- What "Training" Means for the D-CI-DS-23 Exam
- The Official Course: ES732OCMCIPD2
- Training Priorities, Domain by Domain
- Learning to Think Like a Designer, Not an Administrator
- Hands-On Experience and Where It Fits
- Sequencing Your Training Across the Domains
- Exam Logistics That Shape Your Preparation
- Comparing Training Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Dell's recommended preparation for D-CI-DS-23 is the Cloud Infrastructure Planning and Design v2 on-demand course, code ES732OCMCIPD2.
- Architecting a Do-It-Yourself Solution carries 25% of the exam, so it deserves the largest share of your training time.
- The exam runs 90 minutes, is offered in English and French, and is delivered through Pearson VUE.
- Dell's stated requirement is hands-on experience and/or recommended training, followed by passing this exact exam.
What "Training" Means for the D-CI-DS-23 Exam
The D-CI-DS-23 exam validates the Dell Cloud Infrastructure Design 2023 credential under the Dell Technologies Proven Professional program. It is a design exam. It does not ask you to configure a console or recite menu paths. It asks whether you can take a set of business and technical requirements and turn them into a defensible infrastructure architecture. That distinction should shape every hour of training you invest.
If you are new to the certification, start with the overview in What Is D-CI-DS-23 Certification? and the eligibility details in D-CI-DS-23 Requirements 2026. This article focuses on the training path itself: what to take, what to emphasize, and how to sequence your learning across the seven published domains.
Dell's published requirement is straightforward. Candidates need sufficient knowledge and skills gained through hands-on experience and/or recommended training, and then must pass the exam. There is no mandatory classroom gate stated in the exact-code sources, which means training is a recommendation rather than a toll booth. It is still the most reliable way to cover the full blueprint.
The Official Course: ES732OCMCIPD2
Dell lists one recommended preparation resource for this exam: Cloud Infrastructure Planning and Design v2 - On Demand Course (ES732OCMCIPD2). As an on-demand offering, it fits candidates who need to study around a work schedule and revisit difficult material.
When working through the course, treat each module as an input to a design decision. After each topic, ask yourself: what requirement would lead me to choose this approach, and what requirement would rule it out? That habit converts passive viewing into exam-ready judgment.
What the course cannot do for you
No single course substitutes for practice with scenario-style questions. Once you finish a module, test yourself on the corresponding domain. Our D-CI-DS-23 practice tests are built for exactly that second step, and our D-CI-DS-23 Study Guide 2026 explains how to combine course material with timed practice.
Training Priorities, Domain by Domain
Dell publishes seven domains with approximate question-distribution weights. Use those weights to decide how much time each area deserves. For a fuller treatment of each area, see D-CI-DS-23 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas.
| Domain | Weight | Training emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Cloud Design and Design Parameters | 10% | Vocabulary, design parameters, and the framing for every later domain |
| Data Collection and Analysis | 12% | Gathering and interpreting requirements and workload information |
| Architecting a Do-It-Yourself Solution | 25% | Component-level design decisions; the largest single block |
| Architecting a CI / HCI Solution | 18% | Converged and hyperconverged design, and when each fits |
| Cloud Management Platform | 10% | Management, automation, and operational layers |
| Hybrid Cloud and Multi Cloud | 15% | Design across environments and the trade-offs involved |
| Application Development and Deployment Platform | 10% | Platforms that support building and running applications |
Domain 3: Architecting a Do-It-Yourself Solution (25%)
This is the heaviest domain, and a quarter of the exam draws on it. In a do-it-yourself design, the architect assembles compute, storage, and networking components individually instead of adopting a pre-integrated system, so every integration decision becomes the designer's responsibility.
- Practice sizing and selecting components against stated requirements
- Understand the operational burden a build-your-own approach transfers to the customer
- Be able to justify why a requirement set favors this approach over an integrated one
Domain 4: Architecting a CI / HCI Solution (18%)
The second-largest domain contrasts naturally with Domain 3. Study these two together, because exam scenarios often hinge on choosing between them.
- Know what converged and hyperconverged infrastructure each aim to simplify
- Recognize requirement patterns that point toward an integrated platform
- Understand how scaling and lifecycle management differ from the do-it-yourself model
Domain 6: Hybrid Cloud and Multi Cloud (15%)
At 15%, this is the third-largest domain. Training should cover how designs extend beyond a single environment and what new concerns appear when workloads span more than one.
- Distinguish hybrid cloud from multi-cloud and know the design drivers for each
- Think through placement, connectivity, and consistency of management across environments
The smaller domains still matter
Domains 1, 2, 5, and 7 together account for 42% of the exam. Data Collection and Analysis (12%) is easy to underestimate, yet it underpins every design scenario, because a weak requirements analysis produces a weak architecture. Cloud Management Platform and Application Development and Deployment Platform (10% each) round out the design with operational and application concerns.
Learning to Think Like a Designer, Not an Administrator
The most common training mistake on a design exam is studying features instead of decisions. An administrator asks, "How do I configure this?" A designer asks, "Given these constraints, which option should I choose, and what do I give up?" D-CI-DS-23 rewards the second question.
