The AZ-200 Microsoft Azure Developer Core Solutions certification exam tests and validates your expertise as an Azure Developer. This exam tests your expertise across all phases of the Azure development process; from solution design, to development and deployment, to testing and maintenance.

The AZ-203 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure exam was rolled out as a replacement for the AZ-200 + AZ-201 or AZ-203 exams for earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification. This was a move to simplify the process to earning this certifications based on feedback from those who have taken the exams while they were in a “Beta” state. Thanks to those early certification achievers, we all have a simplified process to follow now.

Certification Target Audience

The AZ-200 Microsoft Azure Developer Core Solutions certification exam is geared towards Azure Developers who advice stakeholders and translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions.

Candidates knowledge in all phases of Azure development, including:

• Solution design
• Development and deployment
• Testing and maintenance

Additionally, candidates should be proficient in developing applications and services using Azure tools and technologies including:

• Storage
• Security
• Compute
• Communications

Skills Measured

Here’s a very high level list of the skills and objectives measured on this AZ-200 Microsoft Azure Developer Core Solutions certification exam. The percentages next to each objective area represents the number of questions on the exam in that objective area.

Select the appropriate cloud technology solution (15-20%)

• Select an appropriate compute solution
  • May include but not limited to: Leverage appropriate design patterns; select appropriate network connectivity options; design for hybrid topologies
• Select an appropriate integration solution
  • May include but not limited to: Address computational bottlenecks, state management, and OS requirements; provide for web hosting if applicable; evaluate minimum number of nodes
• Select an appropriate storage solution
  • May include but not limited to: Validate data storage technology capacity limitations; address durability of data; provide for appropriate throughput of data access; evaluate structure of data storage; provide for data archiving, retention, and compliance

Develop for cloud storage (30-35%)

• Develop solutions that use storage tables
  • May include but not limited to: Connect to storage; design and implement policies to tables; query a table storage by using code
• Develop solutions that use Cosmos DB storage
  • May include but not limited to: Choose a consistency level; choose appropriate API for Cosmos DB Storage; create, read, update, and delete tables in Cosmos storage by using code; manage documents and collections in Cosmos DB Storage
• Develop solutions that use file storage
  • May include but not limited to: Implement quotas for File Shares in storage account; move items in file shares between containers asynchronously; set file storage container properties in metadata
• Develop solutions that use a relational database
  • May include but not limited to: Create, read, update, and delete database tables by using code; implement dynamic data masking
• Develop solutions that use blob storage
  • May include but not limited to: Create a shared access signature for a blob; move items in blob storage between containers asynchronously; set blob storage container properties in metadata
• Developing for caching and content delivery solutions
  • May include but not limited to: Develop for Azure Redis cache, storage on Content Delivery Networks (CDNs); develop code to address session state and cache invalidation

Create Platform as a Service (PaaS) Solutions (35-40%)

• Create web applications by using PaaS
  • May include but not limited to: Create an Azure app service web app by using Azure CLI, PowerShell, and other tools; create documentation for the API by using open source and other tools; create an App Service Web App for containers; create an App Service background task by using WebJobs
• Create mobile apps using PaaS
  • May include but not limited to: Add push notifications for mobile app; enable offline sync for mobile app; implement a remote instrumentation strategy for mobile devices
• Create an app service Logic App
  • May include but not limited to: Create a custom connector for Logic Apps, a custom template for a Logic App; create a Logic App; package an Azure App Service Logic App
• Create app or service that runs on Service Fabric
  • May include but not limited to: Develop a stateful Reliable Service and a stateless Reliable Service; develop an actor-based Reliable Service; write code to consume Reliable Collections in your service
• Create serverless functions
  • May include but not limited to: Implement the bindings for the function (input and output); implement the function trigger by using a data operation, timer, webhook, or other tools; develop an Azure Function app for containers by using Azure Portal, CLI, and other tools; develop an Azure Service Fabric Mesh App
• Schedule bulk operations
  • May include but not limited to: Define the batch output and conditions by using Batch Service API; write code to run a batch job; run a batch job by using Azure CLI, Azure Portal, and other tools
• Create solutions that use Azure Kubernetes Service
  • May include but not limited to: Configure diagnostic settings on resources; create a container image by using a Docker file; create an Azure Container Service (ACS/AKS) cluster by using the Azure CLI and Azure Portal; publish an image to the Azure Container Registry; implement an application that runs on an Azure Container Instance; implement container instances by using Azure Container Service (ACS/AKS), Azure Service Fabric, and other tools; manage container settings by using code
• Design and develop applications that use media services
  • May include but not limited to: Implement an application using Video Indexer, Video API, Preview, and other media related services; implement file-based encoding and Azure Media Analytics; develop media solutions that use AI services (e.g., content moderation, optical character recognition, video summarization, face detection, etc.)

Secure cloud solutions (15-20%)

• Implement authentication
  • May include but not limited to: Implement authentication by using certificates, forms-based authentication, tokens, Windows-integrated authentication; implement multi-factor authentication by using Azure AD options
• Implement access control
  • May include but not limited to: Implement Claims-Based Access Control (CBAC) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) authorization
• Implement secure data solutions
  • May include but not limited to: Encrypt and decrypt data at rest; encrypt data with Always Encrypted; implement Azure Confidential Compute and SSL/TLS communications; manage cryptographic keys in the Azure Key Vault

To view the full list of these exam objectives, and to schedule to take the exam, please reference the official AZ-200 exam page.

Azure Developer Associate Certification

This is one of a total of 2 exams required to pass in order to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification. The other exam is the AZ-201 Microsoft Azure Developer Advanced Solutions exam. One you pass both individual exams, then you will earn the full Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification.

This Azure Developer Associate certification is part of a large restructuring of the Microsoft Certifications on a more job-role specific orientation.

Happy Studying!

About the Author

Chris Pietschmann

Chris Pietschmann is a Microsoft MVP, HashiCorp Ambassador, and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) with 20+ years of experience designing and building Cloud & Enterprise systems. He has worked with companies of all sizes from startups to large enterprises. He has a passion for technology and sharing what he learns with others to help enable them to learn faster and be more productive.