Microsoft DP-900: Azure Data Fundamentals Practice Exam
Cover all four DP-900 skill areas — core data concepts, relational data, non-relational data, and analytics workloads on Azure — with objective-mapped practice questions, immediate feedback in Learn mode, and full timed simulation in Exam mode.
Start 24-hour free trial →DP-900 exam at a glance
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Exam code
- DP-900
- Certification
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals
- Level
- Fundamentals (foundational, no coding)
- Blueprint
- Skills measured as of November 1, 2024 (current edition)
- Format
- Typically 40–60 questions; multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-drop, and scenario-based items
- Duration
- About 60 minutes
- Passing score
- 700 of 1000 (scaled, not a raw percentage)
- Delivery
- Pearson VUE test center or online proctored
- Prerequisites
- None. Familiarity with relational vs. non-relational data and transactional vs. analytical workloads helps but is not required
- Cost (USD)
- $99 USD list price (varies by region)
- Validity
- The Fundamentals certification does not expire
Source: Microsoft Learn — DP-900 study guide (skills measured) and the Azure Data Fundamentals certification page. Verify current details with Microsoft before scheduling.
About the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals certification
Azure Data Fundamentals is Microsoft’s foundational data credential. It validates a broad, conceptual understanding of core data concepts — structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data; relational and non-relational stores; and transactional versus analytical workloads — and how Azure’s data services implement them. Like the other Fundamentals exams, it is deliberately non-technical: no coding or database administration experience is required, which makes it popular with analysts, business stakeholders, students, and IT professionals building data literacy.
DP-900 sits alongside AZ-900 and AI-900 in Microsoft’s Fundamentals trio, and it is a natural on-ramp to the role-based data certifications — though it is not a formal prerequisite for any of them. If you enjoy the analytics portion, the Fabric-focused DP-600 Fabric Analytics Engineer and DP-700 Fabric Data Engineer exams are the deeper next steps, and PL-300 Power BI Data Analyst follows the reporting thread.
Every PowerKram practice question maps to one of the four DP-900 skill areas and links to the specific Microsoft Learn page it was derived from, so your weak spots become a focused reading list rather than a guess.
DP-900 skill areas and weights
Four skill areas. Core data concepts and analytics workloads are the two heaviest, each at 25–30%. Microsoft publishes each area as a weighting range rather than an exact percentage; the ranges below are reproduced as Microsoft states them. Plan your study time roughly in proportion.
Structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data; common file formats and database types; transactional vs. analytical workloads; and the roles of database administrators, data engineers, and data analysts.
Large-scale analytics: data ingestion and processing, analytical data stores, Azure Databricks and Microsoft Fabric; batch vs. streaming and real-time analytics; and data visualization with Power BI.
Relational concepts, normalization, common SQL statements and database objects; and the Azure SQL family — Azure SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, SQL Server on Azure VMs — plus open-source database services.
Azure Storage capabilities — Blob, File, and Table storage — and the capabilities, use cases, and APIs of Azure Cosmos DB.
Source: Microsoft Learn — DP-900 study guide (skills measured, as of November 1, 2024). Microsoft publishes weightings as ranges; core data concepts and analytics tie for the heaviest band.
Who DP-900 is for
Azure Data Fundamentals suits anyone who needs foundational data literacy on Azure, technical or not:
- Business analysts and stakeholders who work with data, dashboards, and reports and need to speak the language of relational, non-relational, and analytical data.
- Aspiring data professionals and career changers building a first recognized credential before a role-based data certification.
- Developers and IT professionals who touch databases, storage, or analytics and want a structured grounding in Azure data services.
- Students establishing data fundamentals as a base for further study.
There are no prerequisites. DP-900 is not a prerequisite for the role-based data exams, but it is the cleanest starting point. From here, the Fabric-focused DP-600 and DP-700 and the reporting-focused PL-300 go deeper, and the companion AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals broadens your platform context. For the roles this credential supports — with skills, tools, and salary ranges — see the Data Engineer career path.
What this DP-900 practice exam delivers
Learn mode
Get the correct answer, the explanation, and a direct link to the exact Microsoft Learn page each question was derived from — immediately after each question. Best for the service-to-workload matching DP-900 tests across all four skill areas.
Exam mode
A timed run in the real DP-900 shape — roughly 40 to 60 questions in about 60 minutes — including multiple-response, drag-and-drop, and scenario items, so you build pacing before test day.
Source-linked explanations
Every answer cites the exact Microsoft Learn page it was built from — so you can verify service capabilities and dig deeper, not just memorize.
Score by skill area
Results break down by the four DP-900 areas — core data concepts, relational data, non-relational data, and analytics — so practice tells you exactly which area to revisit.
Sample DP-900 practice questions
Ten free questions across the four DP-900 skill areas, with full explanations and source links to the Microsoft Learn pages each is derived from. The complete bank is available with the 24-hour trial.
A team stores customer records in fixed rows and columns with a defined schema in a relational database.
How is this type of data best described?
- Streaming media
- Unstructured data
- Binary executable data
- Structured data
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D — structured data. Structured data has a fixed schema of rows and columns, exactly as stored in a relational database — the defining DP-900 example of structured data.
Why not the others: streaming media (A) and binary executables (C) are unstructured; unstructured data (B) has no predefined schema (images, video, free text), which contradicts the fixed rows and columns described.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Relational (OLTP) data →A retailer runs many small, fast insert and update operations as customers place orders throughout the day.
Which type of workload does this describe?
- A batch reporting workload run once a month
- A transactional (OLTP) workload
- A data-warehouse analytical workload
- A machine-learning training workload
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — a transactional (OLTP) workload. OLTP workloads handle many short, fast read/write operations (like order inserts and updates) with high concurrency — the pattern described.
Why not the others: batch reporting (A) and a data-warehouse workload (C) are analytical (OLAP), optimized for large reads, not high-frequency small writes; ML training (D) is a different workload entirely.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Online transaction processing (OLTP) →A team wants a fully managed relational database on Azure with no operating-system or SQL Server patching to maintain, for a new cloud-native app.
Which option best fits?
- SQL Server installed on an Azure virtual machine (IaaS)
- An on-premises SQL Server
- Azure SQL Database (PaaS)
- Azure Blob storage
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C — Azure SQL Database (PaaS). Azure SQL Database is a fully managed platform-as-a-service relational database: Microsoft handles OS and SQL patching, backups, and high availability, which fits a cloud-native app with minimal maintenance.
Why not the others: SQL Server on an Azure VM (A) and on-premises SQL Server (B) still require you to patch the OS and engine; Blob storage (D) is non-relational object storage, not a relational database.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure SQL: IaaS vs PaaS → Further reading: PowerKram — PL-300 Power BI Data Analyst →A database designer removes redundant data and organizes it into related tables to reduce duplication and improve integrity.
What is this process called?
- Sharding
- Indexing
- Normalization
- Replication
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C — normalization. Normalization organizes relational data into related tables to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity — a core relational concept on the DP-900.
Why not the others: sharding (A) partitions data across nodes for scale; indexing (B) speeds lookups; replication (D) copies data for availability. None is the redundancy-reduction design process described.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure SQL relational data →An app needs to store large amounts of unstructured objects — images, video, and backups — accessible over HTTP at low cost.
Which Azure storage service is designed for this?
- Azure Blob storage
- Azure SQL Database
- Azure Cache for Redis
- Azure Virtual Network
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — Azure Blob storage. Blob storage is Azure’s object store for large volumes of unstructured data — images, video, backups — accessible over HTTP/HTTPS at low cost, exactly the described use case.
Why not the others: Azure SQL Database (B) is relational; Cache for Redis (C) is an in-memory cache; Virtual Network (D) is networking, not storage.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Blob storage →A globally distributed app needs a NoSQL database with single-digit millisecond latency and multiple API models (document, key-value, graph).
Which Azure service fits?
- Azure Table storage only
- Azure Files
- Azure Cosmos DB
- Azure SQL Managed Instance
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C — Azure Cosmos DB. Cosmos DB is Azure’s globally distributed NoSQL database offering single-digit millisecond latency and multiple API models (NoSQL/document, MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin/graph, Table) — the described need.
Why not the others: Table storage (A) is a simple key-value store without the multi-model, global-distribution capabilities; Azure Files (B) is managed file shares; SQL Managed Instance (D) is relational, not NoSQL.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Cosmos DB → Further reading: PowerKram — DP-700 Fabric Data Engineer →A team needs simple, low-cost storage of key-value entities (a NoSQL key-attribute store) for semi-structured data without a fixed schema.
Which Azure Storage service fits?
- Azure Table storage
- Azure SQL Database
- Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pool
- Azure ExpressRoute
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — Azure Table storage. Table storage is a simple, low-cost NoSQL key-value (key-attribute) store for semi-structured data with no fixed schema — the described need.
Why not the others: Azure SQL Database (B) and a Synapse dedicated SQL pool (C) are relational/analytical SQL stores with schemas; ExpressRoute (D) is a private network connection, not storage.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Table storage →A company wants an Apache Spark–based analytics platform on Azure for large-scale data engineering and collaborative data science.
Which Azure service provides this?