Because Dell does not publish the question count or passing score in the exact-code sources, you cannot reverse-engineer a minimum. The safer strategy is to build balanced competence across all seven domains rather than banking on strength in one. Our write-ups on D-CI-DS-23 passing score and D-CI-DS-23 pass rate explain what is and is not publicly known.
Hands-On Experience and Where It Fits
Dell's requirement language names two routes to readiness: hands-on experience and/or recommended training. For a design credential, practical exposure to real infrastructure projects strengthens your judgment because it shows you how requirements shift, conflict, and get compromised.
If you lack project experience, you can partially compensate by working through case-style scenarios yourself. Take a hypothetical customer with stated capacity, availability, and budget needs, and sketch an architecture using each of the three main approaches in the blueprint: do-it-yourself, CI/HCI, and hybrid or multi-cloud. Comparing the three sketches teaches more than reading about each in isolation.
Key Takeaway
Training and experience are complementary, not interchangeable. The on-demand course supplies the method and vocabulary; scenario practice supplies the judgment. Plan for both, especially if your day job does not involve architecture decisions.
Sequencing Your Training Across the Domains
You do not need a generic study template here. What matters is the order in which D-CI-DS-23 domains build on one another. The sequence below follows the logical flow of a real design engagement and weights time toward the heavier domains. Adjust the pacing to your own schedule.
Foundations and requirements
- Domain 1: Introduction to Cloud Design and Design Parameters
- Domain 2: Data Collection and Analysis
- Start the on-demand course and note the design method it teaches
The two architecture-heavy domains
- Domain 3: Architecting a Do-It-Yourself Solution (25%)
- Domain 4: Architecting a CI / HCI Solution (18%)
- Write trade-off statements comparing the two approaches
Extending the design
- Domain 6: Hybrid Cloud and Multi Cloud (15%)
- Domain 5: Cloud Management Platform
- Domain 7: Application Development and Deployment Platform
Integration and rehearsal
- Take timed practice tests against the 90-minute limit
- Revisit the lowest-scoring domains, weighted by exam percentage
The reasoning is simple: requirements come first because every later domain depends on them, the two largest architecture domains get consecutive attention so you can compare them, and the remaining domains layer on operations, multi-environment design, and applications. Compress or stretch the weeks to fit your calendar.
Exam Logistics That Shape Your Preparation
Knowing the delivery mechanics ahead of time removes avoidable stress. The facts below come from Dell and Pearson VUE sources.
- Duration: 90 minutes. Practice under that limit so pacing feels natural.
- Languages: English and French.
- Delivery: Pearson VUE, either at a proctored test center or through OnVUE online proctoring.
- OnVUE requirements: a passed system test, a matching government photo ID, and a private room without books or notes.
- Results: computer-scored results are provisional pending Dell review.
- Voucher: the Pearson U.S. store lists the general Dell certification voucher at USD 230, expiring 12 months after purchase. Voucher expiry is separate from credential validity.
- Retakes: a 7-day wait after a first failure and 14 days after later failures.
Dell manages credential status in CertTracker, and recognition follows current Dell requirements, including revised exams when required. Check Dell's Proven Professional policies before you plan long-term, since the program rules govern how the credential is maintained.
Comparing Training Resources
Different resources serve different purposes. The table below sets out what each is best at, so you can combine them sensibly.
| Resource | Best for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Infrastructure Planning and Design v2 (ES732OCMCIPD2) | Learning the design method and vocabulary the exam uses | Does not replace timed, exam-style question practice |
| Dell's exam overview and blueprint | Confirming domains and approximate weightings | Does not publish question count or passing score |
| Scenario-based practice tests | Building decision-making speed and finding weak domains | Quality varies; choose sources aligned to the blueprint |
| Hands-on project work | Developing real design judgment | Not available to everyone; supplement with case exercises |
A sensible blend is the official course for structure, the Dell blueprint for scope, and our practice test library for rehearsal. The one-page D-CI-DS-23 cheat sheet is useful for a final review pass once the main training is done.
Is the investment worthwhile?
That depends on your role and goals. Candidates weighing the credential against its cost and time commitment should read Is the D-CI-DS-23 Certification Worth It? and the difficulty guide to set realistic expectations before committing to a training schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dell recommends the Cloud Infrastructure Planning and Design v2 on-demand course, code ES732OCMCIPD2. It is the preparation resource listed for the Dell Cloud Infrastructure Design 2023 exam.
Dell's stated requirement is sufficient knowledge and skills through hands-on experience and/or recommended training, then passing the exam. The retrieved exact-code sources do not describe a mandatory course gate, so training is recommended rather than strictly required.
Architecting a Do-It-Yourself Solution, which Dell weights at approximately 25%. Architecting a CI / HCI Solution at 18% and Hybrid Cloud and Multi Cloud at 15% come next.
The published duration is 90 minutes, and the exam is offered in English and French. It is delivered through Pearson VUE at a test center or via OnVUE online proctoring.
Dell's exact-code sources do not publish the question count, passing score, or pass rate. Because of that, aim for balanced competence across all seven domains rather than targeting a specific cut score.