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12 Microsoft Azure Certification for Career Growth

Microsoft Azure Certifications
2020-02-09
4 mins read
Amit Masih
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Azure is a well-known and well-established cloud computing platform, preferred by many large-scale and small-scale businesses. As a consequence of the pandemic and the advancement in the IT industry, various enterprises are migrating to the cloud or constructing a hybrid system.

As a result of this change, there is a higher demand for Azure professionals to meet the organization's needs. The job duties of providing Azure services to businesses, helping them in managing, and performing Azure tools-specific activities create a scope of employment in this aspect of the IT industry. 

As the competition in this particular field increases, you need to have something that makes you apart from the crowd. If you want to enter this field, Microsoft Azure certification can help you enter any reputed organization with a significant salary. 

You can choose among the job opportunities such as Data Scientists, AI Engineers, Solution Architect, Solution Developers, Cloud Architect, DevOps engineers, etc. 

This extensive guide will learn about the 12 Microsoft Azure certification exams. We will also explain how to pass each one and guide you toward the best certification and career path. 

In this guide, we’ll talk about 12 best Microsoft Azure Certifications to enhance your industry knowledge. Read on to find your best.

What Are Microsoft Azure cloud certificates?

Microsoft is known for making rational actions that play to its strengths, such as leveraging legacy grip in businesses to help skeptical organizations transition to the cloud. As a result, there will be plenty of opportunities to put your Azure abilities to work.

Any of these certificates can help you as the golden ticket to earn a minimum 6-digit salary even in the beginning. If you are certified with any Microsoft Azure credential, it proves that you have the skill set in that particular field.

The most appealing feature of these certificates is that they are role-based certificates. 

What are Microsoft Azure Role-Based Certifications?

The majority of Microsoft's Azure certifications are based on roles. Have you come across a job title that you seem to have or would want to have? That's the certification you're looking for. Look for the label of the certificate you're interested in on job postings and see whether the profile and objectives sound like a good idea.

Microsoft has recently updated its Azure role-based certifications, including Azure Administrator, Azure Solution Architect, Azure Developer, Azure AI Engineer, and three new certificates. These certifications are solely to enhance knowledge and abilities in market work roles. After determining the employment criteria, the community was invited to participate in the revolution.

Microsoft offers 12 Azure certificates that can be categorized into three levels:

  • Fundamental, 
  • Associate, and 
  • Expert.

**Here is the list of all the certificates with the respective exam. **

Microsoft Certified: Azure – Fundamentals Exam AZ-900 Microsoft Certified: Azure AI – Fundamentals Exam AI-900 Microsoft Certified: Azure Data – Fundamentals Exam DP-900 Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist – Associate Exam DP-100 Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer – Associate Exams DP-200 and DP-201 Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator – Associate Exam DP-300 Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator – Associate Exam AZ-104 Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer – Associate Exam AZ-204 Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer – Expert Exam AZ-400 Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer – Associate Exam AZ-500 Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer – Associate Exam AI-100 Microsoft Certified Solutions Architect – Expert Exams AZ-303 and AZ-304

The following section covers 12 popular exams that can be qualified to get a suitable and relevant certificate. 

Fundamental-Level Microsoft Azure Certification: These are the most basic certifications from Microsoft. Those who are beginners or belong to other IT industry fields can and want to make a change in their career can go ahead with these. 

1. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900 

The objective of the exam The Azure Fundamentals exam allows you to demonstrate your understanding of cloud principles, Azure services, Azure workloads, Azure security and privacy, and Azure pricing and support. Candidates should have a basic knowledge of technical fundamentals such as networking, storage, computation, application support, and development. Other Azure participation or specialty certifications can be utilized to prepare for Azure Fundamentals, although it is not required for any of them.

About Exam AZ-900 As such, there is no strict prerequisite for this exam. The number of questions asked during the exam is 30-40, and the exam duration is an hour. One needs to score a minimum of 700 out of 1000 to get this certificate. You will have to pay $99 as a registration fee for attempting the exam. 

2. Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals Exam AI-900

The objective of the exam This test allows you to demonstrate your understanding of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) topics, as well as the Microsoft Azure services that support them. Candidates for this test should be familiar with the self-paced or instructor-led learning materials for Exam AI-900. Candidates with both technical and non-technical backgrounds are eligible to take this exam. Experience with data science and software engineering is not required; however, knowledge of cloud fundamentals and client-server applications would be advantageous.

Other Azure role-based certifications, such as Azure Data Scientist Associate and Azure AI Engineer Associate, can be used to prepare for Azure AI Fundamentals, although it is not required for any of them.

About Exam AI-900 The exam does not demand any special prerequisite, but you must have a basic understanding of the relevant topics to get qualifying scores. There are 40-60 questions on the Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) test. A candidate must achieve a minimum score of 700 out of 1000. This exam has a price of $99 to participate.

3. Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals Exam DP-900

**The objective of the exam ** This test allows you to demonstrate your understanding of key data concepts and Microsoft Azure data services. Candidates for this test should be familiar with the self-paced or instructor-led learning materials for Exam DP-900. This exam is for students who are just starting to work with data on the cloud. Candidates should be familiar with the concepts of relational and non-relational data, as well as transactional and analytical data workloads.

Other Azure role-based certifications, such as Azure Database Administrator Associate and Azure Data Engineer Associate, can be used to prepare for Azure Data Fundamentals, although it is not a requirement for any of them. Candidates who want to earn this new certification should have core data concepts such as relational or non-relational data while implementing them on Microsoft Azure architecture.

About Exam DP-900 Although there are no specific prerequisites for the exam, you must have a basic comprehension of the essential topics to receive qualifying results. The Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) test has 40-60 questions, and a minimum score of 700 out of 1000 is required of an applicant. To take this exam, you have to pay $99. 

Associate-Level Microsoft Azure Certifications- This is mid-level for those certain about any particular job role and wants to furnish their skill. 

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

The objective of the exam Exam AZ-104 for Microsoft Azure Administrator is the updated version of Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam AZ-104 is an updated version of Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam AZ-103. The candidates' knowledge and abilities in the design and configuration compute, storage, virtual connection, and monitoring in the Azure architecture will be tested in this exam. An Azure Administrator is a subject matter expert (SME) responsible for implementing an organization's Azure-based cloud infrastructure.

About exam AZ-104 To ensure success, you can explore Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900. However, this is not mandatory. The exam features 40-60 questions. You have to pay $165 as a registration fee for attempting this exam. 

5. Microsoft Azure Security Engineer – Associate Exam AZ-500

The objective of the exam Azure security engineers are generally part of a bigger team responsible for planning and implementing cloud-based management and security. Candidates for this test should have experience implementing Azure security policies in the cloud and hybrid settings as an end-to-end infrastructure to safeguard identity, access, data, applications, and networks.

About Exam AZ-500 The optional requirement for this exam is Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900. The exam serves 40-50 questions to be covered in 180 minutes, and you have to pay $165 as an examination fee. 

##6. Exam DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure

The objective of the Exam If machine learning fascinates you and you want to learn more about it, the Microsoft DP-100 test could be ideal for landing a job in this field. The demand for professionals with machine learning knowledge is increasing by the day.

Exams like Microsoft's Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure (DP-100) have captivated the minds of the IT generation to gain admittance into this sector. In terms of both technology and fortune, the potential of cognitive computing is beyond comprehension. Every firm now demands skilled applicants who can operate equipment professionally and manage operations efficiently while reducing time waste.

About Exam DP-100 The DP-100 exam has almost 40-60 questions that must be solved in 180 minutes. The exam costs $165; however, rates may vary depending on where you take it. The exam does not have any prerequisites, and the exam's passing score is 700 out of 1000.

7. Exam DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution

The objective of the exam This exam covers the delivery of computer storage services, batch data processing, developing streaming, implementing security requirements, implementing data preservation regulations, and accessing external data sources, among other topics. Candidates must be able to use Azure SQL Databases, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Stream Analytics, and Azure Blob Storage.

