DP-900 vs AZ-900: Which Azure Fundamentals Cert Should You Take First?
Both are entry-level Microsoft certifications. Both cost $165. But they cover very different ground and serve different career goals. Here's how to decide.
Quick Answer
- • Take AZ-900 if you want a broad introduction to Azure cloud services across compute, storage, networking, and identity
- • Take DP-900 if you work with data, analytics, or databases and want Azure-specific knowledge
- • Take both if you're building a Microsoft cloud career — they complement each other and together cost less than most associate exams
- • AZ-900 is slightly easier and more broadly recognized; DP-900 is more specialized
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | AZ-900 | DP-900 |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Azure Fundamentals | Azure Data Fundamentals |
| Level | Fundamentals | Fundamentals |
| Price | $165 USD | $165 USD |
| Questions | 40–60 | 40–60 |
| Time Limit | 60 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Passing Score | 700/1000 | 700/1000 |
| Difficulty | 3/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Study Hours | 15–25h | 20–30h |
| Pass Rate | ~85% | ~82% |
| Prerequisites | None | None |
| Focus | Broad Azure overview | Data & analytics services |
| Best For | Cloud beginners, non-technical roles | Data professionals, analysts, DBAs |
What AZ-900 Covers
AZ-900 is the foundational Azure certification. It covers the cloud computing model itself — what IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS are — along with a broad survey of Azure services across every major category.
Cloud Concepts (25–30%)
- • Cloud computing models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- • Benefits of cloud (scalability, elasticity, HA)
- • CapEx vs OpEx
- • Shared responsibility model
Azure Architecture (35–40%)
- • Azure regions and availability zones
- • Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
- • Core services: VMs, storage, networking, databases
- • Azure Active Directory (now Entra ID)
Management & Governance (25–30%)
- • Azure pricing and cost management
- • SLAs and service lifecycle
- • Azure Policy and Blueprints
- • Azure Monitor and alerts
AZ-900 intentionally covers a lot of ground but very shallow. You learn what Azure Blob Storage is, but not how to choose between access tiers or when to use it versus a data lake. You learn that Azure SQL Database exists, but not how it differs from Azure SQL Managed Instance.
What DP-900 Covers
DP-900 is specifically focused on data — how data is stored, processed, and analyzed in Azure. It goes significantly deeper on Azure's data services than AZ-900 does.
Core Data Concepts (25%)
- • Structured vs semi-structured vs unstructured
- • Batch vs stream processing
- • OLTP vs OLAP workloads
- • Data roles: engineer, analyst, scientist, DBA
Relational Data (25%)
- • Tables, keys, normalization
- • Azure SQL Database vs SQL Managed Instance
- • Azure Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL
- • SQL fundamentals (SELECT, JOIN, DDL/DML)
Non-Relational Data (25%)
- • Key-value, document, column-family, graph
- • Azure Cosmos DB (5 APIs)
- • Azure Blob, Table, File Storage
- • When to use each NoSQL type
Analytics Workloads (25%)
- • Data warehouse vs data lake vs lakehouse
- • Azure Synapse Analytics
- • Azure Data Factory + Databricks
- • Microsoft Fabric + Power BI
DP-900 gives you actionable knowledge about Azure data services — the kind that helps you make actual decisions about which service to use for which workload. A data analyst who passes DP-900 understands Azure Cosmos DB APIs, Power BI component types, and the difference between Azure Synapse and Azure Data Factory.
Which is Harder?
AZ-900 is marginally easier. Both are fundamentals exams, but here's the nuance:
AZ-900 breadth advantage
AZ-900 covers more services but at a shallower depth. If you only need to understand concepts like "what is a region" or "what is SLA," there's less to study for each topic. Guessing is easier when questions test recall rather than application.
DP-900 depth challenge
DP-900 has more technical depth within its domain. Cosmos DB API selection, the difference between Azure Synapse SQL pools and serverless SQL, and batch vs stream processing require more than surface-level understanding. You need to reason about scenarios, not just recall facts.
Background matters
If you work with data, DP-900 may feel easier than AZ-900. A SQL DBA will breeze through relational data concepts in DP-900 but might struggle with AZ-900's networking concepts (VNet peering, NSGs, load balancers). A cloud admin might have the opposite experience.
Career Value: AZ-900 vs DP-900
AZ-900 Career Value
- • Broadly recognized across all Azure roles
- • Often listed in job descriptions as "nice to have" for non-technical roles
- • Excellent for sales engineers, project managers, and business analysts working alongside technical teams
- • Good foundation before pursuing AZ-104, AZ-500, or any Azure associate cert
- • Recognized by most Azure-focused employers as a baseline
DP-900 Career Value
- • Targeted value for data professionals specifically
- • Shows Azure data platform knowledge to data engineering recruiters
- • Foundation for DP-300 (Azure Database Administrator) and DP-203 (Azure Data Engineer Associate)
- • Valuable for Power BI developers and data analysts
- • Less recognized outside data/analytics roles than AZ-900
In terms of general recognition, AZ-900 wins. It's the Microsoft certification equivalent of a "basic Azure vocabulary" certificate that nearly any Azure-related role can appreciate.
But if you're targeting a data role specifically, DP-900 demonstrates more relevant knowledge than AZ-900 does. A hiring manager looking for a data engineer or Azure data analyst will find DP-900 more meaningful than AZ-900 for that specific role.
Who Should Take Each Cert
Take AZ-900 if you are:
- • Completely new to cloud computing and want a structured introduction
- • In a non-technical role (business analyst, consultant, sales) working with Azure-focused teams
- • Preparing for AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) or AZ-204 (Azure Developer)
- • Working in a company that requires Azure fundamentals for all technical staff
- • Not focused specifically on data workloads
Take DP-900 if you are:
- • A DBA, data analyst, or data engineer moving to Azure
- • Working with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or other databases and want to understand Azure equivalents
- • A Power BI developer wanting to understand the full Azure analytics ecosystem
- • Preparing for DP-300 (Azure Database Administrator) or DP-203 (Data Engineer)
- • Already familiar with basic cloud concepts and want data-specific Azure knowledge
Should You Take Both?
Many candidates take both. Here's why it makes sense:
- • Combined cost is $330 — less than a single associate exam ($165) plus retake
- • They don't overlap much — AZ-900's coverage of data services is minimal compared to DP-900's depth
- • They signal different things — AZ-900 shows broad cloud literacy; DP-900 shows data domain expertise
- • Good study synergy — Learning AZ-900's cloud fundamentals makes DP-900 easier, and DP-900 helps you apply what you learned in AZ-900
The most efficient order: AZ-900 first, then DP-900. AZ-900 builds the cloud vocabulary (regions, resource groups, services, subscriptions) that makes DP-900 easier. When DP-900 discusses Azure Synapse Analytics, you already understand what a resource group is, how billing works, and what a managed service means.
Most people can complete both exams in 5–6 weeks studying 1 hour per day — finishing with two Microsoft certifications for roughly the effort of one associate exam.
Certification Paths After Each Exam
After AZ-900
After DP-900
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