Student Help
Welcome to DVA University. This page explains how to use the student platform, access course materials, complete lessons and quizzes, prepare for examinations, and locate certificates and credentials.
Please read this page before beginning your course. Course requirements and platform settings may differ by course. When a course page, examination instruction, enrollment notice, or issued credential contains a specific requirement, follow that specific requirement.
Last updated: August 6, 2026
Important Distinction: Certification and Certificate of Completion
DVA University offers more than one type of course.
Certification Courses
A Certification Course includes certification requirements and a separate certification assessment. CDVP2.1 is a Certification Course.
- Certification Courses may include quizzes, study guides, practice examinations, instructor-led work, and a certification examination.
- Passing course quizzes or completing course lessons does not, by itself, award professional certification.
- The candidate must satisfy the applicable certification requirements and pass the certification assessment.
Certificate of Completion Courses
A Certificate of Completion course records completion of an educational course. It does not award CDVP2.1 certification unless the student separately completes the CDVP2.1 certification requirements and receives the CDVP2.1 credential.
- Certificate of Completion courses do not require a certification examination.
- They may or may not include quizzes or videos.
- They may include a Course Companion Guide instead of a certification study guide.
Important CDVP2.1 Credential Notice
CDVP2.1 credentials expire three years from the date of issue.
The expiration date is assigned when the credential is originally issued. It is not added later to a previously non-expiring CDVP2.1 credential.
Expiration does not erase the historical fact that the credential was earned. It ends the period during which the credential is recorded as current.
The required Welcome Students orientation materials state that CDVP2.1 credentials expire three years from the date of issue and recommend recertification every three years to remain current on new trends. This information is provided before the student completes the CDVP2.1 certification examination and before the credential is issued.
The complete DVA policy explains the differences between CDVP2.0 and CDVP2.1, the three-year validity period, the meaning of expiration, and the permitted use of current and expired credentials:
Review the CDVP2.0 and CDVP2.1 Credential Validity Policy
This Student Help page provides operational guidance. The Data Vault Alliance policy page provides the complete credential explanation.
What Can I Find on DVA University?
DVA University hosts courses and course materials related to Data Vault education and certification. This includes the CDVP2.1 certification course and other courses offered by DVA or an Authorized Training Organization.
Depending on the course, you may find:
- Lessons and topics;
- Instructional videos;
- Learning objectives and summaries;
- Course quizzes;
- Practice examinations;
- Study guides or Course Companion Guides;
- PDF slides and other authorized downloads; and
- Supplemental course materials.
Course downloads are available only while you are logged in and have active access to the applicable course.
How Does Enrollment Work?
Your DVA University enrollment begins after an Authorized Training Organization, course leader, or DataVaultAlliance Holdings LLC registers you for a course.
After enrollment, you normally receive one or more welcome emails containing account and access information. Your DVA University login credentials apply to this learning platform only. They do not automatically provide access to DVAUnited, Accredible, ClassMarker, or another separate platform.
Most certification course enrollments provide access for 180 days unless your enrollment materials state a different access period. Your specific enrollment record and course information determine your access period.
How Do I Access My Courses?
Log in and select the account icon or My Courses. The course dashboard displays the courses currently available to you.
If your course access has expired but your DVA University account remains active, you may still see the course name and some prior quiz information. You will not be able to open expired lessons, watch course videos, download protected course files, or retake course quizzes unless access is restored.
Do All Courses Include Quizzes, Videos, or Practice Examinations?
No. Course components vary.
Certification Courses May Include
- Practice examinations;
- Lesson quizzes;
- Full study guides;
- Instructor-led components; and
- A separate certification examination.
Certificate of Completion Courses May Include
- Videos;
- Quizzes;
- Course Companion Guides; and
- Other learning activities.
A Certificate of Completion course does not include a certification examination unless the course description expressly states that it is also part of a separate certification program.
Password and Login Help
How Do I Reset My Password?
Use the password-reset option on the DVA University login page.
