Role-based Microsoft Azure Certification Path
There is hardly any reason to think twice about the reputation of Microsoft Azure in the existing public cloud landscape. Microsoft Azure continues to offer new and advanced technologies and services for leveraging the full power of the cloud. The credibility of Microsoft Azure is also one of the reasons for the exceptionally higher demand for a Microsoft Azure certification in present times.
The certification model of Microsoft Azure is one of the notable benchmarks in the world of professional IT certifications. Why? Microsoft Azure follows a role-based certification model that emphasizes on testing the capabilities of candidates for different Azure-based job roles. The role-based certification model of Microsoft Azure also draws heavily from the inputs of their tech community and the requirements for supporting different job roles effectively.
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Microsoft Azure Certifications List
Individuals aspiring for a promising career in cloud computing should opt for Azure certifications as their first choice. However, there are many certifications in the role-based certification model of Microsoft Azure. So, candidates can face confusion regarding which certification is suitable for their career aspirations.
The following discussion would provide a detailed outline of the updated Microsoft Azure certification path 2020. Readers can find a promising outline of essential information related to each certification exam of Azure. The discussion would focus on the exam information, such as the target audience and requirements for the exam.
In addition, readers can find information about the exam domains covered in each certification and the basic exam details such as registration cost and supported languages for the exam. Most important of all, the following information would outline Microsoft Azure certification according to different roles. Another interesting highlight of the following discussion is that it also reflects on the new exams introduced recently by Azure.
Before proceeding with the Microsoft Azure certification list, it is important to reflect on the various roles for which candidates can get certifications on Azure. Here are the notable roles for which you can find Azure certifications.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert.
- Microsoft Certified: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Specialty.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty.
Now that you know about the different roles for which Microsoft Azure certification can provide recognition let us reflect on the certifications.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
The first addition in the list of Microsoft Azure certifications is the AZ-900 certification exam. The AZ-900 certification exam is ideal for candidates aspiring to prove their knowledge regarding the basic concepts of Microsoft Azure. Even though this certification does not validate the capabilities of candidates for any specific Azure-based job role, candidates can showcase their fluency in basic Azure services and technologies.
Candidates should remember that there are no hardbound prerequisites for the different Microsoft Azure Certification exams. However, candidates should follow certain knowledge and experience requirements to prove their readiness for the concerned exam. The AZ-900 certification exam associates with the following requirements.
- Strong understanding of cloud concepts.
- In-depth knowledge of core Azure services and Azure pricing and support.
- Fluency in the fundamentals of cloud security, compliance, trust and privacy.
Candidates should note that in the case of the AZ-900 certification exam, there is no weighting for the domains covered in the exam. In addition, it is important for candidates to know that the domains covered in each Azure certification exam reflect on the abilities tested in the exam. Here is an outline of the domains covered in the AZ-900 certification exam.
| Domain | Weighting |
| Understanding cloud concepts | 15-20% |
| Understanding core Azure services | 30-35% |
| Understanding security, trust, privacy and compliance | 25-30% |
| Understanding of Azure pricing and support | 20-25% |
The Microsoft Azure certification cost for the AZ-900 certification exam is $99 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-900 certification exam in four languages such as English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
The ideal certification exam for the role of Azure Administrator associate is AZ-103. Candidates should also note that a new version of the AZ-103 exam is also available i.e., AZ-104 certification exam. The AZ-104 certification exam has been available from April 2, 2020. Candidates can also appear for the AZ-103 exam till its retirement on or around August 31, 2020. Let us reflect on details of both the Microsoft Azure certification exams for the role of Azure administrator associate.
AZ-103: Microsoft Azure Administrator
The AZ-103 certification exam is ideal for any candidate aspiring to become an Azure administrator associate. Candidates for this exam should have the aspiration to take on roles involving the management of cloud services spanning across various IT operations. You have to take on the roles of taking requests for infrastructure services, environments, and applications. In addition, certified professionals would also have to make recommendations for the ideal services to achieve higher performance and scale.
