The Open Group Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS) certification has been developed out of a requirement of the IT sector to verify that Data Scientist professionals have the qualities and capabilities required to produce effective analysis of data for the overall improvement of the business.

The key skill and contribution Data Scientists bring to their organizations is the ability to integrate statistical, economic, and computer science techniques to address business problems.

Data Scientists develop statistical models: combinations of postulates, data, and inferences designed to solve a business problem using formal methods to guide and drive the development of solutions.