Microsoft Azure Certifications 2021-November

Last Updated: 2021/Nov
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Microsoft Azure Certifications Blueprint/ Smarter Code OÜ. --
A W o rd f rom th e Au tho r
Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you on your willingness to be-

come Microsoft Azure certified. Getting Microsoft certifications
is a great way to demonstrate industry experience and gain con-
fidence. I cannot tell you how many times I get in touch with
recruiters who called to check my experience background. Once
I tell them that I am certified in C#, ASP.NET MVC, JavaS-
cript/CSS/HTML, Azure, and Machine Learning, they directly
switch to "Aha mode" and discuss my career aspirations and fu-
ture expectations. Moreover, they helped me during my
performance reviews in my daily job as a tool to show that I can
"walk the talk" and I have an industry reference of my compe-
tence.
You can do as well! By following the advice, guidance, and re-
sources in this book, you'll be able to find your way around
different types of Azure certifications. You'll know what certifi-
cation fits your current job role, the required skillset,
preparation resources, and finally, a list of freelance websites
where you can use your Azure skill to earn a nice extra income.
Moreover, as an additional gift, I'll share with you a link to my
blog post on how you can get some Azure certifications for free.
Microsoft Certifications get frequently updated as the underlying technology does. I will
post a quarterly update of this eBook with the relevant changes to keep this guide live.
Make sure to download the latest version from here.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no addi-
tional cost to you, I'll earn a commission, which helps make this guide free of charge to
you. Know that I only recommend products and services I've personally used and stand
behind.
This guide will take you through a step-by-step jour-

ney from the beginning, where you understand what Azure
certifications are until the end, where you get to know how to
get paid for the certifications and credentials you earned!
This guide is written assuming that the reader has no idea
about Azure certifications, so you'll have to skip some parts if
you are already familiar with them.
Contents
A Word from the Author ............................................................. 3
Navigating This Guide ................................................................. 7
What is Microsoft Azure? ........................................................... 9
Why Should You Get Azure Certified? ...................................... 11
Career Flexibility.................................................................... 11
Increased Pay ........................................................................ 12
Professional Development .................................................... 12
Azure Cloud Certification Tracks ............................................... 13
What certification fits me?.................................................... 14
Role-based – Know things deeper ........................................ 14
Role-Based............................................................................. 16
Specialty-based ..................................................................... 30
Fundamentals ........................................................................ 35
How to Prepare For Your Azure Certification .......................... 39
How to book the exam? ............................................................ 42
Certificate renewal.................................................................... 44
Earn money with your Azure skills ............................................ 45
Final Words ............................................................................... 47
● C H A P T E R 1 ●
Navigating This Guide
Navigating this guide can be overwhelming. Hence, I suggest

you use it in the following manner:
• Start by reading "What is Microsoft Azure." You can
skip if you are already familiar with Azure
• Read "Why You Should Get Azure Certified?". You can
skip if you are already convinced
• Read "Azure Cloud Certification Tracks." To get an idea
about the Azure certifications ecosystem on a high
level
• Read "What Certification Fits Me." To find the certifi-
cations that fit your role
• Read in more detail about the certifications that fit
your role in the corresponding section. You DO NOT
need to read about every certification. Save your
time!
• Read "How to prepare for the exam." For a step-by-
step preparation procedure, I use
Share Now!
• Read "How to book your exam." To learn about online

and in-person booking
• Read "How to renew your certification." To keep your
certification, live and valid!
• Read "How to earn money with Azure certification."
To transform your knowledge into dollars in the bank
account
• Sharing is caring! Share this guide in your network to
help as many people as possible
● 8 ●
MICROSOFT AZURE CERTIFICATIONS BLUEPRINT
C H A P T E R 2
Wh at is M icro sof t A zu re ?
Cloud computing is one of the fastest-growing technologies

of our era. Every technology giant is fighting to get a piece of
cloud computing cake. According to the IDC report, "public cloud
spending will grow from $229 billion in 2019 to nearly $1.3 Tril-
lion in 2025."
The growth of cloud computing is undeniable and evident for
all to see, with many big players introducing unique products in
a bid to dominate the growing cloud computing market. These
unique products include AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Rack-
space, IBM Cloud, among others. Azure is Microsoft's response
to cloud war.
Microsoft Azure, however, is the second market leader with a
20% market share. Therefore, by choosing Azure certification,
you make sure that you are fishing where the fishes are!
Microsoft Azure covers a wide range of IT services, including