The important requirements for the AZ-103 exam that candidates should follow are,
- Comprehensive understanding of all services across the complete IT lifecycle.
- Fluency in using Power Shell and the Command Line Interface.
- In-depth knowledge of Azure Portal, ARM templates, virtualization, storage structures, networking, cloud infrastructure, and operating systems.
The domains covered in the AZ-103 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Management of Azure subscriptions and resources | 15-20% |
| Implementation and management of storage | 15-20% |
| Deployment and management of virtual machines | 15-20% |
| Configuration and management of virtual networks | 30-35% |
| Management of Identities | 15-20% |
The registration cost for the AZ-103 exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the exam in four languages, such as English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese.
AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
The AZ-104 Azure Administrator exam will be the new standard certification exam for candidates aspiring to become Azure administrators. The role of an Azure administrator involves implementation, management, and monitoring of identity, storage, compute, governance, and virtual networks in cloud environments. In addition, Azure administrators will also have to work for provisioning, sizing, monitoring, and adjusting resources according to their requirements.
The important requirements for candidates of an AZ-104 certification exam are as follows,
- At least six months of hands-on experience in the administration of Azure.
- In-depth knowledge of core Azure services, Azure workloads, governance, and security.
- Promising experience in utilizing the Command Line Interface, ARM templates, PowerShell and the Azure Portal.
The domains covered in the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure certification exam showcase the clear differences it has with the AZ-103 exam. Here is an outline of the domains that you have to study for the AZ-104 exam.
| Domain | Weighting |
| Management of Azure identities and governance | 15-20% |
| Implementation and management of storage | 10-15% |
| Deployment and management of Azure compute resources | 25-30% |
| Configuration and managing virtual networking | 30-35% |
| Monitor and backup Azure resources | 10-15% |
The registration cost for the AZ-104 certification exam is $165 USD. Since the AZ-104 exam is available in the beta stage now, candidates can appear for the exam only in the English language.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Candidates should note that the Microsoft Azure certification for the role of Azure developer associate is the AZ-203 exam. However, candidates should also note that the new version of the AZ-203 certification exam i.e., the AZ-204 exam became available on February 24, 2020. Candidates can also appear for the AZ-203 exam until its retirement on or around August 31, 2020. So, it is important to reflect on the information of both the certification exams for candidates to make the right choice.
AZ-203: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
The AZ-203 certification exam is ideal for candidates aspiring to become an Azure developer associate. The AZ-203 Azure certification can serve as a starting point for your career as an Azure developer. So, if you want to become an Azure developer and participate in designing and building cloud solutions like applications and services, then the AZ-203 exam is your perfect pick.
Candidates should know that the AZ-203 certification validates their abilities for contributing to all stages of development, such as solution design, development, deployment, testing, and maintenance. In addition, certified candidates can showcase proof of their capabilities for collaborating with cloud solution architects, cloud administrators, clients, and cloud database administrators for the implementation of solutions.
The important requirements for the AZ-203 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows.
- Proficiency in development of apps and services by leveraging Azure tools and technologies such as storage, communications, compute and security.
- At least one year of experience in the development of scalable solutions across all stages of software development.
- In-depth expertise in at least one high-level programming languages supported by the cloud.
The domains covered in the AZ-203 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Development of Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) compute solution | 10-15% |
| Development of Azure Platform as a Service (PaaS) compute solution | 20-25% |
| Develop for Azure storage | 15-20% |
| Implementation of Azure security | 10-15% |
| Monitoring, troubleshooting and optimization of solutions | 10-15% |
| Connecting to and consuming Azure and third-party services | 20-25% |
The registration cost for the AZ-203 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-103 exam in four languages, such as English, Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.
AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
The AZ-204 Microsoft Azure certification exam will be the new benchmark for candidates aspiring to become Azure developers. The exam is presently in the beta stage, and after August 31, 2020, it will be the standard Azure developer certification exam. Candidates for this exam will have to participate in all stages of development. In addition, they would also have to work in collaboration with cloud administrators, clients, and cloud database administrators for the implementation of solutions.
