Prepare for DP-900 by reviewing core data concepts, relational and non-relational data on Azure, and analytics workloads. Learn to explain the capabilities in the current skills list, then practice applying them to stated requirements. This guide includes a worked SQL example and a preparation checklist.
Who is Azure Data Fundamentals for?
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals, earned by passing Exam DP-900, demonstrates foundational knowledge of core data concepts and related Microsoft Azure data services. It is a beginner-level credential for candidates beginning to work with data in the cloud.
Microsoft describes the credential as a starting point for people beginning to work with data in the cloud. Its audience profile expects familiarity with relational and non-relational data and transactional and analytical workloads, supported by the published learning material.
The skills list emphasizes describing concepts and capabilities and identifying considerations and common SQL statements. Use that scope to plan your learning. DP-900 is not a required prerequisite for Microsoft’s role-based credentials.
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Certification overview, exam details, and scheduling; Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn — Skills measured as of July 21, 2026
What to study in each skill area
The current English skills outline lists four skill areas with official weight ranges. Use it as the scope of your review and link each area to the official study guide for the detailed objectives.
The current English skills list is dated July 21, 2026. Its percentages are ranges, not exact question counts or a required division of study hours. Use the detailed objectives and your knowledge gaps together.
English updates come first; localized versions generally follow about eight weeks later, with variation. Check the guidance for your exam language. If your preferred language is unavailable, Microsoft describes a process to request additional time.
| Skill area | Weight range | Topics and suggested practice |
|---|---|---|
| Core data concepts | 25–30% | Data structures, file formats and stores; transactional and analytical workloads; database administrator, engineer, and analyst roles. Describe each concept and explain how the roles contribute to a fictional data project. |
| Relational data on Azure | 20–25% | Relational features, normalization, common SQL statements, and database objects; Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance, SQL Server on Azure VMs, and open-source database services. Work the SQL example and compare the services using their current documentation. |
| Non-relational data on Azure | 15–20% | Blob Storage, Azure Files, Table storage, and Cosmos DB capabilities, use cases, and APIs. Explain the purpose of each option and what requirements you would check before choosing one. |
| Analytics workloads on Azure | 25–30% | Ingestion, processing and analytical stores; Databricks and Fabric; batch and streaming; real-time analytics; Power BI models and visualizations. Sketch a sample data flow and explain a suitable visualization for a stated reporting question. |
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn — Skills measured as of July 21, 2026
Practice: what does each SQL count include?
A row count, a count of non-null values, and a count of distinct non-null values can give different results for the same table.
The relational objectives include identifying common SQL statements. This original exercise practices one statement behavior using Microsoft’s Transact-SQL COUNT documentation. It is a learning example, not an actual exam question or a claim about the difficulty of the test.
Try all three queries before reading the answer. State which rows or values each query includes; memorizing the three numbers will not help when the input changes.
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Orders;
SELECT COUNT(Region) FROM Orders;
SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT Region) FROM Orders;Worked exercise: answer the prompt yourself before checking the model answer.
In this complete Transact-SQL example, Orders has exactly six rows and two columns, OrderId and Region: (1, East), (2, West), (3, NULL), (4, East), (5, North), (6, NULL). NULL denotes a missing SQL value, not the text “NULL”. There are no joins or filters. What does each displayed query return?
Reveal the answer only after committing to your own response.
COUNT(*) returns 6, COUNT(Region) returns 4, and COUNT(DISTINCT Region) returns 3.
COUNT(*) includes all six rows. COUNT(Region) includes the four non-null Region values, counting East twice. COUNT(DISTINCT Region) includes each distinct non-null value once: East, West, and North. If your task is to count every order, COUNT(*) expresses that requirement for this table. A numeric result by itself does not uniquely identify the query that produced it.
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn — Skills measured as of July 21, 2026; COUNT (Transact-SQL) - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn — Remarks
How much SQL and hands-on practice should you do?
Use the published objectives to set the scope. They ask you to identify common SQL statements and describe data concepts and Azure capabilities.
