Azure Data Engineer Certification

Quick answer

The main Azure data engineer certification today is Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate, earned by passing Exam DP-700. Microsoft also offers a Databricks-focused option, the Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate (Exam DP-750). The old DP-203 (Azure Data Engineer Associate) was retired on 31 March 2025.

DP-700 is one proctored exam:

• 100 minutes, passing score 700 out of 1,000.
• No prerequisites.
• Costs ₹4,865 in India (USD 165 in the US), as listed by Microsoft Learn.
• Valid for one year, renewed free online.

Key takeaways

1. DP-203 retired on 31 March 2025. The current credentials are Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700) and Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate (DP-750).
2. DP-700 is one exam, no prerequisites: 100 minutes, passing score 700/1000.
3. Exam fee: ₹4,865 in India; USD 165 in the US (Microsoft Learn, October 2026).
4. Valid for one year. Renew it free online with an open-book assessment.
5. Retakes: after 24 hours, then 14 days between attempts, with a maximum of 5 attempts in 12 months.

1. Which Azure data engineer certifications exist in 2026?

Short answer: Microsoft now has two data engineer associate certifications: Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700) and Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate (DP-750). The old Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203) was retired on 31 March 2025, together with its renewal assessment, and DP-700 is the exam Microsoft introduced as its replacement.

For years, "Azure data engineer certification" meant DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure. It tested Azure Data Factory (ADF), Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) and Stream Analytics.

Verdict: For a current, renewable Microsoft data engineering credential, choose DP-700 (Fabric) or DP-750 (Azure Databricks). The comparison is right below.

DP-700 vs DP-750: which Microsoft data engineer exam should you take?

Short answer: Take DP-700 if your company uses or is moving to Microsoft Fabric. Take DP-750 (Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate) if your team builds pipelines on Azure Databricks. Both are associate-level, proctored, need a score of 700, and renew free every year.

Verdict: Both are valid Azure data engineer certifications in 2026. This guide focuses on DP-700, and the booking, exam-day, retake and renewal steps below apply to DP-750 too. For the full DP-750 syllabus and study plan, read our DP-750 exam guide. Working on Databricks already? See our Databricks course.

What is Microsoft Fabric, in one paragraph?

Microsoft Fabric is Microsoft's all-in-one analytics platform, delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). All data sits in OneLake, a single built-in data lake for the whole organisation. On top of OneLake, Fabric provides:

• Lakehouse (Apache Spark + Delta tables)
• Warehouse (T-SQL)
• Data Factory pipelines and Dataflow Gen2
• Notebooks
• Real-Time Intelligence: Eventstream for moving streaming data, Eventhouse for storing and querying it with KQL
• Power BI

DP-700 tests how a data engineer builds, secures and runs solutions on these pieces.

Why did Microsoft make this change?

Fabric brings data integration, engineering, warehousing, real-time analytics and reporting into one product with one storage layer. Microsoft now builds its data certifications around it:

• DP-600 (Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate) for analytics engineers
• DP-700 (Fabric Data Engineer Associate) for data engineers

Is Azure Data Factory or Synapse dead?

No. Microsoft retired an exam, not the products. Azure Data Factory, Databricks, ADLS Gen2 and Synapse still run production pipelines in many companies, and Brolly's own Azure Data Engineer course still teaches them. Companies are moving to Fabric gradually, so the strongest candidates know both:

• The certification proves you know Fabric.
• Your projects prove you know classic Azure. Our Azure Data Factory training covers that side.

2. Already certified in DP-203? Here's what to do

Short answer: Keep DP-203 on your résumé as a retired certification and plan DP-700 as an upgrade. There's no credit transfer and no renewal path. Most of your pipeline, Spark and SQL knowledge carries over; what's new is Fabric-specific.

1. Keep it on your résumé and LinkedIn. A passed certification stays on your Microsoft Learn transcript. Write it accurately, for example: "Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203), earned 2023 — retired exam."
2. Don't wait for a renewal option. There won't be one. Once a DP-203 certification expires, it shows as expired, and you can't take the exam again.
3. Treat DP-700 as an upgrade, not a restart. Focus on what's new:

Most DP-203 holders need extra hands-on time with KQL and Fabric deployment pipelines, because DP-203 didn't test them. Already using Azure DevOps? Our Azure DevOps training explains the CI/CD ideas that Fabric Git integration builds on.

Does DP-203 transfer to DP-700?

No. Microsoft doesn't give credit or a shorter path for DP-203 holders. You take the full DP-700 exam. In practice, though, DP-203 holders usually prepare faster, because loading patterns, Spark, Delta Lake and data modelling are the same ideas.