The important requirements that candidates should follow for the AZ-204 certification exam are as follows,
- Comprehensive fluency in Azure SDKs, data connections, data storage options, compute and container deployment, APIs, performance tuning, app authentication, and authorization and monitoring.
- At least one to two years of hands-on experience in professional development and Microsoft Azure platform.
- Strong capabilities for programming in at least one programming language supported by Azure.
Candidates could find out the differences of AZ-204 with the AZ-203 exam by looking at the domains covered in the exam. The domains covered in the AZ-204 exam are as follows,
| Domains | Weighting |
| Development of Azure compute solutions | 25-30% |
| Developing for Azure storage | 10-15% |
| Implementation of Azure security | 15-20% |
| Monitoring, troubleshooting and optimization of Azure solutions | 10-15% |
| Connecting to and consuming Azure services and third-party services | 25-30% |
The registration cost for the AZ-204 certification exam is $165 USD. Since the AZ-204 exam is available in the beta stage presently, candidates can appear for the exam in the English language only.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
The Microsoft Azure Certification as an expert in architecting Azure solutions is a vital career instrument for many aspiring cloud solution architects. Candidates should note that it is mandatory to qualify two certification exams for becoming a Microsoft Certified Azure solutions architect expert. The existing exams for Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification are AZ-300 and AZ-301 Azure certifications.
Microsoft Azure has announced two new versions of these two certification exams that will arrive or around June 29, 2020. The two new exams i.e., AZ-303 and AZ-304 certification exams are currently available in beta version and will test the abilities of candidates in new Azure technologies and the roles of Azure solutions architects. However, candidates can appear for the AZ-300 and AZ-301 certification exams till their retirement on or around September 30, 2020.
AZ-300: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies
The AZ-300 Azure cloud certification is the first exam that candidates should clear for becoming an Azure solutions architect expert. The ideal audience for this exam includes aspiring Azure Solution Architects. The role of certified candidates will be to recommend and advise stakeholders alongside translating business requirements into highly reliable, secure, and scalable solutions. In addition, candidates will also have to focus on managing the impact of decisions in each area of IT operations on the overall solution.
The important prerequisites for the AZ-300 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
- In-depth expertise and experience in different aspects of IT operations like networking, business continuity, data management, virtualization, governance, security, identity, and budgeting and disaster recovery.
- Proficiency in Azure administration and Azure development and DevOps processes.
- Comprehensive fluency in at least one of the areas among Azure administration, development or DevOps.
The domains covered in the AZ-300 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Deployment and configuration of infrastructure | 40-45% |
| Implementation of workloads and security | 25-30% |
| Creating and deploying apps | 5-10% |
| Implementation of authentication and security of data | 5-10% |
| Developing for the cloud and for Azure storage | 15-20% |
The Microsoft Azure certification cost for the AZ-300 exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-300 exam in four languages such as English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
AZ-301: Microsoft Azure Architect Design
The AZ-301 certification exam is the second important requirement for becoming a Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert. The AZ-301 exam is ideal for candidates aspiring to become an Azure Solutions Architect. Candidates can appear for the AZ-301 exam after qualifying for the AZ-300 certification exam. The roles of certified candidates would include advising stakeholders and translation of business requirements into optimal solutions.
The important prerequisites for the AZ-301 Microsoft Azure Certification exam are as follows,
- In-depth experience and knowledge in multiple aspects of IT operations such as data management, networking, virtualization, disaster recovery, security, budgeting, identity, business continuity, and governance.
- Comprehensive expertise in Azure administration, Azure DevOps processes, and Azure development processes.
- Expert-level capabilities in at least one of the areas among Azure administration, development or DevOps.
