Overview

The Dell XtremIO Design Achievement (D-XTR-DS-A-24) is part of the Dell Proven Professional certification framework. This assessment validates expertise in designing and architecting solutions with XtremIO and X2 storage systems. It is designed for architects and storage solution specialists who need to position, design, and demonstrate XtremIO/X2 solutions in customer environments.

Exam Details

Duration: 90 minutes

Number of questions: ~60

Passing score: 63 (based on a scaled score system)

Exam Topics & Weighting:

XtremIO & X2 Operations and Management (20%) – Hardware/software components, GUI & CLI, management servers.

Host Configurations (15%) – HBA, multipathing, and OS differences (ESXi, Windows, Linux, AIX).

Data Replication (7%) – Snapshots, RecoverPoint local and remote replication.

Optimization & Performance Management (6%) – Performance characteristics, benchmarking tools, PoC management.

Positioning XtremIO & X2 (12%) – Value of all-flash arrays, compression, deduplication, encryption.

Data Gathering & Analysis (13%) – Understanding customer needs, environment assessment, use of tools.

Designing an XtremIO/X2 Solution (27%) – Bringing it all together to create complete solution designs.

Covered Products & Related Technologies:

XtremIO and X2 storage systems (hardware/software components), RecoverPoint, VPLEX, and integrations with virtualization platforms such as VMware ESXi.

Industry Impact

For customers with high-performance storage demands—such as large databases, enterprise virtualization, and workloads requiring low latency and high availability—XtremIO/X2 is a common choice. Earning this certification demonstrates proven capability in designing solutions for these scenarios.

With the industry shift toward all-flash storage, high IOPS agility, data services (deduplication, compression, encryption), and advanced replication/disaster recovery, XtremIO/X2 design skills provide an edge in consulting, system integration, and solution bidding. Certified professionals gain stronger credibility in roles such as architects, solution designers, and storage consultants, while enterprise clients benefit from trusted expertise.

Future Outlook

As XtremIO and X2 continue to evolve (with firmware updates, new management tools, and broader integrations), exam content will be updated accordingly. Future design questions may include more real-world case studies involving business growth, DR/replication strategies, and mixed workload scenarios. Training resources—courses, labs, and practice tests—are expected to emphasize practical design skills over theory. Emerging trends such as NVMe, flash optimization, multipathing, and software-defined storage may also become more prominent in the exam.