Password-reset email delivery may be delayed by your email provider, corporate mail system, spam filter, or security gateway. Allow at least five minutes, then check your Inbox, Spam, Junk, and Trash folders.
Password-reset links generally expire about 24 hours after the reset request was made. The time is measured from the request, not from the time the email arrives. If the link has expired, request a new password-reset email.
I Am Not Receiving DVA University Emails. What Should I Do?
Check the following:
- Confirm that the email address in your account is correct.
- Check your Spam, Junk, and Trash folders.
- Ask your organization to allow email from dvauniversity.com.
- Ask your organization to allow messages from DanL@Mail.DVAUniversity.com.
- If you are waiting for a credential, ask your organization to allow email from accredible.com and credential.net.
- If you are waiting for a certification examination invitation, ask your organization to allow email from classmarker.com.
If you still cannot receive messages, use the DVA University Contact Us form.
I Received a Wordfence Block. Why?
Wordfence is a website security system. A temporary block may occur after repeated unsuccessful login or password-reset attempts, use of an invalid username, or simultaneous login activity from more than one device or browser session.
Common security settings include:
- Repeated password-reset requests may result in a temporary block.
- Repeated invalid login attempts may result in a temporary block.
- DVA University allows one active student login session at a time. A second login may end the earlier session or trigger a security response.
Temporary blocks commonly last about four hours, but the actual block period is determined by the security event and current website settings.
To report a block that you believe is incorrect, use the Contact Us form. Include:
- Your full name;
- Your account email address;
- The date and time of the block;
- Your time zone; and
- A screenshot or error message, when available.
Where Should I Ask Questions?
Questions About Course Content
Many course, lesson, and topic pages include a comment area. Use the comment area for questions or discussion about the educational content on that page.
Appropriate comments include:
- Questions about a lesson, topic, diagram, example, or video;
- Requests for clarification of course statements;
- Relevant observations that may help other students understand the material;
- Feedback about the educational content; and
- Constructive replies to other student questions.
Comments may be moderated before they become visible. Do not place passwords, account details, examination questions, payment information, confidential company information, or other personal or sensitive information in a public course comment.
Questions About Access, Accounts, or the Platform
Do not use a course comment to report a login problem, Wordfence block, account issue, payment issue, missing enrollment, missing credential, or other private support matter.
Use the DVA University Contact Us form.
Community Questions
DVAUnited is the separate Data Vault Alliance community. Students and practitioners may use the community for broader Data Vault discussion, subject to the membership level and community rules that apply.
Review current DVAUnited membership options
How Do Course Quizzes Work?
Quizzes are commonly placed at the end of a lesson, after the related topics and summary.
Quiz questions may be selected at random from a question bank related to the lesson. This means two attempts may not display the same questions in the same order.
Unless the quiz states otherwise, questions do not receive partial credit. A response is scored as correct or incorrect according to the answer requirements.
Course quizzes are learning and self-assessment tools. They help you identify material that you should review. If you answer a question incorrectly, return to the relevant lesson, topic, video, or course guide before trying again.
How Can I View Earlier Quiz Attempts?
Open My Courses and expand the course details. When quiz history is available, the dashboard displays recent attempts, dates, scores, and links to available results or feedback.
The platform may limit how many prior attempts are displayed. The absence of an older attempt from the dashboard does not necessarily mean that no attempt occurred.
How Do I Retake a Quiz?
Open the course, lesson, or topic containing the quiz and select the quiz again.
You may retake the quiz while:
- Your course access remains active;
- The quiz is still available; and
- You have not reached the attempt limit shown for that quiz.
The number of allowed attempts is controlled by the individual quiz configuration and may vary. Follow the attempt limit displayed by the platform for that quiz.
How Many Questions Appear on Each Quiz Page?
Quizzes normally display one question per page. This supports concentration and provides an experience that is similar to, but not the same as, a practice examination or certification examination.
What Happens When I Reach the Quiz Attempt Limit?
After you reach the maximum number of attempts displayed for a quiz, you cannot take that quiz again unless the applicable course setting or access is changed.
Where the course is configured to do so, the related lesson may be marked complete after the final allowed attempt so that you can continue through the course. Reaching an attempt limit does not mean that an incorrect answer became correct or that the quiz was passed.
How Do I Progress Through a Course?
Self-Paced Courses
Complete the available lessons, topics, videos, and quizzes at your own pace. Use the Mark Complete button when it becomes available.
Instructor-Led or Blended Courses
Your instructor, group leader, or Authorized Training Organization manages the live schedule and may control when course modules become available.
Instructor-led course portions may also include online lessons, topics, summaries, learning objectives, and quizzes. You are expected to:
- Attend the required instructor-led sessions;
- Log in to DVA University;
- Complete the associated online lessons and topics; and
- Complete the associated quizzes.
For courses that include a practice examination, completing the online requirements for instructor-led lessons may be necessary before the practice examination becomes available.
How Do I Enable a Practice Examination?
For a fully online course, complete all required online lessons, topics, videos, and quizzes.
For a blended course, complete the online requirements for both the self-paced and instructor-led portions, including any quizzes connected to the instructor-led lessons.
The platform enables the practice examination only after the required prerequisite course components are recorded as complete.
How Do I Mark a Lesson Complete?
A lesson without separate topics may display a Mark Complete button near the page heading or at the end of the lesson.
If the lesson includes a required video, the button may remain unavailable until the video plays through to the end.
If the lesson includes a required quiz, you must make the required quiz attempt before the lesson can be completed.
A lesson containing separate topics may not display its own completion button. Complete all required topics within the lesson instead.
How Do I Mark a Topic Complete?
If a topic contains a required video, play the video through to the end. The completion button becomes available after the platform records the required viewing.
If the topic contains a required quiz, complete the required quiz attempt before the topic can be marked complete.
Can I Watch a Completed Lesson or Topic Again?
Yes. While your course access remains active, you may return to completed lessons and topics and watch available videos again.
Why Does the Platform Tell Me to Complete the Previous Lesson?
Some courses use fixed progression because later material depends on earlier material. In a fixed-progression course, complete the required lessons, topics, videos, and quizzes in order.
Other courses allow free navigation. In those courses, you may move between available lessons and topics in any order.
Where Can I Find Course Downloads?
If a course includes downloads, a Downloads tab normally appears below the course progress area.
Downloads are available only while your course access remains active. Some materials may be located in a separate Supplemental Materials course.
PDF course downloads may include a watermark containing your email address. File dates may be displayed so that you can identify revised files. DVA may provide announcements about important changes, but students should also review the displayed file dates.
If an Authorized Training Organization promised additional files that are not part of the DVA-hosted course materials, request those files directly from that organization. DVA University does not necessarily host custom materials created or supplied by an Authorized Training Organization.
Are Course Slides Available?
When slides are provided, they are normally available as watermarked PDF downloads.
DVA retains applicable copyright and other rights in its course content, diagrams, slides, and related materials. Course files are provided for the enrolled student’s personal educational use. They must not be redistributed, published, uploaded, sold, copied for another person, or used outside the permission granted with the course.
To request permission to use a slide or diagram, use the Contact Us form. Identify the specific material, the proposed use, the audience, and the intended publication or presentation.
How Do I Attend My Class?
Online Course Portions
Log in to DVA University, open My Courses, select the course, and begin with the first available lesson or the lesson directed by your instructor.
Instructor-Led Course Portions
Your enrolling Authorized Training Organization or instructor provides the live-session schedule, meeting link, location, and attendance instructions.
After an instructor-led session, return to DVA University and complete the associated online lessons and quizzes required for electronic course progression.
How Do Certification Examinations Work?
This section applies only to Certification Courses, including CDVP2.1. A Certificate of Completion course does not require a certification examination.
Certification examinations are administered through ClassMarker, a separate hosted testing platform.