The domains covered in the AZ-301 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Determining workload requirements | 10-15% |
| Designing for identity and security | 20-25% |
| Design a data platform solution | 15-20% |
| Designing a business continuity strategy | 15-20% |
| Design for deployment, migration and integration | 10-15% |
| Designing an infrastructure strategy | 15-20% |
The registration cost for the AZ-301 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-301 certification exam in four languages such as English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies
The AZ-303 certification exam is slated to be the next version of the AZ-300 Azure certification. The exam is supposed to be available on or around June 29, 2020. Candidates have to clear another exam i.e., AZ-304, along with AZ-303, to become an Azure Solutions Architect Expert. Therefore, the ideal target audience for the AZ-303 certification exam includes aspiring Azure solutions architects. The role of solutions architects involves advising stakeholders and ensuring the translation of business requirements into highly scalable, reliable, and secure solutions.
The important requirements for the AZ-303 certification exam are as follows,
- Advanced knowledge and experience in different IT operations such as data management, disaster recovery, networking, virtualization, business continuity, identity, governance, security, and budgeting.
- In-depth expertise in Azure administration processes.
- Experience and knowledge regarding Azure development processes ad DevOps processes.
The domains covered in the AZ-303 exam can show the differences it has with the AZ-300 exam. Here are the domains that candidates can find in the AZ-303 Microsoft Azure certification exam.
| Domain | Weighting |
| Implementation and monitoring an Azure infrastructure | 50-55% |
| Implementation, management and security of solutions | 25-30% |
| Implementing solutions for apps | 10-15% |
| Implementation and management of data platforms | 10-15% |
The registration cost for the AZ-303 certification exam is $165 USD. Since the exam will be available in the beta stage initially until the AZ-300 exam retires, candidates can appear for the exam only in the English language.
AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design
The AZ-304 Microsoft Azure certification is the new version of the existing AZ-301 certification exam. Candidates have to qualify the AZ-304 certification alongside the AZ-303 certification to earn the certification of Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert. The ideal target audience for the AZ-304 certification exam includes aspiring Azure solutions architects. Certified candidates can take over roles for advising stakeholders and translating business requirements into highly secure, reliable, and scalable solutions.
The important requirements for candidates to appear for the AZ-304 certification exam are as follows,
- Comprehensive knowledge and experience in IT operations such as business continuity, governance, data platform, networking, security, budgeting, virtualization, and disaster recovery.
- In-depth expertise in Azure administration processes.
- Thorough experience and knowledge of Azure development and DevOps processes.
The domains covered in the AZ-304 certification exam clearly showcase the differences it has with the AZ-301 exam. Here are the domains covered in the AZ-304 certification exam.
| Domain | Weighting |
| Design monitoring | 10-15% |
| Designing for identity and security | 25-30% |
| Designing for data storage | 15-20% |
| Designing business continuity | 10-15% |
| Designing infrastructure | 25-30% |
The registration cost for the AZ-304 certification exam is $165 USD. The exam will be available in the beta stage, and candidates can appear for the exam only in the English language.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate
The ideal Microsoft Azure certification for becoming an Azure database administrator associate is the DP-300 certification exam. The role of Azure database administrators involves the implementation and management of operational aspects of hybrid data platform and cloud-native solutions built on Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Azure data services.
DP-300: Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure
The DP-300 Azure certification exam is the sole requirement for achieving the tag of a certified Microsoft Azure database administrator. The ideal candidates for the DP-300 certification exam are database management specialists and database administrators. The primary task of ideal candidates for the DP-300 certification exam involves the management of on-premises and cloud relational databases created on the top of Microsoft Azure data services and Microsoft SQL Server.
The role of an Azure database administrator also involves utilizing a variety of methods and tools for performing their day-to-day activities, such as using knowledge of T-SQL for the purposes of administrative management. Candidates should note that there are no specific requirements for the DP-300 certification exam. All you need is the skills and knowledge for the basic tasks and responsibilities of Azure database administrators.
The domains covered in the DP-300 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Planning and implementation of data platform resources | 15-20% |
| Implementing a secure environment | 15-20% |
| Monitoring and optimizing operational resources | 15-20% |
| Optimization of query performance | 5-10% |
| Performing task automation | 10-15% |
| Planning and implementation of a High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) environment | 15-20% |
| Performing administration by utilizing T-SQL | 10-15% |
The registration cost for the DP-300 exam is $165 USD. The exam is available in the beta stage presently, and candidates could appear for the exam only in the English language.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
The Microsoft Azure certification for the role of an AI Engineer Associate is the AI-100 certification exam. Here are the details of the AI-100 certification exam.
AI-100: Designing and Implementing an Azure AI Solution
The ideal candidates for the AI-100 certification exam are aspiring Azure AI Engineers. The task of certified candidates would involve analysis of requirements for AI solutions, implementing solutions according to scalability and performance requirements, and making recommendations for appropriate tools and technologies.
The role of Azure AI Engineers also involves working in partnership with data engineers, data scientists, AI developers, and IoT specialists for building complete end-to-end solutions. In addition, the job responsibilities of Azure AI engineers would also include designing and implementing AI apps and agents using Microsoft Azure Bot Service and Azure Cognitive Services.
The important requirements that candidates should follow for the AI-100 Microsoft Azure certification are as follows.
- Comprehensive understanding of components that constitute the Azure AI portfolio and available data storage options.
- Knowledge and experience in using Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Search, data storage in Azure, and Azure bots.
- In-depth understanding of the conditions for the development of a custom API according to particular requirements.
The domains covered in the AI-100 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Analysis of solution requirements | 25-30% |
| Designing AI solutions | 40-45% |
| Implementation and monitoring of AI solutions | 25-30% |
The registration fee for the AI-100 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AI-100 exam in four languages, such as English, Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
The Microsoft Azure Certification of Azure data engineer associates is the best option for aspiring data engineers for the Azure cloud platform. Candidates have to clear two certification exams for achieving the Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer Associate certification. The two certification exams are DP-200 and DP-201 exams.
DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution
The DP-200 certification exam is the first exam in the certification path for Azure data engineer associate. As you can see clearly, the ideal target audience for the DP-200 exam includes aspiring Microsoft Azure data engineers. The role of certified candidates involves collaboration with business stakeholders for identifying and addressing the data requirements needed for the implementation of data solutions using Azure data services.
The important requirements for the DP-200 certification exam are as follows,
- The ability for implementation of data solutions that use Azure services such as Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Stream Analytics.
- Knowledge of data-related implementation tasks such as data transformation and implementation of data retention policies and security requirements.
The domains covered in the DP-200 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Implementation of data storage solutions | 40-45% |
| Management and development of data processing | 25-30% |
| Monitoring and optimizing data solutions | 30-35% |
The registration cost for the DP-200 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the DP-200 certification exam in four languages, such as English, Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.
DP-201: Designing an Azure Data Solution
The DP-201 Azure cloud certification exam is the second required certification exam for the certification of the Azure Data Engineer associate. The ideal target audience for the DP-201 certification exam includes aspiring Azure data engineers. The role of certified candidates would involve collaboration with business stakeholders for identifying and meeting the data requirements for designing data solutions that employ Azure data services.
The important requirements for the DP-201 certification exam are as follows,
- Knowledge and experience in data-related design tasks such as designing Azure data storage solutions, data security, and compliance solutions and batch and real-time data processing solutions.
- Expertise in the wide assortment of Azure services such as Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, Azure Blob storage, Azure Stream Analytics, and Azure Data Lake Storage.
The important domains covered in the DP-201 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Designing Azure data storage solutions | 40-45% |
| Designing data processing solutions | 25-30% |
| Designing for data security and compliance | 25-30% |
The registration cost for the DP-201 Microsoft Azure certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the exam in four languages such as English, Simplified Chinese, Korean and, Japanese.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
The suitable Microsoft Azure certification for the role of an Azure data scientist is the DP-100 certification exam. Microsoft Azure will update the content of the DP-100 certification exam on May 22, 2020. Let us reflect on the existing information on DP-100 certification as follows.
DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure
The ideal target audience for the DP-100 Microsoft Azure certification refers to aspiring Azure data scientists. The role of certified candidates would involve the implementation of data science and machine learning knowledge for implementing and running machine learning workloads on Azure.
The important requirements that candidates should fulfill for the DP-100 certification exam are as follows,
- Comprehensive knowledge and experience with Azure Machine Learning Service.
- Capabilities for planning and development of suitable working environments for Azure data science workloads.
- Skills for running data experiments and training of predictive models.
- Knowledge for model management and optimization and deployment of machine learning models into production.
The domains covered in the DP-100 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Setting up an Azure Machine Learning workspace | 30-35% |
| Running experiments and training models | 25-30% |
| Optimization and management of models | 20-25% |
| Deployment and consumption of models | 20-25% |
The registration cost for the DP-100 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the certification exam in four languages, such as English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
Candidates aspiring for a promising security-related job role in Azure could opt for a Microsoft Azure certification as a security engineer associate. The only exam candidates have to qualify for this certification is AZ-500. Let us reflect on the details of AZ-500 as follows.
AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies
The ideal target audience for the AZ-500 certification exam includes aspiring Azure security engineers. The role of certified candidates would involve the implementation of security controls, maintaining the security posture, safeguarding data, networks and applications, and management of identity and access.
Certified candidates will also have to work with a larger team of cloud management and security professionals. In addition, the professional responsibilities of Azure security engineers can also involve the security of hybrid environments as components of end-to-end infrastructures. Microsoft plans on introducing some updates in the exam content on May 20, 2020.
The important requirements for candidates of AZ-500 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
- Comprehensive fluency in automation and scripting.
- In-depth understanding of virtualization, cloud N-tier architecture, and networking.
- Detailed awareness of cloud capabilities, Microsoft Azure products, and services as well as other Microsoft products and services.
The domains covered in the AZ-500 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Management of identity and access | 20-25% |
| Implementing platform protection | 35-40% |
| Managing security operations | 15-20% |
| Security of data and applications | 30-35% |
The registration cost for the AZ-500 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the exam in four languages, such as English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
If you aspire to establish proof of your capabilities as a DevOps expert on the Azure cloud platform, then the Microsoft Certified Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification is the right pick for you. The only certification exam that you have to clear for obtaining the Azure DevOps Engineer expert certification is AZ-400. However, the AZ-400 is unique and different from other Microsoft Azure certification exams.
Candidates need to qualify one of the two associate-level certifications recommended for the AZ-400 certification exam. So, candidates need to have either a Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate or Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate certification before taking the AZ-400 certification exam. Let us reflect on other details about the AZ-400 exam as follows.
AZ-400: Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions
The ideal target audience for the AZ-400 Microsoft Azure certification exam includes aspiring Azure DevOps professionals. The role of certified candidates would involve a combination of people, technologies, and processes for achieving continuous delivery of valuable products and services tailored to address end-user needs and business objectives.
In addition, the role of Azure DevOps experts would involve streamlining delivery through optimization of practices, developing automation, and improving collaboration and communications. Azure DevOps engineer experts also have to ensure the designing and implementation of strategies for application code and infrastructure that permit continuous integration, delivery, testing, feedback, and monitoring.
The important requirements for the AZ-400 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
- Thorough proficiency in Agile practices.
- Familiarity with Azure administration as well as Azure development.
- Expertise in at least Azure administration or Azure development.
- Skills for designing and implementing DevOps practices for version control, configuration management, compliance, infrastructure as code as well as build, release, and testing by leveraging Azure technologies.