- Azure DNS
- Azure Databricks
- Azure Key Vault
- Azure Load Balancer
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — Azure Databricks. Azure Databricks is the Apache Spark–based analytics platform on Azure for large-scale data engineering, processing, and collaborative data science — exactly the described need.
Why not the others: Azure DNS (A) resolves domain names; Key Vault (C) stores secrets; Load Balancer (D) distributes network traffic. None is an analytics platform.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Databricks → Further reading: PowerKram — DP-600 Fabric Analytics Engineer →An analyst needs to build interactive reports and dashboards from multiple data sources for business users to explore.
Which Microsoft service is designed for data visualization and reporting?
- Azure Monitor
- Microsoft Power BI
- Azure Batch
- Azure Site Recovery
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — Microsoft Power BI. Power BI is Microsoft’s business-intelligence platform for building interactive reports and dashboards from many data sources — the visualization and reporting need described, and a named DP-900 analytics topic.
Why not the others: Azure Monitor (A) observes infrastructure; Batch (C) runs large compute jobs; Site Recovery (D) is disaster recovery. None is a BI/visualization tool.
Source: Microsoft Learn — What is Power BI? → Further reading: PowerKram — PL-300 Power BI Data Analyst →An organization wants a single, unified SaaS analytics platform that brings together data engineering, data warehousing, real-time intelligence, and Power BI.
Which Microsoft offering is this?
- Azure Virtual Desktop
- Azure Bastion
- Azure Container Registry
- Microsoft Fabric
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D — Microsoft Fabric. Microsoft Fabric is the unified SaaS analytics platform that brings data engineering, data warehousing, data science, real-time intelligence, and Power BI together on one foundation — a named DP-900 analytics topic.
Why not the others: Azure Virtual Desktop (A) delivers virtual desktops; Bastion (B) provides secure VM access; Container Registry (C) stores container images. None is a unified analytics platform.
Source: Microsoft Learn — What is Microsoft Fabric? → Further reading: PowerKram — DP-600 Fabric Analytics Engineer →Keep going: study & career resources
DP-900 is the entry point to Azure data. From here, deeper Fabric and Power BI exams build on it, and the data-engineering career path shows where it leads.
Deep dive: DP-900 format, scoring, study path, and where it leads
Exam format and scoring
DP-900 is a fundamentals exam: roughly 40 to 60 questions in about 60 minutes, with a passing score of 700 out of 1000 (scaled). Question formats include multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-drop, and short scenario-based items. There is no penalty for wrong answers, and the exam focuses on concepts and service-to-workload matching rather than code or hands-on configuration. See the PL-300 Power BI path →
The four skill areas
Core data concepts and analytics workloads are the two heaviest areas (each 25–30%), with relational data at 20–25% and non-relational at 15–20%. The concepts cluster into a few reliable themes: structured vs. semi-structured vs. unstructured data; relational vs. non-relational stores; transactional (OLTP) vs. analytical (OLAP) workloads; the Azure SQL family; Blob, File, and Table storage plus Cosmos DB; and the analytics stack of Azure Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, and Power BI. See the DP-700 data-engineering path →
Realistic study path
Most candidates need one to three weeks. The single best resource is the free Microsoft Learn learning path for DP-900, which maps to every objective; layer in one practice test. Focus on being able to match a scenario to the right Azure data service — when to use Azure SQL Database vs. Cosmos DB vs. Blob storage, and when a workload is transactional vs. analytical. The two heaviest areas (core concepts and analytics) deserve the most time. Read about the Fabric analytics path →
Cost and scheduling
The DP-900 list price is $99 USD (regional pricing varies), delivered at a Pearson VUE test center or online with a proctor. Microsoft frequently offers discount or free vouchers through Virtual Training Day events, which can bring the cost to zero. Azure Data Fundamentals certification page →
Validity and next steps
Microsoft Fundamentals certifications do not expire — once earned, Azure Data Fundamentals stays on your transcript permanently. The natural next steps are the role-based data exams: DP-600 (Fabric Analytics Engineer), DP-700 (Fabric Data Engineer), and PL-300 (Power BI Data Analyst), which are role-based and do require periodic (free) renewal. See the DP-700 next step →
Career outlook for Azure Data Fundamentals
DP-900 is a strong first signal of data literacy for both technical and non-technical roles: business and data analysts, aspiring data engineers, and IT professionals moving toward data platforms. It pairs well with AZ-900 for platform context and points toward the role-based Fabric and Power BI credentials. Career Hub — Data Engineer →
Microsoft DP-900 (Azure Data Fundamentals) exam FAQ
What are the DP-900 skill areas and weights?
What is the DP-900 passing score and format?
Does DP-900 have prerequisites?
How much does DP-900 cost and does the certification expire?
What certifications come after DP-900?
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