WHAT AFTER AZ-900?
As most of the people ask me the same repetitive questions about what certification is to go for after MS AZ-900, here, I would be explaining all the things and also, how you should go next to it.
Majorly there are two choices people go for after MS AZ-900, that is, AZ-104 and AZ-204. These two are the most popular and common exams people choose. These both exams are associate-level exams from Azure.
There is no straightforward answer that one should go that a specific certification among the two. The reason can be that Microsoft Azure certifications are designed in a role-based model, with an emphasis on the development of knowledge and skills that are relevant to work positions. Furthermore, after interacting with tech communities and determining the needs to support certain employment types, this role-based certification framework was developed.
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: AZ-900 test is your first step toward a career in cloud computing. The AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam tests your knowledge of cloud principles, Azure services, Azure workloads, Azure security and privacy, and Azure pricing and support. Candidates should be familiar with technical fundamentals such as networking, storage, computing, application support, and application development. I cleared the exam in the first go with the help of Testprep training. I enrolled in their AZ-900 fundamentals course, which was a booster to my preparation and helped me clear it in one go.
JOB ROLES AND WORK is different in both certifications, i.e. AZ-104 & AZ-204.
Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate
To become an Azure Administrator Associate, one must complete only one certification exam, Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator. After completing the AZ-104 certification exam, you will be a Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate with the Azure Administrator Associate badge.
Who should take the examination?
The Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam is intended to assist students interested in working as Azure Administrators. The following is some relevant information for applicants wanting to take this exam:
It is necessary to have at least six months of hands-on Azure administration experience.
Security, governance, and core Azure services are all well understood.
Knowledge of PowerShell, the Command Line Interface, Azure Portal, and ARM templates are all required.
EXAM DETAILS
The Microsoft AZ-104 test has 40–60 questions that must be answered in 120 minutes. Various sorts of questions are offered throughout the test, such as case studies, short answers, multiple-choice, mark review, drag and drop, and so on. To pass the test, the individual must obtain at least 700 points. The AZ-104 examination costs $165 USD. In addition, the exam is only offered in English.
EXAM DOMAINS
The Microsoft AZ-104 certification exam has five sections:
- Manage Azure identities and governance
- Implement and manage storage
- Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
- Configure and manage virtual networking
- Monitor and back up Azure resources
Check out more info about the exam here.
AZ-204: Azure developer associate
Only one certification Exam AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure is required for the Azure Developer Associate position. After completing the AZ-204 certification test, you will be designated as a Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate and will be awarded an Azure Developer Associate badge.
The new standard test for an Azure developer is the AZ-204 Azure Certification, which is currently in beta. This certification is appropriate for cloud developers that work on various stages of development such as planning, implementing, deploying, and managing cloud systems.
Who should take the examination?
A minimum of one to two years of hands-on experience in professional development is required.
Practical knowledge of the Microsoft Azure platform.
At least one programming language supported by Azure is required.
Comprehensive knowledge of Azure SDKs, APIs, data storage choices, app authentication, and authorization, debugging, monitoring, compute and container deployment, data connections, monitoring, and performance optimization.
Exam details
The Microsoft AZ-104 test has 40–60 questions that you must answer in 120 minutes. Various sorts of questions are offered throughout the test, such as case studies, short answers, multiple-choice, mark review, drag and drop, and so on. To pass the test, the individual must obtain at least 700 points. The AZ-104 examination costs $165 USD. In addition, the exam is only offered in English.
EXAM DOMAINS
The Microsoft AZ-104 certification exam has five sections:
- Develop Azure compute solutions (25–30%)
- Develop for Azure storage (15–20%)
- Implement Azure security (20–25%)
- Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (15–20%)
- Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services (15–20%)
You can check out the comprehensive details about the exam here.
Now, as you all have all the details of both exams, I would suggest you analyze and compare the details and choose which exam category you fall in and go ahead with that. Decide which role you want to go for and it will help you to choose the exam certification.
