🧭 Overview
Exam Code: DP-900
Certification: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals
Audience: Beginners in data roles, IT professionals, business analysts, students
Prerequisites: None (basic data concepts helpful)
Format: Multiple-choice and scenario-based questions
Time Limit: ~45–60 minutes
Passing Score: 700/1000
Cost: Varies by region
Official Microsoft Page: DP-900 Certification Details
✅ Skills Measured
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Describe core data concepts | 15–20% |
| Describe how to work with relational data on Azure | 25–30% |
| Describe how to work with non-relational data on Azure | 25–30% |
| Describe an analytics workload on Azure | 25–30% |
🧱 Exam Topics Breakdown
1. Describe Core Data Concepts
Types of data: structured, semi-structured, unstructured
Batch vs streaming data
Concepts of data processing and storage
Differences between transactional and analytical workloads
2. Work with Relational Data in Azure
Azure SQL services: SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, SQL on VMs
Concepts of tables, keys, indexes, normalization
Azure services for relational databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL
Use cases for various relational database services
3. Work with Non-Relational Data in Azure
Non-relational data types: key-value, document, graph, column-family
Azure Cosmos DB: APIs, consistency models, partitioning
Azure Table Storage and Blob Storage basics
Use cases for non-relational databases
4. Describe Analytics Workloads in Azure
Azure Synapse Analytics overview
Azure Data Lake and Data Lake Storage Gen2
Azure Databricks and big data processing
Azure Stream Analytics and real-time analytics
Concepts of ELT/ETL, data ingestion, and transformation pipelines
Power BI basics: dashboards, reports, workspaces
🗺️ 4-Week Study Plan
| Week | Topics | Microsoft Learn Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Core Data Concepts | Explore core data concepts |
| Week 2 | Relational Data in Azure | Explore relational data offerings |
| Week 3 | Non-Relational Data in Azure | Explore non-relational data offerings |
| Week 4 | Analytics Workloads | Explore analytics workloads on Azure + Practice Test |
🎓 Microsoft Official Learning Resources
✅ DP-900 Learning Path on Microsoft Learn
✅ DP-900 Practice Assessment
✅ Instructor-Led Microsoft Course: DP-900T00
🧠 Study Tips
Learn the difference between structured and unstructured data with examples
Focus on use cases: which Azure data service to use when
Get hands-on experience using a free Azure trial with Azure SQL and Cosmos DB
Review diagrams and flowcharts in Microsoft Learn modules
Understand the fundamentals of data security, backup, and replication in cloud environments
Learn how Power BI integrates into Azure analytics workflows
✅ Final Exam Checklist
Completed all Microsoft Learn modules
Scored 80%+ on Microsoft’s official practice assessment
Reviewed the exam skills outline
Explored the Azure Portal with SQL, Cosmos DB, and Synapse demos
Scheduled and confirmed exam date with Pearson VUE
✍️ Concepts to Master
OLTP vs OLAP
SQL Database vs Cosmos DB
Data warehouse vs data lake
Batch vs real-time data processing
ETL vs ELT
Azure services: Synapse, Databricks, Data Factory, Stream Analytics
