AZ-900 is the general cloud entry cert; DP-900 is the data-focused one. Here's the honest comparison and the recommended order.
✔ Last updated: August 2026 · Sources: official Microsoft Learn & Microsoft exam outline
Take AZ-900 first, then DP-900 if your goal is data engineering or data analytics. AZ-900 introduces Azure's data services (SQL Database, Cosmos DB, blob storage) at a high level, giving you context for DP-900's deeper dive. Both are $99, entry-level, and never expire.
| Factor | AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) | DP-900 (Azure Data Fundamentals) |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | All Azure services & cloud concepts | Data concepts: relational, NoSQL, analytics, data workloads |
| Difficulty | Easy | Easy–moderate (data concepts) |
| Cost | $99 USD | $99 USD |
| Questions | 40–60 | 40–60 |
| Duration | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
| Expiry | Never | Never |
DP-900 (Azure Data Fundamentals) covers core data concepts (relational vs non-relational), data workloads (transactional, analytical, streaming), and Azure data services: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake, Azure Databricks, and data migration tools. It's for aspiring data engineers, analysts, and database admins.
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