Since starting at Cmotions, one of my goals has been to get Azure certifications in the technical field (both data engineering and analytics). This is to update my own knowledge, but also to demonstrate my knowledge externally. In this blog, I want to take you through my experience getting my Fundamentals and Associate certifications in data engineering and analytics.
From beginner to expert
Microsoft has built its certification on three levels:
Fundamentals: This certification, in my opinion, is suitable for everyone. You will gain basic knowledge of Azure technology and terminology. These Fundamentals exams come for Azure generally (AZ-900), as well as focusing on specific components (e.g., data or artificial intelligence). Should you have little or no experience yet, this is a good place to start.
Associate: This certification goes a step further, requires more thorough knowledge, and certifications also count toward Microsoft’s “Advanced Specialization,” which indicates that a company has demonstrable specializations. As such, the certification is designed more for consultants, engineers and analysts who work with the tools and techniques in Azure on a daily basis. That doesn’t mean the certification isn’t suitable for others, but the challenge is a lot greater than, say, Fundamentals. Examples include:
DP-500 (“Designing and Implementing Enterprise-Scale Analytics Solutions Using Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI”);
DP-203 (“Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure”);
PL-300 (Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst).
Thereby, DP-500 is the newest (as of mid-2022) and broadest in scope, DP-203 is known as one of the snappiest associate certifications and PL-300 is a widely chosen certification as it focuses on Power BI.
Expert: On top of associate certification, Microsoft also has advanced certifications. This certification is aimed at people with extensive experience, such as as a data architect.
With that, there are certificates for all levels. I myself, at the time of writing, have passed all the mentioned certificates except PL-300. This one is still in the pipeline for this year.
Learning how you want
Unless you already work with the mentioned technology and/or tools, it is good to gain knowledge before getting certified. There are several options for this ranging between free and paid forms.
As a basis, learning modules made available by Microsoft can always be used. These free modules cover the basics you need, with links to other pages to get the detailed knowledge as well. In my experience, you also have to follow those additional links to get to a complete picture. In fact, some of the exam questions lean on that extra information.
Another option that costs little extra is to take online courses. These are available on several platforms (including Udemy and Coursera). These can be official courses from Microsoft, but also from others who have extensive knowledge of the certification. Online course materials are available for the vast majority of certifications. Only for DP-500 is the supply still limited. In terms of quality, they are more than fine, and in the case of DP-203, it is possible on Coursera to get a 50% discount on your exam. With that, the slightly higher price of the training may be worth it. Then again, Udemy courses are slightly cheaper (20-90 Euro). The duration of this online course material may vary, but in basic terms, you spend the same amount of time on the online material.
Should you find it easier to take classroom training yourself, it is also possible to take courses from official training partners. Microsoft’s website lists by country who offers these courses.
In addition to the course material, you can also practice using Azure or specific services of it. To do that, Microsoft offers two options:
On the one hand, Microsoft offers sandbox environments within which you can practice using Azure for free. You can use a sandbox for a number of hours, up to a number of sandboxes per day. In addition, you can create a free subscription within Azure. Within that account, you get 12 months of access to some free services and $200 credits for most other services. The credits are valid for 30 days, after that you can only use them for regular payment (“Pay as you go”). In case you are going to use paid services, it is good to consider the cost. It would be a shame if all the credits were gone because you left a service on unnecessarily. For example, a dedicated SQL pool within Azure Synapse can cause your credits to fly away very quickly.
There are also plenty of websites and YouTube channels that cover certification. Since little course material was available for DP-500, data mozart’s website is worth mentioning. The person in question (Nikola Ilic) is an MVP (Most Valuable Professional) of Microsoft in the field of data platforms and focuses mainly on this certificate. He explains various issues well and clearly, making him a good addition to the certificate and a good resource in a general sense.
For the Fundamentals certificate and DP-203, I took Microsoft’s learning modules and a few courses from Udemy. The courses at Udemy align well with the exam. Please note that the exam is updated by Microsoft, so there may be questions with the exam that are not in the course in terms of material. So it is always good to consult the modules themselves as well. For DP-500, I got by with the learning modules and the Data Mozart website.
Everyone I talk to about getting associate certifications comes to the same conclusion as me. It comes across as tough and somewhat dry material no matter what form of learning you choose. It will also probably take you more time to absorb the material than what was estimated before; think two to three times as much time as specified. In doing so, try to spend several hours a day working on a certificate. Eight hours at a time I personally found too long, but more than one hour a day is recommended. All in all, more of a small marathon than a sprint. But despite the toughness of the material, I find the certification absolutely worthwhile.
Get certified
If you then managed to punch through all the dust, it’s time for the real thing. Before taking the exam, you can choose to practice. Especially for DP-500, the official practice questions were valuable to get a good idea of the questions and question format. There are also many online discussions about the official questions that I found very interesting to peruse.
You can take the exams themselves either online (e.g., at home or in the office) or on location. Plenty of locations can be found and enough time slots are available to have your appointment within a few business days.
Personally, I preferred to take the certificates online. The easiest way is to do it at the office in a room where you won’t be disturbed. You are not allowed to leave that space, the webcam of your laptop or PC must be on and also the application ensures that you share your screen on which nothing else should be open. In that regard, they are particularly strict; there must be no suspicion of fraud. If so: end of exam and no right to money back. I always took the exams from home (while no one was home), giving you the opportunity to schedule an exam 24/7. Before taking the exam, you are expected to photograph exam location from all different angles. A self-portrait and a photo of your identification are also required, which will be compared.
In all cases, you need to make sure you have a “clean desk.” Bottom line:
An empty desk except for your computer, mouse and adapter. A second monitor is not allowed. Also, nothing else should be on your desk. No food or drink, no phone (which should be close enough in case they call you) and no personal items either (a wallet was enough reason for a live chat asking for that to be taken away).
A rather empty environment. Nothing in your environment should indicate fraud. The certificate (note in Latin) my partner obtained for her promotion was even too much and another reason for a live chat. So this one had to come off the wall and out of sight.
So in case they don’t find your environment clean enough you get a live chat, stating what they have doubts about. On three of the four exams, I was given such a chat, but it was squeaked out in a few minutes each time.
And those exams themselves? Those are a breeze with all the preparations you’ve made. The 700 points (out of a maximum of 1,000) minimum you need to achieve is certainly doable with good preparation. Keep in mind that if you request and pay for an exam online yourself, the initial price you see is exclusive of VAT. This is common for businesses, but of course not for consumers. Though I suspect most can claim the cost of these exams.
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