As study advice, practice reading small queries and explaining their results. The counting example is a manageable starting point; it does not cover every SQL concept in the syllabus. Compare service capabilities with the documentation instead of choosing a product from one cue word such as JSON.
Small, controlled learning exercises can help you understand the concepts. The skills list does not prescribe a mandatory number of labs or study hours. Use the official training to fill gaps rather than treating any fixed preparation schedule as a requirement.
The free official practice assessment provides explanations and links and can be repeated. Its questions are examples, not actual exam questions; it does not reproduce exam length or complexity or replace training and experience. Review why an answer fits the stated requirements, then revisit the linked topic.
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Certification overview, exam details, and scheduling; Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn — Skills measured as of July 21, 2026; Practice Assessments for Microsoft Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Overview and availability
Your preparation checklist
Check the current skills, practice the concepts you cannot yet explain, and review the exam experience before booking.
- Compare your learning material with the July 21, 2026 English skills and check localized update guidance.
- Mark each objective as understood or needing more study; keep all four areas in your plan.
- Work the SQL example and explain the treatment of duplicate and missing values.
- Compare services against stated workload needs and current documentation, rather than memorizing a one-word matching rule.
- Take the official practice assessment and follow its explanations for missed items.
- Explore the sandbox and review break, navigation, identification, and accommodation instructions.
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Certification overview, exam details, and scheduling; Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn — Skills measured as of July 21, 2026; Practice Assessments for Microsoft Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Overview and availability
What to expect on exam day
You have 45 minutes of exam time within a 65-minute seat reservation. DP-900 is proctored, and Microsoft Learn is not available during Fundamentals exams.
The standard 45-minute duration already includes the extra five minutes Microsoft provides for possible breaks. The rest of the seat reservation covers instructions, the candidate agreement, and comments. Check your appointment for approved accommodations.
The clock continues during a break. You cannot return to any questions viewed before it, including flagged or unanswered questions. Review those items before starting a break.
Microsoft’s general guidance says most certification exams have 40–60 questions, with variation. It does not establish a fixed DP-900 count or question-type mix. Use the sandbox to learn the interface.
The passing score is 700 on a scale of 1–1,000, not a raw 70% requirement. Incorrect answers do not deduct points, and some unscored questions may appear without being identified. Answer every question.
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Certification overview, exam details, and scheduling; Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn — Skills measured as of July 21, 2026; Exam duration and exam experience | Microsoft Learn — Exam duration; Unscheduled breaks; Microsoft Learn access; Exam scoring and score reports | Microsoft Learn — Scores needed to pass exams; How exams are scored; Credential expiration policies | Microsoft Learn — Fundamentals Certifications expiry; Exam and Applied Skills assessment lab retake policies | Microsoft Learn — Retake policy for role-based, specialty, and fundamentals exams
Booking and retakes
Check your testing region, account, and appointment instructions before paying.
Pricing depends on where the exam is proctored. Microsoft recommends registering with a personal account so records remain accessible if you leave a school or employer. Follow the credential page’s scheduling options.
After a first failure, wait 24 hours before a second attempt. A 14-day wait applies between later attempts, with at most five attempts in 12 months from the first. Pay retake fees where applicable; completing the waiting period does not guarantee an immediate appointment.
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn — Certification overview, exam details, and scheduling; Exam and Applied Skills assessment lab retake policies | Microsoft Learn — Retake policy for role-based, specialty, and fundamentals exams
Sources: Microsoft Learn certification, study guide, and policy pages, retrieved September 14, 2026.
Exam facts verified against Microsoft Learn pages checked September 14, 2026.:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn
- Study guide for Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Learn
- COUNT (Transact-SQL) - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn
- Exam duration and exam experience | Microsoft Learn
- Exam scoring and score reports | Microsoft Learn
- Credential expiration policies | Microsoft Learn
- Exam and Applied Skills assessment lab retake policies | Microsoft Learn
- Practice Assessments for Microsoft Certifications | Microsoft Learn