Microsoft Azure is one of the top public cloud providers today, and it witnesses some of the fastest and ever-increasing adoptions by most organizations. As the number of Microsoft Azure clients increases in the industry, the demand for Azure-certified candidates also increases, which in turn increases the value of the skills you gather in Azure.
If you are looking to make a career in the cloud domain, following the Azure certification path could be exactly what you need. In this blog, we will understand all the nitty-gritty of Microsoft Azure Certifications. Here we will provide you with the Azure Certifications list that you can apply for and qualify for.
Watch this Microsoft Azure cloud certification tutorial:
Why Microsoft Azure Certifications?
Firstly, you must be wondering, ‘What is Microsoft Azure Certification?’ Microsoft Azure is widely known and recognized as the most confident cloud provider across the globe.
This is why there are a huge number of opportunities to explore for those who are Microsoft Azure certified. In the below graph, it is quite evident that job opportunities for these professionals have been constantly increasing over the last few years.
The average salary for Microsoft Azure-certified professionals ranges between US$147,779 and US$167,807 per annum. Moreover, 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies are using Microsoft Azure.
Now that we have established why Microsoft Azure certifications are your best bet to start a career in Cloud Computing, let’s explore these certifications in detail.
New Role-based Azure Certifications
To align Microsoft Azure certifications with the latest trending job roles in the industry and make the certifications more industry-centric, Microsoft curated role-based certifications, focusing on the core job roles in the cloud domain as follows:
Microsoft Azure offers various exams that must be cleared to gain an Azure certificate. Totally, there are five Microsoft certifications that target the above-mentioned job roles. These certifications are categorized into three different levels:
- Fundamental-level certification: One exam is required to be passed to earn a fundamental-level certification.
- Associate-level certifications: Two associate-level exams are required to be passed to earn an associate-level certification.
- Expert-level certifications: It requires passing two expert-level exams. Associate certification is not a prerequisite for this, but one can first go for the associate-level certification and then attempt for the expert-level certification.
The following image shows the Microsoft Azure Certification Path to multiple certifications offered by Microsoft Azure, categorized into the above-mentioned levels:
Let’s explore the role-based certifications and the exams associated with them, in the same order as the Azure certification levels mentioned above.
Azure Fundamental-level Certifications
1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
This certification falls under the category of the fundamentals level and is basically for beginners. It validates that candidates have a sound understanding of all basic cloud concepts and core Azure fundamentals, such as Azure pricing, support, and more.
Exam:AZ-900 – Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
This exam has to be cleared to earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals certification. This exam is designed to test the basic cloud skills and foundational understanding of Microsoft Azure.
This exam is optional, that is, you don’t have to be Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certified to move on to the next level of Microsoft Azure certifications. You can skip this exam and directly take up the exams for the next-level certifications.
Prerequisites:
- Basic Understanding of Cloud Computing Concepts
- Familiarity with the Microsoft Azure Platform
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Describe cloud concepts |
25–30% |
| Describe Azure architecture and services |
35–40% |
| Describe Azure management and governance |
30–35% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Spanish, German, French
Exam Cost: US$99.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹3696 INR*
2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals
This Microsoft Azure certification is a good starter certification for aspiring data-focused cloud practitioners. It covers core data concepts, relational and non-relational data, analytics workloads, modern data warehousing, data ingestion and processing, and data visualization in Microsoft Power BI.
Exam: DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals
To crack this exam, one should have a foundational knowledge of core data concepts and their implementation with Microsoft Azure data services.
Again, this Azure certification isn’t a prerequisite for moving up to other Azure levels but it will help learners acquire skills in the data-specific areas that are useful when they later take up the Azure Database Administrator Associate or Azure Data Engineer Associate role.
Prerequisites: None
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Describe core data concepts |
25–30% |
| Identify considerations for relational data on Azure |
20–25% |
| Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure |
15–20% |
| Describe an analytics workload on Azure |
25-30% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, French, German, and Spanish
Exam Cost: $99 USD
Exam Cost in India: ₹3696 INR*
3. Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
This Microsoft Azure certification is for beginners from both technical and non-technical backgrounds. It validates one’s basic knowledge of AI and machine learning in Azure.
