Which of the Microsoft Azure Certifications Should You and Your Team Pursue?

Jennifer Balsom
4 min readMar 10, 2022

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Cloud computing is one of the fastest evolving technologies in today’s world. “Public cloud spending will expand from $229 billion in 2019 to roughly $500 billion in 2023,” according to the IDC analysis. In the end, no one can refuse cloud computing’s explosive expansion in recent years.

Many big names have established themselves in the cloud arena with their unique services in a cloud computing environment, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), IBM Cloud, Rackspace, and others. Microsoft Azure is emerging as the market leader with 29 percent of the overall cloud market’s application workload.

The most challenging certification path in the cloud market is to become a Microsoft Azure certified professional. We’ll go over the 12 Microsoft Azure certification exams in this article and present helpful information to assist you in deciding on a career path.

NetCom Learning’s Microsoft Azure Training is jam-packed with learning paths, courses, practice certification tests, hands-on labs, lab challenges, and lab playgrounds. If you’re studying for an Azure certification or want to learn more about what Azure can do for your business, you need to join the training library. Our learning paths are step-by-step training experiences that use real Azure accounts in live situations to enhance your technical knowledge and hands-on abilities.

Role-Based Certifications for Microsoft Azure

Microsoft has updated its Azure role-based certifications, including Azure Administrator, Azure Solution Architect, Azure Developer, and Azure AI Engineer, as well as introducing three new certificates. The Azure AI Fundamentals Exam AI-900 and Azure Data Fundamentals Exam DP-900 are foundational pathways. The alternative certification is the Azure Database Administrator Exam DP-300, an associate path.

Microsoft offers 12 Azure certificates, each with 14 examinations, divided into three levels: Fundamental, Associate, and Expert. These certifications are solely to enhance knowledge and abilities in market work roles.

Microsoft recently announced two new certifications: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals Exam AI-900 and Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals Exam DP-900.

1. Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Certified: Azure — Fundamentals

2. Exam AI-900: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI — Fundamentals

3. Exam DP-900: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data — Fundamental

4. Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator — Associate

5. Exam AZ-204: Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer — Associate

6. Exam AZ-500: Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer — Associate

7. Exam AI-100: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer — Associate

8. Exam DP-100: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist — Associate

9. Exams DP-200 and DP-201 for Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer — Associate

10. Exam DP-300: Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator — Associate

11. Exams AZ-303 and AZ-304 for Microsoft Certified Solutions Architect

12. Exam AZ-400: Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer — Expert

Exams DP-200 and DP-201 for Microsoft Azure Data Engineer — Associate

You’ll need to pass two examinations to become an Azure Data Engineer: DP-200 and DP-201.

Implementing an Azure Data Solution (DP-200)

This test covers data storage services, batch data processing, developing streaming, implementing security requirements, implementing data preservation policies, and accessing external data sources, among other topics. Candidates must use Azure SQL Databases, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Stream Analytics, and Azure Blob Storage.

Covered Areas

· Implement data storage systems that are both relational and non-relational.

· Implement data masking and encryption at rest and in motion to improve data security.

· Create batch and streaming processing solutions.

· Data storage, processing, and Azure data solutions are monitored and optimized.

Information on the Exam

· Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900 is a prerequisite for this exam (optional).

· The questions are between 40 and 50.

· One hundred eighty minutes in length

· Price: $165

Designing an Azure Data Solution (DP-201 Exam)

It is the second Azure Data Engineer exam. It assists engineers in designing data storage, data processing, and data security and compliance solutions for Azure services. The ability to construct Azure SQL Databases, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Stream Analytics, and Blob storage services is required.

Covered Areas

· Create cloud data stores that are both relational and non-relational.

· Create solutions for real-time and batch processing, as well as compute resources.

· Create data security solutions such as encryption, audits, and data privacy.

· Plan archiving procedures and develop data retention regulations.

Information on the Exam

· Prerequisites: Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (optional)

· The number of questions is 40 and 50.

· One hundred fifty minutes in length

· Price: $165

Conclusion

Not only will you need to practice how to design, manage, and protect Azure cloud systems from becoming certified and landing a job, but you’ll also need real, hands-on experience. NetCom Learning has Microsoft Azure Certification Learning Paths that will help you pass the Azure certification exam and allow you to put your skills to the test in real-world scenarios with hands-on labs, lab challenges, and lab playgrounds. These learning paths cover everything you need to know to get started or develop your Azure career, from establishing Azure infrastructure for cloud administrators to integrating Azure services for cloud architects.

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Jennifer Balsom
Jennifer Balsom

Written by Jennifer Balsom

Product Manager - Cybersecurity CompTIA, EC-council & (ISC)2. For more info. visit, https://www.netcomlearning.com/vendors/CompTIA-training-courses.phtml

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