The organization that enrolled you is normally responsible for arranging your certification examination access:
- If an Authorized Training Organization enrolled you, contact that organization or your instructor about examination scheduling, access, and examination availability.
- If DataVaultAlliance Holdings LLC enrolled you directly, follow the instructions provided by DVA or use the DVA University Contact Us form.
When your ClassMarker access is created, you normally receive an email from ClassMarker with the applicable examination instructions.
The certification examination is separate from the practice examination. Completing or passing a practice examination does not award certification and does not guarantee a passing result on the certification examination.
CDVP2.1 Credential Validity
A CDVP2.1 credential is valid for three years from the date of issue. The issue date and expiration date are assigned as part of the original DVA-issued credential record hosted through Accredible.
For the complete policy, including the difference between historical achievement and current certification status, review:
CDVP2.0 and CDVP2.1: Separate Certifications and Credential Validity
Is Recertification Optional?
A holder may choose not to recertify and allow the credential to expire. Recertification is not required merely to preserve the historical fact that the individual earned CDVP2.1.
Recertification is required if the holder wishes to maintain current CDVP2.1 certification status after the original credential expires.
How Do I Recertify?
DVA will publish the separate CDVP2.1 recertification procedure, including eligibility, timing, fees, assessment requirements, and credential-status rules, on DataVaultAlliance.com and link to it from this page.
Until that procedure is published, do not assume that professional practice, course attendance, payment, or any other activity automatically renews a credential. A credential is renewed only through the recertification process formally established by DVA.
How Do Practice Examinations Work?
For CDVP2.1, the practice examination becomes available after the required prerequisite course work, including CDVP2.1 Part 2B, is recorded as complete.
The practice examination is embedded in the applicable DVA University examination course. You do not need to leave DVA University to take it.
Practice examinations have a countdown timer. Submit the examination before the timer expires.
Pay attention to the timer. An expired timer may end the attempt.
The Welcome Students course and New Student Experience video explain practice-examination timing, question types, submission, and result information. Review those materials before starting a practice examination.
Where Can I Find My Certificates and Credentials?
DataVaultAlliance Holdings LLC issues applicable DVA credentials and uses Accredible as its digital credential platform.
Accredible hosts, displays, verifies, and provides access to the DVA-issued credential record. The credential is normally assigned to the email address used for the course or certification registration.
Keep access to your Accredible account and use the shareable credential link when providing verification to an employer, recruiter, client, or other third party.
Learn about the Accredible credential wallet
After you pass a certification examination, the credential email is normally sent within a few minutes. Delivery may be delayed by spam filtering, security gateways, or email-system processing.
If you do not receive the message:
- Check your Spam, Junk, and Trash folders;
- Confirm that your registered email address is correct;
- Ask your organization to allow email from accredible.com and credential.net; and
- Contact the organization that enrolled you if the credential is still missing.
How Do I Make Sure My Name Is Correct?
Your credential is issued using the first and last name stored in your student profile or supplied through the certification process.
Before completing your course or examination, review your DVA University Account Profile. Enter your name exactly as you want it to appear on the credential.
If an issued credential contains a factual spelling or data error, contact the organization that enrolled you or use the DVA University Contact Us form. Include your registered email address and a link to the credential.
How Do I Receive a Certificate of Completion?
A Certificate of Completion is different from a professional certification. It records completion of the applicable educational course.
The normal process is:
- Completion: Finish the course requirements shown in DVA University.
- Verification: Your Authorized Training Organization, course leader, or DVA course administrator reviews and verifies completion.
- Issuance: After verification, the authorized issuer creates the Certificate of Completion.
- Notification: You receive an email from Accredible or Credential.net containing a link to the certificate.
- Access: Open the link to view, download, or share the certificate record.
When Will My Certificate of Completion Be Issued?
A Certificate of Completion is not necessarily issued immediately when the online course progress reaches 100 percent. The enrolling organization may need to verify attendance, live-session participation, course completion, or other applicable requirements.