Exam: AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals
This isn’t a mandatory starter certification to climb up the Azure career path, but it is helpful for those taking up the Azure AI Engineer Associate and Azure Data Scientist Associate roles.
Prerequisites: None (understanding of general programming or experience is a plus)
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Describe Artificial Intelligence workloads and considerations |
20–25% |
| Describe fundamental principles of machine learning on Azure |
25–30% |
| Describe features of computer vision workloads on Azure |
15-20% |
| Describe features of Natural Language Processing (NLP) workloads on Azure |
25–30% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, French, German, and Spanish
Exam Cost: $99 USD
Exam Cost: ₹3696 INR*
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Azure Associate-level Certifications
1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator
This Azure certification falls under the associate level. It validates that the candidate has acquired a wide range of Cloud Computing skills and has a sound understanding of Microsoft Azure resources. A candidate possessing this Azure Administrator certification is expected to be able to manage various cloud services, such as security, networking, storage, and more.
Exam: AZ-104 – Microsoft Azure Administrator
This certification exam is ideal for somebody who wants to pursue the role of an Azure Administrator.
Prerequisites:
One must have at least 6 months of experience working with Azure administration, along with a basic understanding of core Azure services, security governance, and Azure workloads and hands-on experience with Azure PowerShell, ARM templates, command-line interface, and the Azure portal.
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Managing Azure Identities and Governance |
20–25% |
| Implementing and Managing Storage |
15–20% |
| Deploying and Managing Azure Compute Resources |
20–25% |
| Configuring and Managing Virtual Networks |
15–20% |
| Monitoring and Backing up Azure resources |
10–15% |
Languages: English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Japanese
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer
This is another associate-level role-based certification by Microsoft Azure. Candidates possessing this Azure certification are expected to be fairly proficient with designing and building cloud applications, using Azure tools and technologies.
Exam: AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
Candidates for this exam should have subject matter expertise in designing, building, testing, and maintaining cloud applications and services on Microsoft Azure.
Prerequisites:
- In-depth proficiency in Azure SDKs, APIs, data storage options, app authentication, authorization, debugging, monitoring, compute and container deployment, data connections, monitoring, and performance tuning
- At least 1 to 2 years of hands-on experience in professional development
- Practical experience in working on the Microsoft Azure platform
- Knowledge of at least one programming language supported by Azure
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Developing Azure Compute Solutions |
25–30% |
| Developing for Azure Storage |
15–20% |
| Implementing Azure Security |
20–25% |
| Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and Optimizing Azure Solutions |
15–20% |
| Connecting and Consuming Azure Services and Third-party Services |
15–20% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
3. Azure AI Engineer Associate
The Azure AI Engineer Associate certification is for people aspiring to become Microsoft Azure AI professionals.
Exam: AI-102: Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution
Candidates for AI-102 should know the building, management, and deployment of AI solutions that leverage Azure Cognitive Search, Azure Cognitive Services, and Microsoft Bot Framework.
Prerequisites: None. However, an Azure Fundamentals certification is favorable.
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Plan and Manage an Azure Cognitive Services Solution |
15-20% |
| Implement decision support solutions |
10–15% |
| Implement computer vision solutions |
15–20% |
| Implement natural language processing solutions |
30–35% |
| Implement generative AI solutions |
10–15% |
| 10–15% |
Languages: English
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
4. Azure Data Scientist Associate
The Azure Data Scientist Associate certification is suitable for anyone pursuing the role of Azure Data Scientist Associate.
Exam: DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure
In the DP-100 certification exam, you may find questions that involve tasks for arranging a few components in a particular sequence, along with the general MCQ questions.
Prerequisites: None, but having an Azure Fundamentals certification is favorable.
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Design and prepare a machine learning solution |
20–25 |
| Explore data and train models |
35–40% |
| Prepare a model for deployment |
20–25% |
| Deploy and retrain a model |
10-15% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
5. Azure Security Engineer Associate
The Azure Security Engineer Associate certification is suitable for anyone pursuing the role of an Azure Security Engineer Associate.
