Azure SQL Certification: A Comprehensive Study Guide

To pass the Azure SQL certification, you need to have hands-on experience with Azure SQL Database. This includes understanding how to create and manage databases, as well as troubleshoot common issues.

The certification exam covers a wide range of topics, including data modeling, query optimization, and security. You'll also need to be familiar with Azure services such as Azure Active Directory and Azure Storage.

To prepare for the exam, it's essential to have a solid understanding of T-SQL, which is the primary language used for querying and managing Azure SQL databases. You can practice writing T-SQL queries using online tools or by working on sample projects.

To prepare for the Azure SQL certification, it's essential to plan and deploy Azure SQL solutions effectively. This involves deploying database offerings on selected platforms, understanding automated deployment, and applying patches and updates for hybrid and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) deployment.

You should also be familiar with the skills required for the certification, which include planning and implementing data platform resources, implementing a secure environment, and monitoring, configuring, and optimizing database resources. According to the skills at a glance, these skills make up around 60-75% of the certification.

To get a better understanding of what to expect in the exam, take a look at the exam domains and objectives, which include planning and configuring a high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) environment, configuring and managing automation of tasks, and implementing a secure environment.

If you're a data professional managing data and databases who wants to learn about administering data platform technologies on Microsoft Azure, this course is for you.

Data architects and application developers who need to understand what technologies are available for the data platform with Azure and how to work with those technologies through applications will also find this course valuable.

To take this course, you should have knowledge of and experience with Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (Windows and Linux).

Here are some specific skills you can expect to learn:

These skills will be measured in the DP-300: Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions exam, which covers five main domains:

Having a solid practice plan is crucial to success. There are 53 Hands-on Labs available to help you get hands-on experience.

These labs are extremely helpful in getting you familiar with real-world scenarios, just like the person who said they found the Cloud Sandbox very helpful in getting their Azure DB Administrator Associate certification.

Practice Exams are also a great way to test your knowledge and identify areas where you need improvement. You can use them to simulate the actual exam experience and build your confidence.

Data security and compliance are crucial aspects of Azure SQL certification. To achieve this, you need to implement security for data at rest and in transit, which includes transparent data encryption (TDE) and object-level encryption.

Implementing transparent data encryption (TDE) is a must-have for protecting your data. This ensures that data is encrypted at rest, making it unreadable to unauthorized users.

To further enhance security, configure server- and database-level firewall rules. This will help prevent unauthorized access to your database.

Always Encrypted is another important feature to implement. It allows you to protect sensitive data without having to store the encryption keys in the database.

Always Encrypted with VBS enclaves is a more advanced feature that provides an additional layer of security. It uses secure enclaves to protect sensitive data.

Secure access to your database is also critical. This includes configuring Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt data in transit.

Here's a summary of the key security measures to implement:

In addition to security measures, compliance controls are also essential for protecting sensitive data. This includes applying a data classification strategy and configuring server and database audits.

Implementing data change tracking and dynamic data masking are also critical for maintaining data security. These features help track changes to sensitive data and mask it to prevent unauthorized access.

Here's a summary of the key compliance controls to implement:

Migration to Azure SQL involves evaluating requirements, implementing online or offline migration strategies, and performing post-migration validations. You can migrate databases to Azure SQL using various tools and methods, including online and offline migration strategies.

To automate deployment of database resources, you can use Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and Bicep files. ARM templates allow you to define and deploy Azure resources in a repeatable and consistent manner, while Bicep files provide a more human-readable and flexible alternative to ARM templates. You can also use PowerShell and Azure CLI to automate deployment.

Here are some key considerations for migration and deployment:

To deploy database resources, you can choose from various deployment models, including Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, Bicep files, PowerShell, and Azure CLI. Each of these options has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of which one to use will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

Plan and Deploy Azure SQL solutions involves several key steps. You can deploy database offerings on selected platforms, such as Azure Virtual Machine or Azure SQL Database.

To understand automated deployment, you can use Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and Bicep templates to automate deployment of database resources. This helps streamline the process and reduce errors.

When applying patches and updates for hybrid and IaaS deployment, you need to consider the security aspects of the possible database offering. This includes evaluating the compatibility level of your SQL Server database to ensure seamless migration.

To deploy hybrid SQL Server solutions, you can recommend an appropriate database offering based on specific requirements. This might involve evaluating different Azure migration options, such as online or offline migration strategies.

Here are some key considerations for deploying Azure SQL solutions:

By following these steps and considering the security and compatibility aspects of your database, you can successfully deploy Azure SQL solutions that meet your specific needs.

As you plan your migration and deployment, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest changes in the skills measured.

The change log reveals that some areas have seen minor updates, while others remain unchanged. For instance, implementing compliance controls for sensitive data has seen a minor change.

The table below summarizes the changes between the current and previous version of the skills measured.

It's interesting to note that the "Implement a secure environment" and "Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources" areas have seen no changes.

Monitoring and optimizing resources is a crucial aspect of Azure SQL certification. You'll need to monitor resource activity and performance to identify potential issues.

To prepare an operational performance baseline, you'll need to determine sources for performance metrics. This can be done by configuring and monitoring activity and performance using tools like SQL Insights, database watcher, or Extended Events.

Monitoring resource activity and performance involves interpreting performance metrics, which can be done using various tools and techniques. To configure and monitor activity and performance, you can use SQL Insights, database watcher, or Extended Events.

Here are some key steps to monitor and optimize query performance:

To configure database solutions for optimal performance, you'll need to implement index maintenance tasks, implement statistics maintenance tasks, and implement database integrity checks. You'll also need to configure database automatic tuning, configure server settings for performance, and configure Resource Governor for performance.

Here's a quick reference guide to help you monitor and optimize resources:

* Monitoring tools:

+ SQL Insights

+ Database watcher

+ Extended Events

+ Query Store

+ Intelligent Insights

* Performance metrics:

+ Determine sources for performance metrics

+ Interpret performance metrics

* Query performance optimization:

+ Configure Query Store

+ Monitor query performance using Query Store

+ Identify sessions that cause blocking

+ Identify performance issues using dynamic management views (DMVs)

Backup and Recovery is a critical aspect of maintaining a healthy Azure SQL database. You should plan and perform regular backups to ensure data integrity and availability.

A well-designed backup strategy involves recommending a database backup and restore strategy, which should include performing a database backup by using database tools and configuring long-term backup retention.

To perform a database restore, you can use database tools or T-SQL. This will allow you to restore a database to a point in time, which is especially useful in case of data loss or corruption.

Here are some key considerations for backup and recovery:

In addition to regular backups, it's essential to have a high availability and disaster recovery strategy in place. This should be based on your recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO). You can deploy a Windows Server Failover Cluster and availability groups in Azure and hybrid environments to achieve this.

Some key options to consider include: