About DP-900 Exam
DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals exam is intended for individuals with the ability to operate with key data concepts as well as foundational knowledge of Microsoft Azure data services. It’s important to note that the Microsoft DP-900 test is a main requirement for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals certification.
Exam Overview
DP-900 is a proctored test that is designed to verify the candidates’ core skills in working with data in the cloud environment along with knowledge of the concepts of relational as well as non-relation data. Furthermore, the candidates for the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals exam should be familiar with various data workloads that are both transactional and analytical.
Regarding the testing process, Microsoft DP-900 is available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, French, German, and Spanish. You can register for the exam through the Pearson VUE website after paying the registration fee, which is now equivalent $99.
Associated Certification
As already stated, passing DP-900 exam is the only requirement for earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals accreditation. This Microsoft certificate is suitable for beginners who are enthusiastic to peruse a career in working with cloud and data. As a result, this entry-level qualification confirms one's understanding of the basic data concepts along with beginner-level expertise in working with data on the Microsoft Azure platform. Also, obtaining this foundational certification is a perfect chance for individuals to demonstrate their understanding of Azure workload analytics.
Exam Domains
Now that you are familiar with the registration process for the test and its corresponding accreditation, you should begin your preparation with a detailed study of the list of test topics, which you can find on the official website. They are gathered in a total of 4 exam domains that cover a varied percentage and include numerous concepts. These domains are reviewed below along with the topics included in them:
- Core concepts related to data (15-20%)
The first domain deals with the various fundamental concepts of data. In more detail, the candidates will need to have an understanding of the most basic data workloads, such as batch data, streaming data, as well as relational data characteristics. This portion of the certification exam also tests the candidates' comprehension of core data analytics concepts such as data processing, charts, and their basic types, analytics techniques, ETL and ELT processing, along with data visualization including reporting, visualization, and business intelligence.
- Working with relational data on Azure (25-30%)
The second section of the exam content comprises questions concerning Azure and relational data. So, the applicants need to be capable of explaining various relational data workloads, determining correct data offering for the workload, and identifying the various structure of relational data. Moreover, the domain also examines the entrants’ understanding of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS services along with various products inside the Azure SQL product family. The candidates will also be asked to explain the concept of Azure Synapse Analytics and different types of Azure databases. To get through this portion of the test, it is crucial that the applicant is familiar with fundamental management tasks for handling relational data. This means they need to be customary with relational data services, their provisioning, and deployment, along with various Azure services, such as Azure Resources Manager, Azure PowerShell, etc. Furthermore, the test-takers must be capable of determining various data security elements, simple issues with connectivity, and various query tools. Finally, this section will prove the candidates' knowledge of SQL language and practical skills in working with it alongside familiarity with diverse query techniques.
- Working with non-relational data on Azure (25-30%)
The third domain is focused on non-relational data. Therefore, every applicant will be asked about non-relational data workloads, their characteristics, their types, the correct form to store them, and their use. Understanding the offerings of non-relational data on the Azure platform is crucial to get through this knowledge area of DP-900 exam. This requires the entrants to be skilled in determining non-relational workloads for Azure data services and know the features of Azure’s Cosmos DB APIs, Blob storage, Table storage, and File storage. Additionally, skills needed to determine simple management tasks regarding non-relational data are checked in this domain. The applicant would also have to be fluent in provisioning and deploying non-relational data services, determining security components, identifying simple connectivity problems, and working with management tools for data that are non-relational in nature.
- Analytics workload on Azure (25-30%)
The final portion of the certification exam requires an understanding of the Azure platform and analytics workload. The candidates should be able to explain transactional workloads, batch, real-time, workload warehousing, etc. They should also have knowledge about modern data warehouses and the Azure data services related to them. This includes an understanding of Azure Data Lake, Azure Databricks, Storage Gen2, and other Azure services. This section also deals with the architecture of modern data warehouses. The applicant should have knowledge of ingestion of data, data loading practices, Azure Data Factory components, and various data processing options. Finally, understanding the workings of Microsoft Power BI and the capability of visualizing data using it will help in getting through this domain.
Career Opportunities
As you already understand, passing the exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals and earning the relevant Microsoft certificate increases your chance to work as a Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Database Administrator, or Developer drastically. For example, according to PayScale, Data Engineer gets an annual salary of around $93k.
Certification Path
At the same time, you should not stop there. Once you've earned the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals certification, you can continue your Microsoft accreditation journey. Thus, you can look to an Azure role-based path, including Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate and prove your understanding of the operational aspects of Microsoft Azure Data Services and Microsoft SQL Server cloud data platform solutions. Or, you can get the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate accreditation and thus demonstrate your skills in expertise, transforming, integrating, and combining data to build analytics solutions.