Please allow three to five business days for the normal verification and issuance process.
If more than five business days have passed:
- Contact your Authorized Training Organization or course leader first; or
- If DVA enrolled you directly, use the DVA University Contact Us form.
Why Is Human Verification Used?
Course progress alone may not record every applicable requirement. Human verification allows the enrolling organization to confirm that required attendance, instructor-led work, and course-completion conditions were satisfied before the Certificate of Completion is issued.
Where Can I Find My Certificate of Completion?
After issuance, the Certificate of Completion record is hosted through Accredible.
You may access it by:
- Opening the direct link in the Accredible or Credential.net email; or
- Signing in to Accredible using the email address connected to the certificate.
The hosted Certificate of Completion record remains available after your DVA University course access expires, subject to the credential platform’s availability, account controls, and applicable policies.
Continued access to a digital record does not mean that an expiring professional certification remains current after its stated expiration date.
For CDVP2.1 certification status and credential-use rules, review the DVA CDVP2.1 Credential Validity Policy.
Where Can I Find Upcoming Courses and Events?
Use the DVA University Event Directory to find scheduled courses and events offered by Authorized Training Organizations or DVA.
View the DVA University Event Directory
Event times are normally displayed in the visitor’s local time zone. Confirm the time zone and schedule shown on the individual event before registering or attending.
How Can I Participate in the DVA Community?
DVAUnited is the official Data Vault Alliance community. It is separate from the DVA University learning platform and uses a separate account and login.
Current membership levels, access rights, prices, and any available trial offers are listed on the DVAUnited membership page. These terms may change, so rely on the current membership page rather than an older student-help description.
Updating your DVA University account does not automatically update your DVAUnited account.
What Should I Do if My Email Address Changes?
DVA University, DVAUnited, Accredible, ClassMarker, and DVA’s other business systems are separate systems. An email change in one system may not automatically update the others.
Update Your DVA University Account
Log in, open your Account Profile, and update your email address. This helps DVA and your enrolling organization use the correct address for course communication and future processing.
Update Your DVAUnited Account
If you have a DVAUnited account, log in to DVAUnited and update that profile separately.
Update an Existing Accredible Credential
Changing your email address in DVA University does not automatically change the email address attached to an existing credential hosted through Accredible.
Use Accredible’s account tools or contact the credential issuer for help connecting the credential to the correct email address.
Examination Invitations
If your email changes before a certification examination is arranged, notify the Authorized Training Organization, instructor, or DVA administrator responsible for the examination. ClassMarker invitations are sent to the address supplied during examination setup.
What Happens When My Course Access Expires?
When course access expires:
- You can no longer open the protected lessons and topics for that enrollment;
- You can no longer watch protected course videos;
- You can no longer download protected course files;
- You can no longer take or retake course quizzes; and
- Your prior progress may remain visible only while your DVA University account remains active.
If you are not actively enrolled in another course or group, DVA may delete your DVA University learning-platform account after access ends. If the account is deleted, prior course progress may not be recoverable. Course comments may remain but may be anonymized.
Deletion of the DVA University learning-platform account does not automatically delete or change records held in separate systems, including:
- The DVA customer or contact-management system;
- Accredible credential records;
- DVAUnited community accounts; or
- Records retained for administrative, contractual, legal, security, or credential-verification purposes.
To request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information, use the Contact Us form. Some records may be retained when required for administrative, legal, security, or credential-verification purposes.
Review the DVA University Privacy Policy
Where Should I Go for Help?
- Course-content question: Use the comment area on the relevant course, lesson, or topic.
- Instructor-led schedule or examination access: Contact the Authorized Training Organization or instructor that enrolled you.
- Login, platform, account, or direct DVA enrollment issue: Use the DVA University Contact Us form.
- Missing Certificate of Completion: Contact your enrolling organization first.
- Credential validity or CDVP2.0 versus CDVP2.1: Review the Data Vault Alliance credential policy.
- DVAUnited community access: Review the DVAUnited membership page and community support information.