The domains covered in the AZ-400 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Designing a DevOps strategy | 20-25% |
| Implementation of DevOps development processes | 20-25% |
| Implementing continuous integration | 10-15% |
| Implementing continuous delivery | 10-15% |
| Implementing dependency management | 5-10% |
| Implementation of application infrastructure | 15-20% |
| Implementing continuous feedback | 10-15% |
The registration cost for the AZ-400 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-400 certification exam in four languages such as English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty
The Microsoft Azure certification for the role of Azure IoT developer is the only AZ-220 exam. Here are the details of the certification exam to become a certified Azure IoT developer.
AZ-220: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer
The AZ-220 certification exam is the ideal certification exam for any aspiring Azure IoT developer. The role of certified candidates would involve accountability for implementation and coding need for the development and maintenance of cloud and edge aspects of an IoT solution. In addition, IoT developers also have to configure and maintain IoT devices by leveraging cloud services alongside setting up physical devices.
The important requirements for candidates to appear for the AZ-220 certification exam are as follows,
- In-depth understanding of the implementation of Azure services that constitute an IoT solution such as data storage options, platform-as-a-service, data analysis, and data processing options.
- The ability for recognizing Azure IoT service configuration settings in the code aspects of the IoT solution.
- Skills for performing particular IoT coding tasks in at least one high-level programming language supported by Azure such as C, Python, Node or C#.
The domains covered in the AZ-220 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Implementation of IoT solution infrastructure | 15-20% |
| Provisioning and managing devices | 20-25% |
| Implementing Edge | 15-20% |
| Processing and management of data | 15-20% |
| Monitoring, troubleshooting and optimization of IoT solutions | 15-20% |
| Implementation of Security | 15-20% |
The registration cost for the AZ-220 certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-220 certification exam only in the English language.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty
The Microsoft Azure certification exam for aspiring Azure SAP professionals is AZ-120 only. Let us reflect on the important details of the AZ-120 certification exam as follows.
AZ-120: Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads
The ideal certification exam for becoming a certified Azure SAP professional is AZ-120. The target audience for this certification exam includes aspiring architects and engineers with comprehensive knowledge regarding the SAP Landscape Certification process.
In addition, the candidates for the AZ-120 exam also have knowledge regarding the industry standards related to long-term operations of SAP solutions. Certified candidates have to make recommendations for services and make necessary resource adjustments for achieving optimal resiliency, scale, performance, monitoring, size, and provisioning.
The important requirements for the AZ-120 Microsoft Azure certification exam are as follows.
- In-depth experience and knowledge regarding SAP applications, SAP NetWeaver, SAP HANA, S/4HANA, SAP BW, and OS Servers for SAP applications and databases.
- Comprehensive knowledge of Azure Portal, ARM templates, virtualization, cloud infrastructure, disaster recovery design, networking, storage structures, and high availability design.
- Candidates should preferably have an Azure Architect or Azure Administrator certification.
- Candidates should also preferably have SAP HANA and Linux certifications.
The domains covered in the AZ-120 certification exam are as follows,
| Domain | Weighting |
| Migration of SAP workloads to Azure | 10-15% |
| Designing an Azure solution to support SAP workloads | 20-25% |
| Building and deploying Azure for SAP workloads | 35-40% |
| Validating Azure infrastructure for SAP workloads | 10-15% |
| Enabling operations of Azure SAP architecture | 10-15% |
The registration cost for the AZ-120 Microsoft Azure certification exam is $165 USD. Candidates can appear for the AZ-120 certification exam in four languages such as English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
Final Words
Now, you have a detailed outline of the Microsoft Azure certification path 2020. Readers can use the above-mentioned discussion to uncover details about any certification exam they prefer. One clear highlight in the discussion was the focus on important details a candidate needs to establish whether a particular certification exam is suitable for them or not.
The best thing about the certification model of Microsoft Azure is that they prepare an individual for specific job roles. Therefore, Azure certifications can be the ideal pick for candidates who want to establish a strong career in the Azure cloud landscape. However, candidates have to prepare for any certification exam with considerable dedication and accountability to their final objectives.
So, pick the certification that suits your career aspirations, enrol for our Azure certification training courses and get started right now!
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