About Exam DP-200 The optional requirement for this exam is Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900. The exam serves 40-50 questions to be covered in 180 minutes, and you have to pay $165 as an examination fee. 

8. Exam DP-201: Designing an Azure Data Solution

The objective of the exam This exam 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.

About Exam DP-201 The certificate providers, i.e., Microsoft, suggest having Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900. However, the AZ-900 exam is not mandatory. The official exam features 40-50 questions to be answered in 150 minutes. You have to pay $165 as a registration fee, and the minimum qualifying score is 700. 

9. Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate Exam DP-300

The objective of the Exam Managing Relational Databases in Microsoft Azure (DP-300) The exam will test your ability to plan and implement data platform resources, implement a secure environment, monitor and optimize operational resources, optimize query performance, perform task automation, plan and implement a High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) environment, and administer T-SQL. 

About Exam DP-300 The Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate Exam (DP-300) exam has 40-60 questions. To register for the exam, you have to pay $165. However, a candidate must have a 700 or higher to pass this exam. 

Expert-Level Microsoft Azure Certifications Expert level certificates are for experienced professionals who want to keep themselves updated with the relevant skill. These certificates are suitable for getting growth in your career. 

10. Exam AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies

The objective of the exam The Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies (AZ-303) examination involves specialists developing and implementing Microsoft Azure systems, including compute, networking, storage, and security features. An Azure Solution Architect, on the other front, is responsible for advising stakeholders and transforming business goals into secure, scalable, and reliable cloud solutions. An Azure Solution Architect works with measuring performance, cloud DBAs, and clients to implement solutions.

About Exam AZ-303 There are 40-60 questions on the Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies (AZ-303) test. The exam fee is $165 to enroll for the exam. However, to pass the Microsoft AZ-303 exam, a candidate must obtain a score of 700 or higher.

11. Exam AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design

The objective of the exam The AZ-304 exam is designed for experienced IT professionals, and it covers a wide range of topics and services, all of which have been covered in this exam, which has been updated to reflect the Microsoft Exam Curriculum. This course will take you through several sections, modules, and demonstrations to help you learn basic architect technologies and prepare you to take and pass the Microsoft Azure AZ-304 exam.

About Exam AZ-304 The number of questions on the Microsoft AZ-304 exam will range from 40 to 60, and you will have 150 minutes to complete them. The exam costs $165; however, rates may vary depending on where you take it. To pass the AZ-304 exam, you must get at least 700 points out of 1000.

12. Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer – Expert Exam AZ-400

The objective of the exam This certification is for DevOps experts who connect people, procedures, and technologies to produce valuable services and products that fulfill business needs. DevOps engineers are in charge of increasing cooperation and communication, establishing and implementing app coding methodologies and automating, continuous integration, monitoring, and feedback to deliver cloud services. Candidates for this position should be experienced with Azure programming and administration procedures and Agile methods.

About the Exam AZ-400 This exam requires that the candidate have Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate certification. The exam features 40-60 questions to be answered within 180 minutes, and you have to pay $165 before attempting the exam. 

Conclusion

Microsoft is a leader in the cloud business, accounting for 29% of the application workload in the overall cloud market. Configuration and administration of computing, storage, networking, security, reliability, and integration, development, and operations capabilities are among the 12 role-based certifications. Businesses are rapidly adopting Microsoft Azure cloud services, and the demand for certified Azure administrators, solution architects, developers, and security engineers is increasing. 

You will need to learn how to design, manage, and protect Azure cloud systems from becoming accredited and landing a job, but you'll also need real, hands-on experience. Cloud Academy has Microsoft Azure Certification Learning Paths that will not only enable you to pass the Azure qualifying exam but also allow you to put your abilities to the test in real-world scenarios with practical experience in labs and lab tasks.

These learning paths cover everything you need to learn to get started or develop your Azure career, from establishing Azure technology for systems – to incorporating Azure services for cloud architects.

You are advised to perform proper research considering your needs and choices. And then, choose the right Azure certificate that is suitable for you. 

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