You can consider this post an updated checklist for the DP-700 exam for the new Microsoft Fabric Data Engineering certification. Which is now GA (Generally Available) and is officially the ‘Microsoft Certified: Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate‘ certification.
I decided to do an updated version of my previous checklist for the DP-700 beta exam due to the fact that I have so much new material. Plus, I want to share some other things as well now that the exam is GA.
Now to clarify, the DP-700 exam is aimed at Data Engineers and will not replace the DP-600 exam. Due to the fact that is for a different role. As you can see in the updated role guidance diagram for the Data engineer role towards the bottom of the Fabric Career Hub page.
It is worth looking at the updated role guidance diagrams in the Fabric Career Hub as they make the focus area for each role much clearer now.
Note that the updated role guidance for Data engineer now includes a link to the Fabric Data Engineer Associate certification. Which is due to the fact that this certification is now GA and Microsoft has announced that the DP-203 exam will be retiring at the end of March.
You can read more about these developments in the Microsoft article that covers how to prove your in-demand data engineering skills and champion AI innovation.
Anyway, I hope the below checklist helps others. I cover additional resources towards the end and along the way I share plenty of links.
Microsoft Learn material for the DP-700 exam
You can find the recommended Microsoft Learn material in the “Prepare for the exam” section on the exam page. Which is the content of the new DP-700T00-A Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer course.
It includes some great modules for the exam. Including a module about CI/CD.
Even if the modules in this collection show as completed for you, I recommend going through the material again. I recommend this for two reasons.
First reason is to refresh your memory and potentially as a primer before looking to complete assessments for the relevant applied skills.
Second reason is that new pages can be added to these modules over time.
For example, I completed the “Work with Delta Lake tables in Microsoft Fabric” module some time ago. Since then, a new page appears to have been either added or updated.
You can verify this yourself by viewing the contents of a module you completed in the past and checking that there is a green tick next to each page. Like in the below example.
My next piece of advice for those looking to prepare for the exam is to complete the assessments for the below applied skills for Microsoft Fabric. Since all three are relevant for the DP-700 exam.
- Implement a lakehouse in Microsoft Fabric
- Implement a Real-Time Intelligence solution with Microsoft Fabric
- Implement a data warehouse in Microsoft Fabric
Completing these three assessments will help build up your confidence before taking the exam. I did these assessments myself so I know they will help you formalize your knowledge.
Compare the recommended Microsoft Learn material with the DP-700 guide
Make sure you compare the contents of the recommended Microsoft Learn material with the DP-700 study guide. To check you have enough knowledge about any items which are barely mentioned or not mentioned at all.
For example, database projects are currently not covered in the recommended Microsoft Learn material.
However, I have covered working with database projects with Data Warehouses in multiple posts. Including one which is a Fabricators guide to database projects for Microsoft Fabric Data Warehouses that contains DP-700 content .
Andy Cutler (l) has already posted a brilliant list of DP-700 skills measured resources that can help with absent material. Alternatively, you can lookup the sections that are missing in the Microsoft Learn collection with either your favorite search engine or Copilot in Edge.
In some cases, make sure you add Microsoft Fabric to your searches to get the correct results. Also, remember to trust and verify any results you get with Copilot. One way to do this is to click on the supplied links at the bottom of your results.
Doing the above allows you to discover various resources available online relating to the workloads covered as part of the DP-700 exam. Including material provided by Microsoft and the Data Platform community.
Other recommended resources for the DP-700 exam
In addition to the Microsoft Learn collection for Data Engineering I do recommend some other resources. To help you get up to speed with things quickly.
For instance, to align with the DP-700 exam being available Microsoft updated Fabric Career Hub. So that it now includes a Data Engineer certification journey.
Note that at the time of publishing some of the links for the certification journey point to DP-600 material. However, I suspect this will soon be updated.
Links to additional resources can be found in the how to prove your in-demand data engineering skills and champion AI innovation post I mentioned earlier in this post.
Including the launch of a new series of Microsoft Fabric Learn Together videos. Including one that I will be co-presenting with Belinda Allen.
In addition, there is a large amount of community material to get started. Plus, lots of sessions and workshops appearing at events.
For example, the workshop that Frank Geisler and myself will be presenting at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference in Las Vegas. In addition, other sessions and workshops presented by others both online and in-person.
Microsoft Fabric foundational knowledge
If you need to improve on your foundational knowledge of Microsoft Fabric, back in 2023 Microsoft launched a Microsoft Fabric Launch Digital event at the same time as the public preview announcement at Microsoft Build.
I highly recommend watching the videos that were a part of this if you need to improve your foundational knowledge. Since they provide a better understanding of the basics. Just bear in mind that some of the content has changed over time.
You can watch both the Day 1 and the Day 2 videos on for the Microsoft Fabric Launch Digital event on YouTube now.
If you feel the need for further foundational knowledge, feel free to read my other post. Which covers current certification recommendations for Microsoft Fabric enthusiasts.
Booking the DP-700 beta exam
You can book the DP-700 exam now on the ‘Microsoft Certified: Microsoft Fabric Data Engineering Associate‘ certification page.
Microsoft now recommends logging in with your personal Microsoft account when you go to book the exam. So that your exam records are transferrable when you change jobs.
To add to this, you can link other Microsoft accounts to your Learn profile. For instance, you can link your work account to your personal Learn profile. Allowing your employer to see when you gain new certifications through your work account.
You can also look to change the email address of your Microsoft Learn account when you change jobs.
Final words about this updated checklist for the DP-700 exam
I hope this updated checklist for the DP-700 exam for Microsoft Fabric helps some of you prepare to take this exam. Because I want to ensure those looking to take the exam are as prepared as possible.
Good luck to all of you who are intending to take the DP-700 exam.
Of course, if you have any comments or queries about this post feel free to reach out to me.
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