I decided this is the year to do certifications. My current plan is one certification test a month until I decide enough. I hope to get to Solutions Architect, which is an expert level certification.

Certification Series

• AZ-900 Azure fundamentals exam
• DP-900 Azure Data fundamentals exam

This month I tackled the DP-900 Azure Data fundamentals certification. I took the same three tacks as AZ-900: videos, reading, and sample tests.

Videos: I made good use of Susanth Sutheesh’s (t) YouTube series on DP-900. This was a much shorter set of videos than the one I took for AZ-900. I also have a couple decades of SQL knowledge behind me, so most of this was just catching up on the analytics side of things, where I am weaker.

I did another video from John Savill (t|y) on Youtube called DP-900 Azure Data Fundamentals Exam Cram Whiteboard Video. I like his videos because he approaches them from a different angle than I would expect. They tend to fill small gaps in my knowledge, but I wouldn’t use them exclusively.

I also threw in a video by FreeCodeCamp. But I mostly skimmed it looking for information that I hadn’t absorbed yet. It was fairly comprehensive, and had a lot of good information on analytics solutions.

This time I also created a YouTube playlist of one-off videos I watched. I’ll also post one for each exam going forward as well.

Reading: I didn’t do as much reading on this one as I should have. I would still recommend doing the Microsoft Learning path here.

Sample Tests: Again, I got a MeasureUp sample test through work, so it was free. They normally cost $99. I do think they’re helpful, but your mileage may vary, especially if you can’t afford it. I took it and got an almost passing score right away, so I knew I would be alright.

I didn’t check out other sample tests, but I would still recommend them if you don’t have experience in this area like I do.

I didn’t take as copious notes based off the skills outline in OneNote this time. I knew the majority of the concepts already, but I did take notes on the analytics stuff.

Taking the test itself was even more of a hoot. I love throwing everything off my desk, unplugging my second monitor, and then showing my desk to the proctor multiple times before taking the test. It actually is a good way to make sure I can do it again and again. It was an easy test for me to sail through, not just from preparation, but from my knowledge of SQL and SQL Server.

If you have a good SQL Server background like me, focus on the analytics side of things as that is where I was weakest, especially when it comes to Azure. I do Azure day in and day out, so a lot of this stuff I know from absorption.

And yes, I passed. On to the next test.