Exam: AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies
The AZ-500 exam is aimed at achieving the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification. It is recommended to pass the Azure Fundamentals exam before taking this AZ-500 exam.
Prerequisites:
- Familiarity with the implementation of security controls on the Microsoft Azure platform
- In-depth knowledge of virtualization, cloud N-tier architecture, Amazon Kubernetes service, and networking
- Ability to recognize and address vulnerabilities using several security tools; implementing security solutions for the protection of networks, applications, and data
- Expertise in scripting and automation, identity and access management, and maintaining security status
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Managing Identity and Access |
25–30% |
| Secure networking |
20–25% |
| Secure compute, storage, and databases |
20–25% |
| Manage security operations |
25–30% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
6. Azure Data Engineer Associate
Azure Data Engineers are skilled at the integration, transformation, and consolidation of data from various structured and unstructured data systems into structures suitable for building analytics solutions.
Exam: DP-203: Implementing an Azure Data Solution
Prerequisites: None, but candidates must know how to implement data solutions using Azure service.
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Design and Implement Data Storage |
15–20% |
| Develop data processing |
40–45% |
| Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing |
30–35% |
Languages: English
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
7. Azure Database Administrator Associate
The Azure Database Administrator Associate certification focuses on the implementation and management of the operational side of Azure cloud-native and hybrid data platform solutions.
Exam: DP-300: Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure
The new DP-300 certification exam by Microsoft Azure is the perfect exam for cloud-based database administrators and database management specialists. The certification is currently in the beta stage; i.e., there will be no facility for getting immediate results.
Prerequisites:
- Skills in a variety of tools or methods for carrying out tasks related to day-to-day database administration
- At least 2 years of working experience in database administration
- A minimum of 1-year hands-on experience working with the Microsoft Azure Cloud ecosystem
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Plan and implement data platform resources |
20–25% |
| Implement a secure environment |
15–20% |
| Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources |
20–25% |
| Configure and manage automation of tasks |
15–20% |
| Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery(HA/DR) environment |
20–25% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
8. Microsoft Certified: Azure Architect for SAP Workloads Specialty
The Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty certification is meant for those architects or engineers having working experience and an understanding of the SAP ecosystem and industry norms specific to the SAP solutions used for Azure.
Exam: AZ-120: Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads
This Azure certification exam is ideal for people who have a thorough knowledge of the SAP Landscape certification process and want to acquire knowledge in integrating SAP with Azure.
Prerequisites:
- In-depth understanding of SAP applications, SAP S/4HANA, SAP NetWeaver, SAP BW, and OS servers for SAP applications and databases
- Fluency working on the Azure portal, virtualization, cloud infrastructure, ARM templates, storage structures, networking, disaster recovery designs, data protection concepts, and high-availability reliable designs.
- Either the Azure Architect or the Azure Administrator certification is highly recommended, along with Linux and SAP certifications
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Migrate SAP workloads to Azure |
25–30% |
| Design and implement an infrastructure to support SAP workloads on Azure |
35–40% |
| Design and implement high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) |
15–20% |
| Maintain SAP Workloads |
10-15% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
9. Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty
This Azure IoT Developer Specialty certification requires candidates to have a thorough knowledge of developing and deploying the components of IoT solutions on Microsoft Azure.
Exam: AZ-220: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Exam (Renew available)
The AZ-220 certification exam is ideal for somebody who wants to assume the Azure IoT Developer job role. It focuses on implementing IoT solutions, along with knowledge of coding needed for creating and managing different aspects of IoT solutions’ implementation.
Prerequisites:
- Extensive knowledge of implementing Azure services to develop an IoT solution
- Ability to identify the settings of Azure IoT service configuration within the code of an IoT solution
- Skills for performing IoT coding tasks in any one of the programming languages supported by Azure, such as Python, C#, C, or Node
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Implementation of the IoT Solution Infrastructure |
10-15% |
| Provisioning and Management of Devices |
15-20% |
| Implementation IoT Edge |
15–20% |
| Data Processing and Management |
15–20% |
| Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and Optimizing IoT Solutions |
15–20% |
| Implementation of Security |
10-15% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Azure Expert-level Certifications
1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect
This is the first role-based certification that is launched at an expert level. According to the new role-based certification model, candidates are required to pass two exams to earn this Azure Solutions Architect certification. They are:
- AZ-104: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
- AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
Candidates possessing this Azure certification are expected to be proficient in translating business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions.
