Use this quick start guide to collect all the information about Microsoft Administering Azure SQL Solutions (DP-300) Certification exam. This study guide provides a list of objectives and resources that will help you prepare for items on the DP-300 Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions exam. The Sample Questions will help you identify the type and difficulty level of the questions and the Practice Exams will make you familiar with the format and environment of an exam. You should refer this guide carefully before attempting your actual Microsoft MCA Azure Database Administrator certification exam.
The Microsoft Administering Azure SQL Solutions certification is mainly targeted to those candidates who want to build their career in Microsoft Azure domain. The Microsoft Certified - Azure Database Administrator Associate exam verifies that the candidate possesses the fundamental knowledge and proven skills in the area of Microsoft MCA Azure Database Administrator.
Microsoft Administering Azure SQL Solutions Exam Summary:
| Exam Name | Microsoft Certified - Azure Database Administrator Associate |
| Exam Code | DP-300 |
| Exam Price | $165 (USD) |
| Duration | 120 mins |
| Number of Questions | 40-60 |
| Passing Score | 700 / 1000 |
| Books / Training | DP-300T00: Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions |
| Schedule Exam | Pearson VUE |
| Sample Questions | Microsoft Administering Azure SQL Solutions Sample Questions |
| Practice Exam | Microsoft DP-300 Certification Practice Exam |
Microsoft DP-300 Exam Syllabus Topics:
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
Plan and Implement Data Platform Resources (20-25%) |
|
| Plan and deploy Azure SQL solutions |
- Deploy database offerings on selected platforms - Understand automated deployment - Apply patches and updates for hybrid and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) deployment - Deploy hybrid SQL Server solutions - Recommend an appropriate database offering based on specific requirements - Evaluate the security aspects of the possible database offering - Recommend a table partitioning solution - Recommend a database sharding solution |
| Configure resources for scale and performance |
- Configure Azure SQL Database for scale and performance - Configure Azure SQL Managed Instance for scale and performance - Configure SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines for scale and performance - Configure table partitioning - Configure data compression |
| Plan and implement a migration strategy |
- Evaluate requirements for the migration - Evaluate offline or online migration strategies - Implement an online migration strategy - Implement an offline migration strategy - Perform post migration validations - Troubleshoot a migration - Set up SQL Data Sync for Azure - Implement a migration to Azure - Implement a migration between Azure SQL services |
Implement a Secure Environment (15-20%) |
|
| Configure database authentication and authorization |
- Configure authentication by using Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID - Create users from Microsoft Entra ID identities - Configure security principals - Configure database and object-level permissions using graphical tools - Apply the principle of least privilege for all securables - Troubleshoot authentication and authorization issues - Manage authentication and authorization by using T-SQL |
| Implement security for data at rest and data in transit |
- Implement Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) - Implement object-level encryption - Configure server- and database-level firewall rules - Implement Always Encrypted - Configure secure access - Configure Transport Layer Security (TLS) |
| Implement compliance controls for sensitive data |
- Apply a data classification strategy - Configure server and database audits - Implement data change tracking - Implement dynamic data masking - Manage database resources by using Azure Purview - Implement database ledger in Azure SQL - Implement row-level security - Configure Microsoft Defender for SQL |
Monitor, configure, and optimize database Resources (20-25%) |
|
| Monitor resource activity and performance |
- Prepare an operational performance baseline - Determine sources for performance metrics - Interpret performance metrics - Configure and monitor activity and performance - Monitor by using SQL Insights - Monitor by using Extended Events |
| Monitor and optimize query performance |
- Configure Query Store - Monitor by using Query Store - Identify sessions that cause blocking - Identify performance issues using dynamic management views (DMVs) - Identify and implement index changes for queries - Recommend query construct modifications based on resource usage - Assess the use of query hints for query performance - Review execution plans |
| Configure database solutions for optimal performance |
- Implement index maintenance tasks - Implement statistics maintenance tasks - Implement database integrity checks - Configure database automatic tuning - Configure server settings for performance - Configure Resource Governor for performance - Implement database-scoped configuration - Configure compute and storage resources for scaling - Configure intelligent query processing (IQP) |
Configure and manage automation of tasks (15-20%) |
|
| Create and manage SQL Server Agent jobs |
- Manage schedules for regular maintenance jobs - Configure job alerts and notifications - Troubleshoot SQL Server Agent jobs |
| Automate deployment of database resources |
- Automate deployment by using Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates) and Bicep - Automate deployment by using PowerShell - Automate deployment by using Azure CLI - Monitor and troubleshoot deployments |
| Create and manage database tasks in Azure |
- Create and configure elastic jobs - Create and configure database tasks by using automation - Configure alerts and notifications on database tasks - Troubleshoot automated database tasks |
Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) environment (20-25%) |
|
| Recommend an HA/DR strategy for database solutions |
- Recommend HA/DR strategy based on Recovery Point Objective/Recovery Time Objective (RPO/RTO) requirements - Evaluate HA/DR for hybrid deployments - Evaluate Azure-specific HA/DR solutions - Recommend a testing procedure for an HA/DR solution |
| Plan and perform backup and restore of a database |
- Recommend a database backup and restore strategy - Perform a database backup by using database tools - Perform a database restore by using database tools - Perform a database restore to a point in time - Configure long-term backup retention - Backup and restore a database by using T-SQL - Backup and restore to and from cloud storage |
| Configure HA/DR for database solutions |
- Configure active geo-replication - Configure an Always On availability group - Configure auto-failover groups - Configure quorum options for a Windows Server Failover Cluster - Configure Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines - Configure log shipping - Monitor an HA/DR solution - Troubleshoot an HA/DR solution |
To ensure success in Microsoft MCA Azure Database Administrator certification exam, we recommend authorized training course, practice test and hands-on experience to prepare for Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions (DP-300) exam.