3. Is DP-700 the right certification for you?

Short answer: Take DP-700 if you write SQL comfortably, can read basic PySpark, and build or support data pipelines.

• Complete beginners should learn SQL and Python first, and may start with DP-900.
• People who mainly build reports may be better served by DP-600.
• Teams that run Azure Databricks may prefer DP-750.

Microsoft describes the DP-700 candidate as someone with subject-matter expertise in data loading patterns, data architectures and orchestration processes. They transform data with SQL, PySpark and KQL, and work with analytics engineers, architects, analysts and administrators.

Not sure between DP-900, DP-600 and DP-700? Start with DP-900 if you are new to data, choose DP-600 if you mainly build reports and semantic models, and choose DP-700 if you build pipelines. Compare them in DP-600 vs DP-700, and see the full DP-700 topic list in our DP-700 syllabus guide.

4. DP-700 vs AWS and Databricks data engineer certifications

Short answer: Choose the certification that matches the platform your target companies use. For Azure and Microsoft-stack employers, DP-700 (or DP-750 for Azure Databricks) is the right one. AWS and Databricks' own certifications are valid longer, but you must retake the full exam to renew them. Microsoft certifications renew free every year.

Verdict: Check the platform named in the job descriptions you are targeting. For a Hyderabad Azure data engineer job search, start with DP-700 (or DP-750 for Databricks-heavy teams) and add Databricks skills next. For a cloud-by-cloud comparison, read GCP vs AWS vs Azure.

5. Is DP-700 hard? How long does it take to prepare?

Short answer: DP-700 is an intermediate exam.

• It's hard if you've only read about Fabric. Many questions ask you to choose the right tool for a scenario, and that judgement only comes from building things.
• With SQL and Python basics, plan about 6–8 weeks of practice.
• Complete beginners usually need 3–4 months.

Where people usually lose marks

Is KQL hard if you know SQL?

Not very. KQL reads top-to-bottom like a pipeline: table | where … | summarize … by bin(time, 5m). If you know SQL WHERE and GROUP BY, most people get comfortable in a few days of practice. The time-window functions need the most practice.

The full week-by-week plan is in our DP-700 syllabus and study plan.

6. DP-700 exam pattern: the Azure data engineer certification in one table

Short answer: DP-700 is a single proctored exam:

• 100 minutes
• passing score 700 out of 1,000
• taken at a Pearson VUE test centre or online
• available in 10 languages
• ₹4,865 in India

Facts checked on Microsoft Learn on 19 October 2026: certification page, exam experience, retake policy, renewal.

What the three domains actually test

What changed on 19 October 2026: Microsoft made minor updates to the English exam, in workspace settings (Apache Airflow) and performance optimisation. Localised versions follow about eight weeks later. The full skill-by-skill breakdown is in the official study guide and in our DP-700 syllabus guide.

7. How to register for DP-700, step by step

Short answer:

1. Sign in to Microsoft Learn with a personal Microsoft account.
2. Open the Fabric Data Engineer Associate page and select Schedule exam.
3. Choose Pearson VUE online or test-centre delivery.
4. Pay the price shown for India.
5. If you're testing from home, run the system test early.

Step 1: Sign in to Microsoft Learn with a personal account

Open the Fabric Data Engineer Associate page and sign in.

Make sure the legal name in your profile exactly matches your government ID. A name mismatch can stop you from checking in, so fix it before you book.

Step 2: Check for discounts before you pay

• Student pricing: available in some countries, with verification.
• Vouchers: sometimes given through employers, Microsoft partners, or Microsoft events and skilling challenges.
• Exam Replay: an offer that bundles a retake with your exam.

Step 3: Select "Schedule exam" and choose online or test centre

Choose Schedule through Pearson VUE (Pearson VUE for Microsoft), then select India, the exam language and how you want to take it:

Verdict: If you're unsure about power, internet or noise at home, a test centre is the safer choice.

Step 4: Pay and save your confirmation

The DP-700 exam fee in India is ₹4,865 (USD 165 in the US), according to Microsoft Learn's exam pricing for India, checked on 19 October 2026. DP-750 has the same India price. Taxes may be added at checkout, and Microsoft can change prices, so check the amount on the payment screen.

DP-700 exam price by country (official Microsoft pricing)

Source: Microsoft Learn exam pricing, checked 19 October 2026. The price depends on the country where you take the exam, not your nationality. Taxes may be added at checkout. Exam languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), German, French, Italian, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese (Brazil). If your language isn't offered, you can request 30 extra minutes.

Keep the confirmation email, which has your appointment details and links to reschedule or cancel. Check Pearson VUE's reschedule and cancellation deadlines before you book.