Computing, Storage, Networking, Security, AI, Monitoring, and
● 9 ●
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DevOps services. So, by learning Azure, you get access to a com-

plete IT ecosystem where you can run an entire business using
the cloud. Azure offerings cover IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.
Therefore, by using Azure, you'll open a new world of techno-
logical opportunities for the business. Such as implementing
DevOps, spinning up and down virtual machines for experi-
ments, and even running low-cost machine learning proof
concepts.
● 10 ●
C H A P T E R 3
Why Should You Get Azure

Certified?
Getting certified takes time, money, and effort. So, there

should be apparent reasons why to pursue this endeavor. Let me
share with you what I think.
Career Flexibility
You can pursue a wide range of career options if you have a

Microsoft Azure certification. You can either become a cloud ar-
chitect, a software developer, or a solution architect, among
many others. Having an Azure certification can get you into var-
ious positions in sectors like retail, agriculture, healthcare,
entertainment, and finance.
Also, many certified Azure professionals can work in different
places like the United States, The United Kingdom, France, and
more.
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Businesses in every industry migrate to the cloud due to the

unmatchable benefits they get in storage, computing, and net-
working.
Increased Pay
Having an Azure certification shows that you have specific

technical skills in high demand rather than generic abilities,
which increases your income potential.
The average salary for an Azure Developer is estimated at
$136,768 per annum, while the average salary of an Azure Archi-
tect is $152,879 per annum. This is great for anybody, and you
can take advantage of the salary package by taking additional
courses and becoming a senior Azure professional.
Also, note that salaries can vary across countries and enter-
prises, and an Azure specialist can get paid anywhere from
$40,914 to $172,170 on average per year.
Professional Development
With an Azure professional certification, your services will al-

ways be in demand. The certifications cover many topics for
solution experts and developers. 95% of Fortune 500 companies
trust Azure for their business, which means a huge opportunity
to land a world-class corporate job.
● 12 ●
C H A P T E R 4
Azure Cloud Certification

Tracks
You have four options when perusing Microsoft certifications:

Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform. Each
option has role-based certifications aimed to expand your tech-
nical skillset, specialty-based certifications to deepen your
technical skills and manage industry solutions, and, finally, fun-
damentals certifications to master the basics. You can learn
more about other certifications options from this poster de-
signed by Microsoft. This blueprint focuses purely on Azure-
based certifications.
The Azure certification ecosystem itself spans multiple op-
tions. Ok, I know that you were confused after looking at the
exam poster, and you wonder what exam fits your current situ-
ation? I'll make it straightforward to quickly understand what
certifications are relevant to your situation.
● 13 ●
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What certification fits me?

Ok, I know that you were confused after looking at the exam
poster, and you wonder what exam fits your current situation?
I'll make it straightforward to quickly understand what certifica-
tions are relevant to your situation.
Fundamentals – Absolute Beginner
The common theme of fundamentals certificates is that they
do not require deep technical knowledge or hands-on. This sim-
plicity makes them ideal candidates for managers and non-
technical decision-makers.
• If you have no idea about Azure … Start with Azure Fun-
damentals
• If you want to have a high-level understanding of Azure
AI capabilities … Take Azure AI Fundamentals
• If you are a data professional who wants to understand
data in Azure … Take Azure Data Fundamentals
Role-based – Know things deeper
The common theme of the role-based certificates is that they

require technical experience, usually 1-3 years in the relevant
topic.
In all cases, you should take or be familiar with Azure Fun-
damentals
• If you are a System Admin … Take Azure Administrator
Associate (AZ-104).
o If you want to run Azure on-premise (Azure
Stack), consider Azure Stack Hub Operator Asso-
ciate (AZ-600)
● 14 ●
o If you want to run regular Windows Server hy-

brid environment, consider Windows Server
Hybrid Administrator Associate
• If you are a Software Developer ... Take Azure Developer
Associate (AZ-204)
• If you are a Data Engineer … Take Azure Data Engineer
Associate (DP-203), you may consider Azure Data Fun-
damentals first.
• If you are a Data Scientist … Take Azure Data Scientist
Associate (DP-100), you may consider Azure AI Funda-
mentals first.
• If you are Infrastructure Engineer …Take Azure Solutions
Architect Expert (AZ-303, AZ-304). You may want to con-
sider Azure Administrator Associate first
o If you work with security, consider Azure Secu-
rity Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
o If you work with networking, consider Azure Net-
work Engineer Associate (AZ-700)
• If you are DevOps Engineer …Take DevOps Engineer Ex-
pert (AZ-400). You may want to consider Azure
Administrator Associate first
• If you are Database Admin … Take Azure Database Ad-
ministrator Associate (DP-300). You may consider Azure
Data Fundamentals first.
• If you are a Data Analyst … Take Data Analyst Associate
(DA-100). You may consider Azure Data Fundamentals
first.
• If you are an AI Engineer … Take Azure AI Engineer Asso-
ciate (AI-102), you may consider Azure AI Fundamentals
first.
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Specialty–Specific Industry Solutions
The common theme of those certifications is that they are fo-

