• Facilities and operations professionals
• Consultants and solution architects
• Professionals involved in the design/build, upgrade or relocation of mission‑critical data centres

Prerequisites

• A valid CDCS® certificate is required to register

Course Language & Exam Information

• Spoken Language: English
• Course Materials: English
• Exam Language: English

Exam Details

• Format: 90‑minute closed‑book exam
• Questions: 60 multiple‑choice questions
• Passing Score: 42 correct answers
• Delivery: online (results immediate) or paper‑based (results within one week)