Let’s explore both of these expert-level exams, individually.
Exam AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
Applicants of this exam have to prove their expertise in offering recommendations to stakeholders and translate business requirements into solutions that are highly secure, reliable, and scalable.
Prerequisites:
- You should be Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate(AZ-104)
- Working knowledge of Azure development and DevOps processes
- In-depth knowledge and experience in IT operations, such as virtualization, budgeting, networking, governance, security, disaster recovery, and business continuity
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions |
25–30% |
| Design data storage solutions |
25–30% |
| Design business continuity solutions |
15–20% |
| Design infrastructure solutions |
30-35% |
Languages: English
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
2. Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
This Azure DevOps certification falls under the category of expert-level certification. Candidates possessing this certification are expected to be proficient in implementing DevOps methodologies and development processes.
Exam: AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions
This AZ-400 certification exam is for those who want to assume the role of an Azure DevOps Engineer. It tests the ability of candidates to design and implement various DevOps methodologies.
Prerequisites:
To become a Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert, you must earn at least one of the following:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate.
- Candidates must be familiar with both Azure development and Azure administration.
- Candidates must be Azure certified with any of the two associate-level certifications.
- Candidates must be proficient in implementing Agile processes.
Exam Curriculum:
| Skills Measured |
Exam Weightage |
| Developing an Instrumentation Strategy |
5-10% |
| Develop a Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Strategy |
5-10% |
| Develop a Security and Compliance Plan |
10–15% |
| Manage Source Control |
10–15% |
| Facilitate Communication and Collaboration |
10-15% |
| Define and Implement Continuous Integration |
20-25% |
| Define and Implement a Continuous Delivery and Release Management Strategy |
10–15% |
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean
Exam Cost: US$165.00
Exam Cost in India: ₹4800 INR*
Retired Azure Certification Exams
Realizing the new demands and needs that should be met while designing certification programs to pursue a lucrative career in the current industry, Microsoft Azure keeps modifying its exams and certifications. Microsoft Azure retired a particular set of exams and replaced them with newly designed and modified exams. It is important for us to keep ourselves updated.
The new exams are intended to measure some new skills, in addition to all the skills that were measured in the old exams.
Transition Exams
Microsoft Azure has also launched transition exams for each one of the retired exams that are valid for a limited period. These transition exams are designed to measure the newly added skills in the new exams and are meant for those candidates who have already cleared the old exams so that they can upgrade their certifications without having to take up the new exams entirely. As of June 30, 2019, the transition exams are no longer available.
We have covered the latest exams for each Azure certification role in this blog. Let’s now have a brief look at the retired exams and their transition exams.
| Candidates who have passed these 70-xxx series exams |
Candidates who have passed these AZ-xxx and MS-xxx series exams |
To earn these role-based Microsoft Certifications |
| 70-533: Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (retired December 31, 2018) |
AZ-102: Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Transition (retired June 30, 2019)* |
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate |
| 70-535: Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions (retired December 31, 2018) |
AZ-302: Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Certification Transition (retired June 30, 2019)* |
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert |
| 70-339: Managing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2016 |
MS-302: Microsoft 365 Teamwork Administrator Certification Transition (retired September 30, 2019) |
Microsoft 365 Certified: Teamwork Administrator Associate |
| 70-345: Designing and Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 |
MS-202: Microsoft 365 Messaging Administrator Certification Transition (retired September 30, 2019)* |
Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate |
Recommended Azure Certification Roadmap
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Through these courses, you will learn all about the Azure cloud platform, its architecture, cloud solutions, and much more. These courses will help you clear the respective Microsoft Azure exams and take you a step closer to becoming an Azure-certified professional.
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