cused on specialized industry solutions. Therefore, it will be of
interest to a narrow target group.
In all cases, you should take or be familiar with Azure Funda-
mentals
• If you are an SAP expert … Take Azure for SAP Work-
loads Speciality (AZ-120)
• If you are an Azure Virtual Desktop expert … Take Azure
Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ-140)
• If you are IoT Developer… Take Azure IoT Developer Spe-
cialty (AZ-220)
For a more detailed explanation of what certification works

for each role, read the Azure training journey from Microsoft.
You do not need to read the whole section. Jump directly to your certification!
Role-Based
AZ-104 Azure Administrator Associate certification

The Azure Administrator Associate certification requires that
you have some experience or subject matter expertise in man-
aging, implementing, and monitoring a company's Microsoft
Azure environment.
● 16 ●
The role of an Azure Administrator associate comes with re-

sponsibilities like managing, implementing, and monitoring
identity, storage, governance, and virtual networks in a cloud en-
vironment. Also, adjusting and monitoring resources as needed.
An Azure administrator often serves as part of a bigger team
committed to implementing a company's cloud infrastructure.
As a candidate for this certification, you should have a minimum
of six months of practical experience administering Azure. You
should also have a strong understanding of core Azure services,
security, Azure workloads, and governance.
The required exam for this certification is the AZ-104, and the
skills measured are:
Managing Azure governance and identities
Managing and Implementing storage
Managing and deploying Azure computing resources
Managing and configuring virtual networking
Monitoring and backing up Azure resources
You can learn more about skills measured from the exam skills
outline.
To prepare for AZ-104, you can watch Microsoft Azure Admin-
istrator (AZ-104) from Pluralsight.
You can get practice tests from Whizlabs to get you accus-
tomed to the exam style.
You can also learn from Microsoft learn learning path for AZ-
104.
● 17 ●
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AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate

As a candidate for the Azure Developer Associate certifica-
tion, you should have adequate experience designing, building,
testing, and maintaining cloud applications and services on Mi-
crosoft Azure.
The responsibilities for this role include engaging in all pro-
cesses of cloud development, from requirements and design; to
development, deployment, and maintenance. You're also re-
sponsible for performance tuning and monitoring.
As an Azure developer, you're required to partner with cloud
solution architects, cloud administrators, cloud DBAs, and clients
to design and implement solutions. You should have at least 1-2
years of professional development experience and expertise
with Microsoft Azure to qualify for this certification.
Additionally, you should be able to program in a language that
is supported by Azure. You should be proficient in Azure SDKs,
Azure CLI, data storage options, data connections, APIs, Azure
PowerShell, compute and container deployment, debugging,
app authentication and authorization, performance tuning, and
monitoring.
The exam for this certification is the AZ-204 and the skills
measured are;
Ability to develop Azure compute solutions
Ability to develop for Azure storage
Proficiency in Implementing Azure security
Monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing Azure solutions
● 18 ●
Ability to connect to and use Azure services and its third-party

services
outline.
To prepare for AZ-104, you can watch Microsoft Developer
Associate (AZ-204) from Pluralsight.
204.
AZ-500 Azure Security Engineer certification
If you're interested in the Azure Security Engineer certifica-
tion, you're required to have relevant expertise in managing
identity and access, implementing security controls, and threat
protection. You should be able to protect data, networks, and
applications in both cloud and hybrid.
This role comes with responsibilities, which include: imple-
menting threat protection, maintaining the security posture,
identifying and resolving vulnerabilities by using diverse security
tools, and responding to security challenges.
As a candidate for this certification, you should have ade-
quate skills in scripting and automation, a deeper understanding
of networking, cloud N-tier architecture, and virtualization. Also,
you should be familiar with cloud capabilities, products and ser-
vices for Azure, and other products and services by Microsoft.
The exam for this certification is the AZ-500, and the skills
measured are:
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• Managing identity and access

• Implementing platform protection
• Ability to manage security operations
• Proficiency in securing data and applications
outline.
To prepare for AZ-500, you can watch Microsoft Azure Secu-
rity Engineer Associate (AZ-500) from Pluralsight.
500.
AZ-600 Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate
The ideal candidates for the Azure Stack Hub Operator Asso-
ciate certification are Azure administrators or Azure Stack Hub,
operators. Their primary responsibility is to provide cloud ser-
vices from their data center using Azure Stack Hub. The data
provided is used by the end-users.
The responsibilities of an Azure administrator include plan-
ning, deploying, packaging, updating, and maintaining the Azure
Stack Hub infrastructure. As an Azure administrator, you also
provide hybrid cloud resources and other services requested by
the users. Another responsibility is to manage the platform as a
service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
You will be part of a bigger team assigned to cloud-based
management and security.
● 20 ●
Candidates for the Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate certi-

fication are expected to have relevant expertise in operating and
managing Azure Stack Hub environments. You are required to
have a firm understanding of Azure, combined with adequate
knowledge of networking, virtualization, and identity manage-
ment. A potential Azure administrator needs to understand how
Azure Stack Hub supports DevOps processes and the hybrid de-
velopment model.
The required exam for the Azure Stack Hub Operator is AZ-
600, and the skills required are
● Providing a range of services
● Implementing data center integration
● Managing identity and access
● Managing infrastructure
outline.
600.
AZ-700 Azure Network Engineer Associate

The target group of this exam is subject matters experts in
designing end-to-end Azure networking solutions. The ideal can-
didate should have Azure administration, networking, hybrid
connections, and network security skills.
Azure network engineers work with different roles such as so-
lution architects, DevOps engineers, developers to build Azure
solutions. They are responsible for managing the resiliency,
scale, and security of Azure infrastructure.
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The required skills for the exam are:

• Design, implement and manage hybrid networking
• Design and implement core networking infrastructure
• Design and implement routing
• Secure and monitor networks
• Design and implement Private access to Azure Services
outline.
To prepare for AZ-700, you can watch Designing and Imple-
menting Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions (AZ-700) from
Pluralsight.
700.
AI-102 Azure AI Engineer Associate
The target group of this exam is AI Engineers who manage,
design, and deploy AI solutions that use Azure Cognitive Ser-
vices, Azure Cognitive Search, and Microsoft Bot Framework.
You should also be familiar with C#, Python, and RESTful APIs.
As a Microsoft AI Engineer, you'll work with data scientists,
data engineers, IoT specialists, and other roles to build end-to-
end AI Solutions.
• Design, implement and manage hybrid networking
• Design and implement core networking infrastructure
• Design and implement routing
• Secure and monitor networks
● 22 ●
• Design and implement Private access to Azure Services
outline.
menting a Microsoft Azure AI Solution (AZ-102) from Pluralsight.
102.
DP-203 Azure Data Engineer Associate
The target group of this exam is data engineers who integrate,
transform and consolidate data from different structured and
unstructured data sources to coherent structures to build ana-
lytics solutions. They need to have strong knowledge in SQL,
Python, or Scala, and they need to be familiar with parallel pro-
cessing and data architecture patterns.
As Azure Data Engineer, you'll work with stakeholders to un-
derstand data using data exploration techniques, define
business requirements and constraints and implement end-to-
end data processing pipelines.
• Design and implement data storage
• Design and develop data processing
• Design and implement data security
• Monitor and optimize data storage and data processing
outline.
● 23 ●
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To prepare for DP-203, you can watch Data Engineering on

Microsoft (DP-203) from Pluralsight.
You can also learn from Microsoft learn learning path for DP-
203.
DP-300 Azure Database Administrator Associate
The target group of this exam is Azure database administra-
tors who work with managing, maintaining, and applying SQL
knowledge to ensure day-to-day operations of Microsoft SQL da-
tabases in cloud and on-premise.
Azure database administrators work mainly with applications
developers, Azure administrators, and other stakeholders to en-
sure secure, highly performant, and accurate data.
• Plan and implement data platform resources
• Implement a secure environment
• Monitor and optimize operational resources
• Optimize query performance
• Perform automation of tasks
• Plan and implement a High Availability and Disaster Re-
covery (HADR) environment
• Perform administration by using T-SQL
outline.
● 24 ●
300.
DP-100 Azure Data Scientist Associate
The target group of this exam is data scientists who would like
to apply their machine learning and data science expertise using
Microsoft Azure. As an Azure data scientist, you should be famil-
iar with machine learning concepts, Python and Azure.
As an Azure Data scientist, you are expected to analyze data
science problems, create experiments, communicate findings,
build and deploy machine learning models to production.
• Manage Azure resources for machine learning
• Run experiments and train models
• Deploy and operationalize machine learning solutions
• Implement responsible machine learning
outline.
To prepare for DP-100, you can watch Designing and Imple-
menting a Data Science Solution on Azure (DP-100) from
Pluralsight.
100.
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DA-100 Data Analyst Associate

The target group of this exam is data analysts who use Mi-
crosoft Power BI to extract insights and value from existing data
assets. As a data analyst, you'll clean, transform and visualize
data repositories to generate analytics that help the business.
As a data analyst, you are expected to have a fundamental
understanding of data repositories and data processing in the
cloud and on-premise.
• Prepare the data
• Model the data
• Visualize the data
• Analyze the data
• Deploy and maintain deliverables
outline.
You can also learn from Microsoft learn learning path for DA-
100.
AZ-400 DevOps Engineer Expert
The target group of this exam is DevOps practitioners who
have the experience of working with people, processes, and
technologies to deliver continuous business value.
As a DevOps expert, you'll work with developers, product
owners, subject matter experts to ensure a continuous flow of
value.
• Develop an instrumentation strategy
● 26 ●
• Develop a Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) strategy

• Develop a security and compliance plan
• Manage source control
• Facilitate communication and collaboration
• Define and implement continuous integration
• Define and implement continuous delivery and release
management strategy
outline.
menting Microsoft DevOps Solutions (AZ-400) from Pluralsight.
400.
AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies

The target group of this exam is solution architects who de-
sign and implement Azure solutions. As an Azure architect, you'll
work with computing, network, security, and storage resources.
It requires Azure DevOps, IT operations, and Azure administra-
tion knowledge.
Azure architects collaborate with Azure administrators, data-
base administrators, and clients to implement Azure solutions as
per the business requirements.
• Implement and monitor an Azure infrastructure
• Implement management and security solutions
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• Implement solutions for apps

• Implement and manage data platforms
outline.
To prepare for AZ-303, you can watch Microsoft Azure Archi-
tect Technologies (AZ-303) from Pluralsight.
303.
Note: This exam will be retired on March 31, 2022
AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design
The target group of this exam are architects who design and
architect Azure solutions. While AZ-303 is more focused with the
hands-on part, this exam is more focused on the design and ar-
chitecture aspects. It requires Azure DevOps, IT operations and
Azure administration knowledge.
Azure architects collaborate with Azure administrators, data-
base administrators and clients to implement Azure solutions as
per the business requirements.
• Design monitoring
• Design identity and security
• Design data storage
• Design business continuity
• Design infrastructure
● 28 ●
outline.
To prepare for AZ-304, you can watch Microsoft Azure Archi-
tect Design (AZ-304) from Pluralsight.
304.
Note: This exam will be retired on March 31, 2022
AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure

Solutions (beta)
The target group of this exam is Azure architects who make
decisions around different aspects of Azure solutions. As an Az-
ure architect, you are expected to have experience around
networking, virtualizations, identity, Azure administrations,
DevOps process, and other crucial skills.
As an Azure architect, you'll work with Azure developers, Az-
ure administrations, and other solutions responsible for
implementing Azure solutions.
• Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions
• Design data storage solutions
• Design business continuity solutions
• Design infrastructure solutions
outline.
● 29 ●
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Since this is a new exam, there is no available study material

as of now, but you can watch this video from John Savill.
Note: This exam will be released on November 16, 2021
Specialty-based
Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty

This certification requires that as a candidate, you should be
an architect or engineer with adequate knowledge of the SAP
system landscape. You should also have a firm understanding of
industry standards unique to the initial integration and the long-
term operation of an SAP solution on Microsoft Azure.
As an architect or an engineer for Azure for SAP Workloads,
your responsibilities include making recommendations on ser-
vices and adjusting resources for optimal resiliency, provision,
size, performance, scale, and monitoring.
This certification requires the candidates to have expertise
and knowledge of SAP applications: S/4HANA, SAP BW/4HANA,
SAP NetWeaver, SAP HANA, and OS servers for SAP applications
and databases. Others are Azure Marketplace, Azure portal, vir-
tualization, storage structures, cloud infrastructure, Azure
Resource Manager templates (ARM templates), disaster recov-
ery design, high availability design, networking, and data
protection concepts.
● 30 ●
It is highly recommended that you have an Azure Solutions