Step 5: For online exams, run the system test early

Run the system test on the same computer, network and room you'll use on exam day, a few days before. Then run it again the day before.

The usual failures are:

• office laptops with security software or VPN
• corporate firewalls
• weak Wi-Fi

8. What happens on exam day

Short answer:

• You check in with a government photo ID, then answer about 40–60 questions in 100 minutes. These may include case studies and interactive items.
• You can open Microsoft Learn documentation during the exam, but the clock doesn't stop.
• After the built-in break, you can't return to earlier questions.

Before the exam starts

• Online: check in early. You photograph your ID, take a photo of yourself, and show your room and desk to the proctor. Phones, notes, a second monitor and other people must be out of the room.
• Test centre: arrive early with your government-issued photo ID. Your belongings go into a locker.

Inside the exam

• Question types may include:
  • multiple choice
  • case studies (a business scenario followed by several questions)
  • drag-and-drop
  • hot area (click part of an image or code)
  • build list (put steps in order)
  • active screen
  • lab-style tasks
• Open-book Microsoft Learn: documentation is available inside the exam, with no extra time. Q&A, practice assessments and your profile are blocked. Use it to confirm a syntax detail, not to learn a topic.
• Break: a short break is built in, and the clock keeps running. After the break, you can't go back to answered questions.
• Case studies: read every scenario tab (requirements, existing environment, technical constraints) before answering. One missed constraint is the most common way to choose a wrong answer.

Time management

• That's roughly 1.5–2 minutes per question. Case studies take longer.
• Use Mark for review for questions you're unsure about, and answer everything. Microsoft doesn't take marks off for wrong answers.
• Don't spend 10 minutes searching Microsoft Learn for one question. Mark it and move on.

Try it first

Use Microsoft's free exam sandbox once. It has the same interface and question types.

Exam-day advice from our trainer

Exam-readiness checklist

Book or sit the exam only when you can tick all ten:

• ☐ I score consistently well on the free Microsoft practice assessment
• ☐ I've tried the exam sandbox once
• ☐ I've built a pipeline, a Dataflow Gen2 and a notebook, and I can explain when to use each
• ☐ I've created a OneLake shortcut and know when mirroring is the better choice
• ☐ I can write a KQL query with summarize and bin()
• ☐ I've streamed events through Eventstream into an Eventhouse
• ☐ I've applied row-level and column-level security
• ☐ I've connected a workspace to Git and used a deployment pipeline
• ☐ I've fixed a failed pipeline run and a failed notebook run
• ☐ My profile name matches my ID, and my system test has passed

Test yourself with our 20 free DP-700 practice questions, and see every exam topic in our DP-700 syllabus guide.

9. Your score report, and what to do if you fail

Short answer:

• You see pass or fail as soon as you finish, with a scaled score out of 1,000 (700 passes) and a breakdown by skill area.
• If you fail, you can retake after 24 hours. After that, you wait 14 days between attempts, up to five attempts in 12 months. Each retake is paid.

A scaled score isn't a percentage. Questions carry different weights, so "70% correct" doesn't equal 700. Save your score report. It's your study map for a retake.

Retake policy

Rules to remember:

• Every retake is paid, unless you bought Exam Replay.
• Once you pass, you can't retake the same exam unless the certification has expired.
• If an online exam fails because of a Pearson VUE technical problem, open a case with Pearson VUE and keep the case number. Retake fees may be waived only in that situation.

A smart retake plan

1. Pick the two weakest skill areas from your score report.
2. Do hands-on labs on exactly those areas. Don't re-read everything.
3. Retake the free practice assessment. Book the exam again only when you score consistently well.

10. After you pass: claim, share and use your certification

Short answer:

1. The certification appears under Credentials in your Microsoft Learn profile.
2. Share it on LinkedIn with its verification link.
3. Add it to your résumé with 2–3 Fabric or Azure projects.
4. Set a renewal reminder for six months before it expires.

In more detail:

1. Check your Microsoft Learn profile. Under Credentials, the certification shows its earned date and expiry date.
2. Share it. Use the share option to post it on LinkedIn. Add it under Licenses & certifications with the credential link so recruiters can verify it.
3. Update your résumé. Write Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700), [Month Year]. Next to it, list 2–3 projects (pipelines, Lakehouse, streaming).
4. Prepare for interviews. Expect "why a notebook and not Dataflow Gen2?" and "why a shortcut and not a copy?". Interviewers test the judgement behind the certificate.
5. Set a reminder for six months before the expiry date. That's when the renewal window opens.

