Microsoft certification exams have been "role-based" for some time now. Which means that in Azure we have various exams very specific to the current skillset/job of an IT professional, like, Developer, Cloud Architects, AI/ML Practitioner, DBA etc.
There is a total of 20 Azure Certs and deciding which one is the best for you is kinda difficult without all the important information.
In this video, I have categorized the certifications/exams into different section based on complexity (Fundamentals, Associate, Expert) and specialization (Database, IoT, ML, SAP and more).
Timestamps:
Fundamentals
AZ-900 0:41
DP-900 1:34
AI-900 2:22
Associate Level
AZ-104 3:30
AZ-204 5:35
AZ-500 6:38
Expert Level
AZ-305 7:36
AZ-400 9:30
Infrastructure and Server Certs
AZ-600 11:15
AZ-800 + AZ 801 12:07
For Database Folk
DP-100 13:17
DP-103 13:48
DP-300 14:29
DP-420 15:21
Speciality Certifications
AZ-120 15:55
AZ-140 16:17
AZ-220 16:42
AZ-700 17:08
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Video Notes:
Fundamental Level Certifications
AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals – Infinite Validity Aimed at beginners, no cloud experience needed Fundamental knowledge, cloud and azure basics
DP-900: Azure Data Fundamentals - Infinite Validity DB/Storage offerings on Azure, for Beginners Core Data concepts; Relational, Non-Relational
AI-900: AI Fundamentals - Infinite Validity Aimed at AI enthusiasts, beginners AI offerings and features an Azure, Fundamentals
Intermediate/Associate Level Certifications (Popular)
AZ-104: Azure Administrator Aimed at experienced, but no pre-requisites Infra-heavy knowledge, Azure deep dive Smooth level up from AZ-900, Prep for Architect
AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Aimed at experienced, pre-requisites: programming/coding Dev-heavy knowledge, Azure deep dive, PaaS Recommended:AZ-900, Prep for Dev-ops Engineer
AZ-500: Azure Security Engineer Aimed at Security Engineers, IT Admins Similar to AZ-104 but security and Azure AD heavy Azure AD, policies, Security, Governance, remediation
Expert Level Certifications
AZ-305: Azure Architect (Designing Infra Solutions)Aimed at experienced, must have Azure Admin knowledge Infra-heavy test, deep dive into designing and monitoring, JSON High difficulty, Architect level, business cases, business continuity Supplement with either AZ-104 or AZ-303 to be Azure Architect
AZ-400: DevOps Engineer (Development)Aimed at experienced, pre-requisites: programming/coding Dev-heavy knowledge, Azure deep dive, PaaS, Site Reliability Source control Azure devops, best practices, high in difficulty Supplement with either AZ-104 or AZ-204 to be Dev-ops Engineer Infrastructure Specialized Certifications
AZ-600: Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub Associate Level Certification Aimed at experienced Azure Stack Hub operators, Infra Admins Moderate difficulty, BCDR knowledge, networking, infra, Devops
AZ-800: Windows Server Admin Hybrid Core Infra Aimed at experienced on-prem Server Admins, infra heavy Unofficial replacement for MCSE, MCSA Focused on AD, Virtualization, Networking
AZ-801: Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services Aimed at experienced on-prem Server Admins, Hybrid On-prem and hybrid integration scenarios and technology Focused on H.A., migration, D.R., Security
DP-100: Designing and Implementing Data Science Solution Associate Level Certification Aimed at experienced Data Science and ML practitioners.Moderate difficulty, Model Training, deploy ML on Azure
DP-103: Data Engineering on Azure Associate Level Certification Aimed at experienced Data Engineers and DBAs.Focused on Azure Database and storage offerings Difficulty
DP-300: Administering Relational Databases on Azure Associate Level Certification Aimed at experienced Database Admins, focused on MS SQL Server On-prem and hybrid integration: Azure DB Tech and On-prem Specialty
DP-420: Cloud-Native applications using Cosmos DB Cosmos DB Specialization Certification Aimed at personnel proficient with azure app dev and SQL
AZ-120: Cloud-Native applications using Cosmos DB SAP Specialization Aimed at Architects, Engineers with vast SAP experience SAP on Azure, Migration candidates
AZ-140: Cloud-Native applications using Cosmos DB
AZ-220: Azure IoT Developer IoT on Azure Specialization Certification Aimed at developers and IoT pros with coding skills Set up IoT solution infra, devices, business integration
AZ-700: Azure Network Engineer Associate Level Certification Aimed at SMEs with azure networking, security and infra skills Inter-site connectivity, firewalls, routing, network security.