Architect Expert or Azure Administrator Associate certification,
as well as SAP Linux and HANA certifications.
The exam for this certification is the AZ-120, and the following
skills are measured;
● Migration of SAP Workloads to Azure
● Ability to design and Implement an Infrastructure to
Support SAP Workloads
● Designing and Implementing High Availability and Disas-
ter Recovery (HA/DR)
● Maintaining SAP Workloads on Azure
outline.
To prepare for AZ-120, you can watch Planning and Adminis-
tering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads (AZ-120) from
Pluralsight.
120.
Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty certification
The Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty certification requires you
to be able to proficiently plan, deliver, and manage virtual desk-
top experiences and remote applications, for all devices, on
Azure.
Your responsibilities for this position include deploying virtual
desktop experiences and apps to Azure. It is also required to
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deliver applications on Azure Virtual Desktop and optimize them

to run in multi-session virtual environments.
This role requires candidates for this certification to have ex-
perience in Azure technologies, including identity, storage,
virtualization, backups, resilience, networking, and disaster re-
covery. Also, understanding on-premises virtual desktop
infrastructure technologies as they relate to migrating to Azure
Virtual Desktop. Candidates for this certification should be pro-
ficient in Azure administration skills.
The exam for this certification is AZ-140, and these are the
skills measured.
● Ability to plan and implement an Azure Virtual Desktop
Architecture
● Managing Access and Security
● Proficiency in managing User Environments and Apps
● Monitoring and Maintaining an Azure Virtual Desktop
Infrastructure
outline.
To prepare for AZ-140, you can watch Configuring and Oper-
ating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AZ-140) from Pluralsight.
140.
Azure IoT Developer Specialty
As a candidate for the Azure IoT Developer Specialty certifica-
tions, you should be able to implement the configuration and
coding tasks required to create and maintain the cloud and edge
sections of an IoT solution.
● 32 ●
Your responsibilities would include deploying physical de-

vices, configuration, and maintenance of physical devices using
cloud services. Also, you should be able to maintain and trouble-
shoot the configuration throughout the device lifecycle.
Azure IoT Developers are also responsible for the implemen-
tation of design specifications for IoT solutions, including device
connectivity, diagnostics, monitoring, and security. These Azure
IoT professionals are also tasked with developing and deploying
modules and configuring device networking for the Azure IoT
Edge portion of the solution.
Azure IoT Developers are expected to work with data engi-
neers, architects, and other stakeholders to ensure successful
business integration, which includes implementing the Azure
Digital Twins service.
The candidates for this certification should have a deep un-
derstanding of device types and Azure services, including data
analysis, data processing, data storage options, AI, and other
platforms as a service (PaaS) options. They should be able to pro-
gram in at least one Azure IoT software development kit–
supported language.
The exam for this certification is AZ-220, and the measured
skills are
● Setting up the IoT solution infrastructure
● Providing and managing devices
● Implementing IoT Edge and business integration
● Processing and managing data
● Monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing IoT solu-
tions
● Implementing security
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outline.
To prepare for AZ-220, you can watch Microsoft Azure IoT
Developer (AZ-220) from Pluralsight.
220.
● 34 ●
Fundamentals
Azure Fundamentals
Azure Fundamentals certification requires its candidates to
have a foundational knowledge of cloud services and to under-
stand how those services are provided by Microsoft Azure. The
Azure fundamentals certification is for candidates new to work-
ing with cloud-based solutions and services or Azure.
Azure Fundamentals certification offers the opportunity to
prove knowledge and understanding of Azure services, Azure
workloads, cloud concepts, security and privacy in Azure, and
pricing and support. Familiarity with the general technology con-
cepts, including storage, compute, networking, application
support, and application development, is also required.
While Azure Fundamentals can serve as a stepping stone for
other Azure role-based or specialty certifications, it is not a pre-
requisite for any of them.
The required exam for the Azure fundamentals is AZ-900, and
these are the measured skills.
● Ability to describe cloud concepts, core Azure service,
and core solutions and management tools on Azure.
● Describing general security and network security fea-
tures
● You should be able to describe governance, privacy
identity, and compliance features
● Describing Azure cost management and Service Level
Agreements (SLAs)
outline.
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To prepare for AZ-900, you can watch Microsoft Azure Fun-

