The Microsoft DP-200 exam is one of the many ways to become a data specialist and an imperative part of the burgeoning industry of IT. Taking up this test imparts to candidates the updated expertise in the implementation of the Azure data solutions as per the need of the ecosystem.

Overview of Certification

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate certification will be earned after clearing two exams, namely DP-200 and DP-201. Nevertheless, there’s also another option for getting such a certificate by clearing the DP-203 evaluation alone as those two exams will retire at the end of June 2021. Designed for IT enthusiasts willing to explore the Azure data solutions, this endorsement is a well-recognized role-based certification. With it, the earners can acquire boasting expertise in areas like data implementation, provisioning, monitoring, and security of a full stack of Azure data services in an enterprise-benefitting manner.

Designation Requirements

Gladly, this certification doesn’t impose having any prior conjectural knowledge to move ahead. However, it is highly recommended that the aspirant must have gained commendable fluency in SQL syntax along with programming fundamentals before any other further move. Also, those who are aiming at such a designation after earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals validation will have a smoother certification journey even though it doesn’t act as a necessary requisite for the certificate in question.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidates for the DP-200 exam are the ones who plan to work as Microsoft Azure Data Engineers and are collaborating with business stakeholders to spot the data requirements of a given ecosystem. With such an evaluation and its associated certificate, such specialists will be able to make themselves more useful at work as they will have a better workable understanding of data transformation, the implementation of security requirements, streaming as well as batch data, and finally, designing data retention policies.

Exam Profile

In all, the Microsoft DP-200 test follows the structure of the associated role-based exams. As per that format, it features 40-60 questions in the active screen, build list, drag and drop, MCQ, etc. patterns. Also, test-takers will be granted 130-150 minutes to attempt these questions and it is essential to score 700 or above points to pass DP-200 with flying colors and move further to the second exam. To add more, the actual test is globally obtainable and is administered by Pearson VUE plus, online and offline proctoring exam delivery methods are available. For registration and scheduling, one has to visit the Pearson VUE website and pay $165 as an exam fee. Additionally, the real test can be taken in the English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Japanese languages. Speaking of the covered knowledge areas, DP-200 assesses the examinees on the implementation of data solutions for storage, the management & development of data processing, and the optimization of the data solutions. Besides, a wide range of Azure-related technologies & services like Cosmos DB, Data Factory, Stream Analytics, Synapse Analytics, and Databricks is stated and explained well in all these exam domains.

Acing DP-200 Test

Of course, nailing the official DP-200 exam will be beneficial to your career and will get you a lucrative salary. Still, it’s not as easy as it seems to emerge as a DP-200 winner all because of its tedious nature and extensive coverage of exam topics. Thus, the high-end training courses are one of the most widely recommended and appreciated study resources for having in-depth subject matter knowledge. Gladly, DP-200 examinees have no dearth of these study materials as a bunch of free and paid training classes are offered by the vendor itself. So, let’s have a look at them:

• Azure for the Data Engineer

  Being a free course with 1 hour and 51-minute long detailed content, this one is here to explain the crux of concepts like data evolution, the implementation of cloud technologies, and making most of these technologies. Besides, it explains the real-world implementation of data platform technologies and how to benefit from them.

• Store data in Azure

  Without spending a single penny, this training educates the participants on the viable ways to store the data. Hence, all ways for the same like unstructured, archival, and relational are covered in this session that lasts 3 hours and 40 minutes. What is more, the basics of Azure storage management, the Storage Account creation, and choosing the right model for the data are well covered in this learning path via 5 comprehensive modules.

• Work with relational data in Azure

  This is a free course that features the content for 5 hours and 10 minutes. Also, there are 6 modules in this training class explaining the concepts of how Azure supports varied SQL-based database solutions. Using these enterprise data solutions in real-life situations is also covered. Plus, the emphasis is laid on SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.

• Work with NoSQL data in Azure Cosmos DB

  Gain the needed competency to come up triumphantly in the main DP-200 exam with such a free training course. Overall, there are 8 learning modules in this training bringing the usage of NoSQL data in an efficient way to store data that doesn’t correspond to the regulations of the relational database of SQL. More so, Azure portal, Cosmos DB .NET Core SDK, and Cosmos DB extension for the Visual Studio Code are also covered in this session.

• Course DP-200T01-A: Implementing an Azure Data Solution

  This class by Microsoft surpasses all the mentioned courses and many other learning study resources because it is instructor-led high-end training. In particular, it lasts for three days and educates the participants on business and technical requirements for the relational and NoSQL data. Then, candidates will also gain expertise in data processing using a range of technologies, the implementation of data security, authentication, authorization, data policies, and standards. To add more, the real-world implementation of Azure data solutions that involves optimization and disaster recovery of big data, batch processing, and streaming the data solutions are also explained well in such a training course, which is highly useful for gaining hands-on experience on the subject matter and gain the needed confidence & mastery prior to sitting for DP-200. Also, note that the fee for this training course varies as per the location of the test-taker plus, interested candidates can pick a suitable training slot as per their convenience.

Ending Notes

Data handling and management are some of the hottest skills on the IT market today and the Microsoft DP-200 is the first step towards acquiring them. This test makes the examinees aware of the real-world Azure data solution implementation scenarios in the most effortless manner so while one aims at it, overlooking the official training courses is not at all recommended as with them, acing the exam domains and gaining the unmatched hands-on expertise is plausible.