Prove your in-demand data engineering skills and champion AI innovation

Take advantage of the newest certification for Microsoft Fabric

In today's rapidly evolving data landscape, the role of data engineers is more critical than ever. As organizations increasingly rely on data-driven decision-making and AI-powered solutions, the demand for professionals with solid data engineering skills continues to grow. Data engineers must have expertise in a diverse set of tools and technologies to build resilient, scalable, and intelligent data systems.

To support these professionals, we’re glad to announce the general availability of the Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate Certification and its related Exam DP-700: Implementing Data Engineering Solutions Using Microsoft Fabric.

This new certification validates the skills needed to implement and manage analytics solutions using Microsoft Fabric, a unified, AI-powered solution that integrates Power BI, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Synapse Analytics to help you turn raw data into actionable insights. By earning this certification, data engineers can demonstrate their expertise in:

• Implementing and managing an analytics solution.
• Ingesting and transforming data.
• Monitoring and optimizing an analytics solution.

Get ready to take Exam DP-700 and earn the new certification:

• Check out the Exam DP-700 study guide and explore potential exam topics.
• Work through the available Exam DP-700 self-paced training.
• From January 14, 2025, through March 31, 2025, take advantage of a limited-time offer to get a 50% discount on Exam DP-700. For details, go to the Fabric Community.
• Register for the Get Certified: DP-700 live learning series, presented by Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and experts. Sessions begin January 28, 2025.
• Explore the instructor-led Course DP-700: Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer. For more information about the course, contact one of our Training Services Partners, which are located around the world.

We’re retiring the Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification

In addition to introducing the new certification, we’re announcing the upcoming retirement of the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification and its related Exam DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure. The certification, related exam, and renewal assessments will all be retired on March 31, 2025.

The following questions and answers can help you determine how these retirements could impact your learning journey:

Q: If Microsoft is retiring this certification, does it mean that Azure Synapse Analytics will also be retired?
A: Microsoft has no current plans to retire Azure Synapse Analytics. You can continue to deploy, operate, and expand the PaaS offering of Azure Synapse Analytics. For more details, read the blog post Microsoft Fabric, explained for existing Synapse users

Q: What if I’m studying for Exam DP-203?

A: If you’re currently preparing for Exam DP-203, you should take and pass the exam before March 31, 2025. If you’re just starting your preparation process, we recommend that you explore the new Fabric Data Engineer Associate Certification and its related Exam DP-700: Implementing Data Engineering Solutions Using Microsoft Fabric.

Q: I’ve already earned the Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification. What happens now?

A: If you’ve already earned the Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification, it will stay on the transcript in your profile on Microsoft Learn. If you’re eligible to renew your certification before March 31, 2025, we recommend that you consider doing so. Renewal of this certification won’t be possible after this date.

Q: Will this change impact Microsoft Partners?

A: Microsoft Partners who earn the Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification before it retires will continue to earn points or credit toward offering requirements as long as this certification remains on their transcript, until a year after the Certification is retired. New credentials may be eligible for inclusion in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program requirements. These changes will be shared with partners when additional details are available.

Validate your data skills with
Microsoft Credentials

Microsoft Certifications verify technical proficiency for broad role-based competencies, and Microsoft Applied Skills help you demonstrate your capabilities in specific scenarios or workloads, complementing the broader certification skills. Together, these two types of Microsoft Credentials can validate your comprehensive data and AI skill set.

To prove your skills for data engineering, data science, and data analysis projects with Microsoft Fabric, such as implementing data science and machine learning solutions, Real-Time Intelligence solutions, or data lakehouses or warehouses, consider the relevant Applied Skills, logical complements for the new Fabric Data Engineer Associate Certification.

Discover complementary Microsoft Credentials to prove your skills in data engineering, data science, and data analysis

Get ready for a bright future

The future of data engineering is bright, and with the right skills and credentials—including the new Fabric Data Engineer Associate Certification—you can be at the forefront of this exciting transformation. Embrace the power of Microsoft Fabric and join us in shaping the future of data and AI.

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