damentals (AZ-900) from Pluralsight.
900.
Azure AI Fundamentals
The Azure AI Fundamentals certification has stringent condi-
tions. It requires every candidate to have a foundational
knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning
(ML) concepts and other related Microsoft Azure services.
This certification provides an opportunity to prove knowledge
of common AI and ML workloads and your ability to implement
them on Azure.
This certification is primarily for candidates with both tech-
nical and non-technical backgrounds. While experience in
software engineering and data science is not required, some
general programming knowledge would be beneficial.
Azure AI Fundamentals can be instrumental in preparing for
other Azure role-based certifications like Azure AI Engineer As-
sociate or Azure Data Scientist Associate. Still, it's not a
prerequisite for any of the certificates.
The exam for this certification is AI-900, and the measured
skills are;
● Ability to describe AI workloads and considerations
● Describing fundamental principles of machine learning
on Azure
● Describing of conversational AI workloads on Azure
● 36 ●
● Ability to describe features of computer vision work-

loads on Azure
● Describing features of Natural Language Processing
(NLP) workloads on Azure
outline.
You can also learn from Microsoft learn learning path for AI-
900.
Azure Data Fundamentals
Candidates for the Azure Data Fundamentals certification are
expected to possess foundational knowledge of core data con-
cepts and how they are implemented using Microsoft Azure data
services.
This certification is intended for candidates who are relatively
new to working with data in the cloud.
As a candidate, you should be conversant with the concepts
of relational and non-relational data and various types of data
workloads, for example, transactional or analytical.
The Azure Data Fundamentals can be used to prepare for
other Azure role-based certifications such as Azure Data Engi-
neer Associate or Azure Database Administrator Associate. Still,
it's not a prerequisite for any of them.
The required exam for the is DP-900, and the skills measured
are
● Ability to describe core data concepts
● Describing how to work with relational and non-rela-
tional data on Azure
● Ability to describe an analytics workload on Azure.
● 37 ●
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outline.
To prepare for DP-900, you can watch Azure Data Fundamen-
tals (DP-900) from Pluralsight.
900.
Do you want to reduce the cost of your learning? Consider creating an an-
nual account at Pluralsight and Whizlabs.
Use the discount code: WHIZSC20 in Whizlabs to get a 20% discount!
● 38 ●
C H A P T E R 5
How to Prepare
For Your Azure
Certification
Now you understand what Azure certifications are, their dif-

ferent focus areas, what certificate fits your role, and finally, the
certification required skills and study resources. It is time now to
introduce you to a simple five steps process I personally used
many times to clear Azure certifications:
1. Decide a time frame to clear your certification. I

would suggest one to two weeks for the funda-
mental's certifications and four to six weeks for
role-based certifications. Do not overextend
your study period to avoid Parkinson's Law. If
you have self-discipline, go ahead and book the
exam. Deadline is the best motivation!
● 39 ●
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2. Create a clear learning plan based on the exam

certifications' skills outline. I put an indicator in
front of each task to indicate if I know how to
perform the task. Here is a sample based on AZ-
104 skills outline.
Figure 1 Exam study plan based on skills outline - part 1
Figure 2 Exam study plan based on skills outline - part 2
● 40 ●
3. I study from Microsoft Learn and Pluralsight to

make sure that I meet every task I created in the
learning plan above (find the related learning re-
sources for each certification from the previous
section). You have to be brutally honest with
yourself on every task.
4. I take at least three practice exams, and I make
sure I score at least 85-90% (Passing Score is
70%, or 700 out of 1000).
5. I go and ROCK the exam and celebrate!
6. I keep an eye on my certificate expiry date (set a
reminder) and renew it for free (explain later in
the book)
● 41 ●
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C H A P T E R 6
How to book the exam?
You can book the Azure exam from the corresponding Mi-
crosoft Learn page for the exam, as shown in the image:
The exam is scheduled via Microsoft partner "Pearson VUE,"

who handles and administers the exams. Click on "Schedule with
Pearson Vue" to proceed to the booking process at the Pearson
Vue website.
Notice the following:
• Microsoft Certifications pricing depends on your country
● 42 ●
• Sometimes Microsoft releases lower-priced certificates

for particular groups. For example, job seekers are im-
pacted by Covid19 and students.
You can take the exams either in-person or online. Make sure
to read them carefully! In each case, you need to make sure that
you meet the corresponding requirements.
Fortunately, you do not always have to pay for Azure certifi-
cations. You can get a free or discounted certificate. Learn more
about it in my blog post.
If you feel that there is a risk that you do not pass the exam
(God forbid), you purchase what so-called "Exam Replay." Exam
Replays give you the opportunity for another exam shot at a
lower price. I have not used them before, frankly, but it might
help you if you tackle a challenging exam.
● 43 ●
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C H A P T E R 7
Certificate renewal
Microsoft has recently updated its certification validity period

to one year. While this is tough for us as technologists, it should
be understood with the rate of technology changes.
Fortunately, you do not need to pay and appear for an exam
again to renew your certification. You can instead take an online
assessment from Microsoft to renew your certificate for free.
You can read more about this renewal policy here at Microsoft.
● 44 ●
C H A P T E R 8
Earn money with your

Azure skills
Well, I am very proud of you! You've put the sweat and tears
into achieving your Azure certifications. I have one gift for you,
a list of online websites where your Azure competence is in high
demand, and you can use it to earn extra income!
All that is remote! Imagine working from wherever you want
without transportation hassle. That is the power of
KNOWLEDGE.
Site Comment
https://www.upwork.com/ The largest freelancing
platform in the world,
partnered with Microsoft
https://www.toptal.com/ An elite developers net-
work. Very selective with
high rates.
https://upstack.co/ A young growing free-
lancing platform,
● 45 ●
Share Now!
reasonable rates and less

selective than Toptal
https://arc.dev/ Extensive worldwide de-
veloper network with
contracts and jobs
https://remotive.io/ Large online jobs plat-
form
https://www.freelancer.com/ A large pool generalist
freelancing platform
https://worknhire.com/ A large pool generalist
https://www.guru.com/ A large pool generalist
https://www.gun.io/ Gun.io is a freelance
marketplace where em-
ployers can meet and
hire mobile and web pro-
fessionals to build quality
products
https://lemon.io/ Lemon is a marketplace
of vetted developers for
early-stage startups
● 46 ●
C H A P T E R 9
Final Words
Yoho! You've finished reading this small eBook! I hope that

you found it rewarding and valuable. Please share it with your
network and whoever you believe will benefit from it (with a sin-
gle Click!).
• Share in Twitter
• Share in LinkedIn
• Share in Facebook
• Share in Reddit
• Share in Pinterest
• Share in Tumblr
Follow me on Twitter for the latest technology update and

join the Smarter Code mailing list for similar future content.
If you have any suggestions for improvement or noticed any
errors in the book, feel free to email me at:
mohammed.osman@smartercode.io
● 47 ●
Share Now!
● 48 ●

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Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you on your willingness to be-

This guide will take you through a step-by-step jour-

Navigating This Guide

Navigating this guide can be overwhelming. Hence, I suggest

• Read "How to book your exam." To learn about online

Cloud computing is one of the fastest-growing technologies

Microsoft Azure covers a wide range of IT services, including

DevOps services. So, by learning Azure, you get access to a com-

Why Should You Get Azure

Getting certified takes time, money, and effort. So, there

You can pursue a wide range of career options if you have a

Businesses in every industry migrate to the cloud due to the

Having an Azure certification shows that you have specific

With an Azure professional certification, your services will al-

Azure Cloud Certification

You have four options when perusing Microsoft certifications:

What certification fits me?

Role-based – Know things deeper

The common theme of the role-based certificates is that they

o If you want to run regular Windows Server hy-

Specialty–Specific Industry Solutions

The common theme of those certifications is that they are fo-

For a more detailed explanation of what certification works

AZ-104 Azure Administrator Associate certification

The role of an Azure Administrator associate comes with re-

AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate

Ability to connect to and use Azure services and its third-party

• Managing identity and access

Candidates for the Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate certi-

AZ-700 Azure Network Engineer Associate

The required skills for the exam are:

• Design and implement Private access to Azure Services

To prepare for DP-203, you can watch Data Engineering on

DA-100 Data Analyst Associate

• Develop a Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) strategy

AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies

• Implement solutions for apps

AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure

Since this is a new exam, there is no available study material

Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty

It is highly recommended that you have an Azure Solutions

deliver applications on Azure Virtual Desktop and optimize them

Your responsibilities would include deploying physical de-

To prepare for AZ-900, you can watch Microsoft Azure Fun-

● Ability to describe features of computer vision work-

Use the discount code: WHIZSC20 in Whizlabs to get a 20% discount!

Now you understand what Azure certifications are, their dif-

1. Decide a time frame to clear your certification. I

2. Create a clear learning plan based on the exam

Figure 2 Exam study plan based on skills outline - part 2

3. I study from Microsoft Learn and Pluralsight to

How to book the exam?

The exam is scheduled via Microsoft partner "Pearson VUE,"

• Sometimes Microsoft releases lower-priced certificates

Microsoft has recently updated its certification validity period

Earn money with your

reasonable rates and less

Yoho! You've finished reading this small eBook! I hope that

Follow me on Twitter for the latest technology update and

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