It is no secret that Microsoft has a wide range of product and service portfolios. The company consistently updates its services and products in line with the growth of technology. To keep its administrators and technicians uptodate, the organization has continued to train the professionals, validating their knowledge and skills in the different areas of its offers.

Earning an IT certification from Microsoft validates the individuals’ competence in a specific role in the IT world. A Microsoft certificate has numerous advantages, which also include better career potentials. According to a survey, the professionals with the IT credentials have a high chance of getting promoted or landing a good job. Additionally, it has been reported that more than 80% of recruiters placethe certifications on medium or high priority when it comes to making hiring decisions. The implication of this is that with a Microsoft certificate, theapplicants stands a better chance of getting their dream job.

New Microsoft Certification Path

Previously, the Microsoft certification program covered seven major categories, which include Cloud Platform & Infrastructure; Mobility; Data Management & Analytics; App Builder; Productivity; Business Applications; Core Infrastructure. There were different levels of certificates under each of these categories. They were AZ-300, MCSA, MCSE,MCSD, and MOS.

The newly introduced Microsoft certification pathhas been simplified and classified into the role-based credentials. The candidates with no experience in the field can start off their journey with the Fundamentalslevel and progress to the Associate one before pursuing the expert-level certificates.Basically, you can earn any of these levels of credentials in nine different job role categories. They include Developer, Administrator, Solutions Architect, Data Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Security Engineer, and Functional Consultant.Let’s look at these in detail.

Administrator Certification Track

There are three levels under the Administrator certification path, which are Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert.The Fundamentals certificates are optional, which means they are not prerequisites for other advanced-level credentials. The professionals can start their pathway with the Associate level and then progress to the Expert one. It is essential to mention that the expert-level certificates require the Associate level before they can be earned. There are also the MCSE and Specialtycertifications that are indicated for this Administrator track.

The list of certificates available under this path and the required exams are highlighted below:

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-103);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate (MS-200, MS-201);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate (MD-100, MD-101);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate (MS-500);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Teamwork Administrator Associate (MS-300, MS-301);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert (MS-100, MS-101);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate (MS-700);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals (MS-900);
  • MCSE Productivity Solutions Expert (70-333, 70-339, 70-345);
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (AZ-120).

Solutions Architect Certification Track

The professionals who are pursuing the credentials under this path have expertise in network, compute, security, and storage. The Solutions Architect certifications also have standard levels: Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert (just like other tracks). The Fundamentals certificates are optional for those who are new to Azure. There is also a specialty-level credential that you can get.

The list of certifications available under this path as well as their exams are as follows:

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-300, AZ-301);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance & Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert (MB-700);
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (AZ-120);
  • Microsoft Certified: Power Apps + Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Expert (MB-600).

Data Engineer Certification Track

The Data Engineers are equipped with skills to design & implement management, security, monitory, and privacy of data with the use of full-stack data services.Under this path, you havethe following credential: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-200, DP-201).

Data Scientist Certification Track

The qualified Data Scientists generally apply machine-learning methods to training, deploying, and evaluating models that provide solutions to business problems. Currently, there is only one certification under this path, which is Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate (DP-100).

AI Engineer Certification Track

The AI Engineers utilize machine learning, knowledge mining, and cognitive services to implement and architect Microsoft AI solutions. The certification available under this path is Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-100).

DevOps Engineer Certification Track

The Azure DevOps Engineers combine people, technologies, and processes to continuously offer valuable products & services that fulfill business objectives and meet the needs of end-users. The certification available under this category is Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400).

Security Engineer Certification Track

The Security Engineers gainthe required skills to implement security controls & threat protection; protect data, networks, and applications in Cloud & hybrid environments as an aspect of end-to-end infrastructure; and manage identity & access. The certificate available under this path is the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500).

Functional Consultant Certification Track

The professionals with the credential under this path leverage Microsoft Dynamics 365 to anticipate & plan for the needs of customers.The certificates of this category are highlighted below:

  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate (MB-200, MB-230);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate (MB-200, MB-240);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate (MB-300, MB-310);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Functional Consultant Associate (MB-300, MB-320);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate (MB-200, MB-220);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate (MB-200, MB-210);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate (MB-300, MB-330).

Developer Certification Track

The professional Developers design, test, build, and maintain solutions. They implement services and applications by collaborating with the customers and the Solutions Architects. The associated certifications are highlighted below:

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate (AZ-203);
  • Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance & Operations Apps Developer Associate (MB-300, MB-500);
  • Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900);
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Developer Associate (MS-600);
  • Microsoft Certified: Power Apps + Dynamics 365 Developer Associate (PL-900).

There are some credentials that were also created for the Developer path. Most of them are from the Specialty level or the ones that you get by learning Microsoft Office. They are as follows:

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty (AZ-220);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Access 2016 (77-730);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Word 2016 (77-725);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Excel 2016 (77-727);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Outlook 2016 (77-731);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 (77-729);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Office 2016 (77-725, 77-727, 77-729);
  • Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert (MO-101, MO-201);
  • Microsoft Certified Educator (62-193).

Conclusion

Of course, the exams are very importantfor earning these Microsoft certifications. However, you don’t have to worry as the ExamSnap website has all the resources you need to prepare for anytest. Check out these study materials and master the necessary skills.
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