11. How to renew the certification (free, every year)

Short answer:

• Renewal is free on Microsoft Learn. You pass a short, unproctored, open-book assessment within the six months before your certification expires.
• Passing extends it by one year from the current expiry date.
• If it expires, you must pass DP-700 again.

Step by step:

1. The renewal window opens 6 months before expiry. Microsoft sends a reminder email.
2. Sign in to Microsoft Learn, open your profile → Credentials, and select Renew next to the certification.
3. Take the assessment. It's shorter than the exam, unproctored and open book, and it focuses on recent product changes.
4. If you don't pass, try again. Attempts are unlimited; after the 2nd attempt, you wait 24 hours between tries.
5. When you pass, your certification is extended one year from the current expiry date, so renewing early costs you nothing.

12. Azure data engineer certification cost and value

Short answer:

• The only cost you can't avoid is the exam fee: ₹4,865 in India.
• Learning paths, the practice assessment, the sandbox, a 60-day Fabric trial and yearly renewal are all free.
• The certification is worth it when you pair it with real projects. See what certified engineers earn in our Azure data engineer salary in India guide.

Is the Azure data engineer certification worth it?

Yes, when you pair it with projects.

• The certification tells a recruiter you know Microsoft's current data platform.
• Projects and a clear interview tell them you can deliver.

A certificate alone doesn't get you a job. Together with SQL, PySpark and 2–3 end-to-end projects, it makes your résumé stand out for Azure and Fabric roles.

• To see exactly what to study, read our DP-700 syllabus guide.
• For hands-on training with real-time projects, see our Azure Data Engineer Training in Hyderabad.
• If you want to move towards AI work after DP-700, see our Azure AI course.

13. Free official resources to prepare

Short answer: Microsoft gives everything you need to prepare for free, except the exam itself:

• the DP-700 study guide
• Microsoft Learn learning paths
• a free practice assessment
• the exam sandbox
• a 60-day Fabric trial capacity

Fabric trial tips

• When the trial ends, Fabric items in trial workspaces become inactive, and you have 7 days to move them to a paid capacity. Export your notebooks and project files before day 60.
• Copilot and some AI features aren't included in the trial. You don't need them for DP-700 practice.

No Fabric trial access? Your options

The trial needs an organisational (Microsoft Entra) tenant where trials are allowed. Personal email IDs such as Gmail usually can't sign up, and some company tenants switch trials off. If that's you, you have three options:

1. Ask your company's Fabric admin to enable trials, or to add you to an existing trial workspace.
2. Use a paid Fabric capacity from an Azure subscription. Pick the smallest F size and pause it when you're not practising. Check Azure pricing first.
3. Practise the shared skills elsewhere. SQL, PySpark, Delta tables and pipeline design carry over from Azure Databricks and Azure Data Factory labs.

For a week-by-week way to use these resources, see our DP-700 syllabus and study plan.

14. How Brolly Academy helps you get certified

Our Azure Data Engineer Training in Hyderabad builds the hands-on skills behind the exam:

• Trainer: Dinesh, lead Azure Data Engineering trainer with 9+ years in cloud and data engineering
• Duration: 2–2.5 months, with daily 3–4 hours of lab practice and mentor support
• Tools: Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Databricks, PySpark, Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB, Stream Analytics, Git, SQL and Python
• Projects: real-time projects in retail analytics, IoT streaming and healthcare data
• Certification support: guidance for Microsoft Azure certification exams
• Modes: classroom, online and hybrid batches in English and Telugu, with a free demo class
• Fees: video course ₹9,999, online ₹24,999, classroom ₹29,999, with EMI options
• Career support: résumé help, mock interviews and placement assistance
• Track record: 9,000+ students trained since 2021, 4+ Google rating from 100+ reviews

15. Final word

The Azure data engineer certification in 2026 is DP-700, the Fabric Data Engineer Associate. The path is:

1. Book it with a personal Microsoft account.
2. Practise hands-on in a Fabric trial.
3. Prepare with the free practice assessment and sandbox until you can tick every item on the readiness checklist.
4. Renew it free every year.

Pair it with 2–3 real projects, and you'll have the proof Hyderabad recruiters look for. Explore all our courses at Brolly Academy.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

• Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam DP-700 (skills measured as of 19 October 2026)
• Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Certified: Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate (DP-750)
• Microsoft Learn — Exam duration and exam experience
• Microsoft Learn — Exam retake policy
• Microsoft Learn — Renew your Microsoft certification
• Microsoft Learn — Fabric trial capacity
• Microsoft Learn — Exam accommodations
• Pearson VUE — Microsoft certification exams
• Wikipedia — Microsoft Fabric
• Apache Software Foundation — Apache Spark
• AWS — AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate
• Databricks — Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate