The 70-777 Implementing Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Solutions certification exam tests and validates your expertise in designing, building, and troubleshooting Azure Cosmos DB solutions. The exam is focused around the Azure Cosmos DB database service in the Microsoft Azure Cloud, and is targeted towards database developers, big data developers, and architects who are leveraging Azure Cosmos DB in their solutions.

When this exam was originally announced in April 2017 and was named “Implementing NoSQL Solutions with DocumentDB and Azure Search”. The exam has since been renamed with the branding change of DocumentDB to Cosmos DB, and removed Azure Search from the list of exam objectives covered.

As of July 2018, this exam is listed as “Beta” on the Microsoft Learning site, and the publish date displays “Coming Soon”.

Certification Target Audience

The 70-777 Implementing Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Solutions certification exam is geared towards database developers, big data developers, and architects who leverage Azure Cosmos DB within their solutions. These candidates for this exam will be working in their everyday job to design, build, and troubleshoot Azure Cosmos DB solutions to meet both business and technical requirements.

Anyone looking to take this exam should have an understanding of the fundamental concepts of replication, partitioning, and resource governance for building and configuring scalable applications that are agnostic of a Cosmos DB API. An basic working understanding of the Cosmos DB SQL API will also be helpful.

Skills Measured

Here’s a very high level list of the skills and objectives measures on the 70-777 Implementing Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Solutions certification exam:

Partition and Model Data

• Plan a partitioning strategy
  • Select a partition key for a container; differentiate between partition keys and partition key ranges; partition data across multiple containers; calculate throughput distribution across partition key ranges; control cross-partition queries; plan for transactions
• Model data based on business use cases
  • Identify when to co-locate data within the same container or across multiple containers; identify when to co-locate data within the same partition key or across multiple partition keys; identify when to co-locate data within the same document or across multiple documents; share properties between documents

Replicate Data Across the World

• Implement global distribution and high availability
  • Replicate data to additional regions; define automatic failover policies for disaster recovery; perform manual failovers to change the write region; set the preferred location of applications for low-latency access; design patterns for multi-write regions; resolve conflicts surfaced by the conflict feed
• Select a data consistency approach based on business use cases
  • Identify use cases for consistencies; differentiate between consistencies by using characteristics; differentiate between consistencies by using trade-offs between performance and consistency; use session tokens

Tune and Debug Azure Cosmos DB Solutions

• Estimate and provision request units
  • Differentiate requests and request units; retrieve request unit cost of an operation; estimate request unit allocation for a container; tune throughput for uneven workloads and manage throttling; monitor Azure portal metrics; recommend solutions based on query metrics
• Tune container settings
  • Manage lifecycle of data by using TTL; tune an index policy; include and exclude properties from index paths
• Implement security
  • Secure access to data; rotate keys; understand encryption at rest and in transit; configure IP firewalls; create and manage users; configure fine-grained access to resources
• Debug a Cosmos DB solution
  • Configure diagnostic logging; recommend solutions based on data retrieved from logs; evaluate response status code categories; throttle; review metrics and performance tips

Develop Azure Cosmos DB Solutions

• Develop applications with the SQL API
  • Optimize SDK and concurrency control; Tune request options for CRUD and queries; examine response headers; implement optimistic concurrency control with ETAG; query geospatial data; use advanced SQL query operators for complex documents (nested objects and arrays); perform intra-document JOINs; perform SQL queries; implement user-defined functions; use multi-record transactions with stored procedures; implement a continuation model for bounded execution with stored procedures; implement server-side logic and transactions
• Migrate from MongoDB to MongoDB API in Cosmos DB
  • Choose appropriate tools to migrate data; transfer data
• Implement event-driven applications by using Azure functions, triggers and Cosmos DB change feed
  • Use Cosmos DB triggers for Azure functions; change feed mechanics
• Analyze Cosmos DB data with Apache Spark connector
  • Set up and configure a Cosmos DB Spark connector; push down predicates

To view the most up-to-date list of these exam objectives, in case Microsoft changes them before the final release of the exam, please reference the official page for the 70-777 certification exam.

Training Materials

Currently, there aren’t any 70-777 Implementing Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Solutions certification exam study guides or books available. This exam is still marked as Beta, but doesn’t look to be available to take just yet. The best references for studying will likely be the Azure documentation, and some of the other content that’s available around Cosmos DB usage as well.

Here’s a list of some helpful links:

• Azure Cosmos DB Documentation
• E-Book: Build Modern Apps with Big Data at a Global Scale
• Article: Designing Globally Resilient Apps with Azure App Service and Cosmos DB
• SkillMeUp.com Labs and Courses
  • Course: Introduction to Azure Cosmos DB
  • Lab: Introduction to Cosmos DB using ASP.NET Core MVC
  • Lab: Managing Documents in Azure Cosmos DB

Happy studying!

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