Study guide for Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (2024)

  • Article

Purpose of this document

This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the examand includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links toadditional resources. The information and materials in this documentshould help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.

Useful linksDescription
Review the skills measured as of January 23, 2024This list represents the skills measured AFTER the date provided. Study this list if you plan to take the exam AFTER that date.
Review the skills measured prior to January 23, 2024Study this list of skills if you take your exam PRIOR to the date provided.
Change logYou can go directly to the change log if you want to see the changes that will be made on the date provided.
How to earn the certificationSome certifications only require passing one exam, while others require passing multiple exams.
Your Microsoft Learn profileConnecting your certification profile to Microsoft Learn allows you to schedule and renew exams and share and print certificates.
Exam scoring and score reportsA score of 700 or greater is required to pass.
Exam sandboxYou can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox.
Request accommodationsIf you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation.
Take a free Practice AssessmentTest your skills with practice questions to help you prepare for the exam.

Updates to the exam

Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are requiredto perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measuredobjectives depending on when you are taking the exam.

We always update the English language version of the exam first. Someexams are localized into other languages, and those are updatedapproximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. AlthoughMicrosoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted,there may be times when the localized versions of an exam are notupdated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in theSchedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the examisn't available in your preferred language, you can request anadditional 30 minutes to complete the exam.

Note

The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended toillustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may becovered in the exam.

Note

Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). Theexam may contain questions on Preview features if those features arecommonly used.

Skills measured as of January 23, 2024

Audience profile

As a candidate for this exam, you’re a technology professional who wantsto demonstrate foundational knowledge of cloud concepts in general andMicrosoft Azure in particular. This exam is a common starting point in ajourney towards a career in Azure.

You can describe Azure architectural components and Azure services, suchas:

  • Compute

  • Networking

  • Storage

You can also describe features and tools to secure, govern, andadminister Azure.

You should have skills and experience working with an area of IT, suchas:

  • Infrastructure management

  • Database management

  • Software development

Skills at a glance

  • Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)

  • Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)

  • Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)

Describe cloud computing

  • Define cloud computing

  • Describe the shared responsibility model

  • Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid

  • Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model

  • Describe the consumption-based model

  • Compare cloud pricing models

  • Describe serverless

Describe the benefits of using cloud services

  • Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in thecloud

  • Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud

  • Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud

  • Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud

Describe cloud service types

Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)

Describe the core architectural components of Azure

  • Describe Azure regions, region pairs, and sovereign regions

  • Describe availability zones

  • Describe Azure datacenters

  • Describe Azure resources and resource groups

  • Describe subscriptions

  • Describe management groups

  • Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, andmanagement groups

Describe Azure compute and networking services

  • Compare compute types, including containers, virtual machines, andfunctions

  • Describe virtual machine options, including Azure virtual machines,Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, availability sets, and Azure VirtualDesktop

  • Describe the resources required for virtual machines

  • Describe application hosting options, including web apps, containers,and virtual machines

  • Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure virtualnetworks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPNGateway, and ExpressRoute

  • Define public and private endpoints

Describe Azure storage services

  • Compare Azure Storage services

  • Describe storage tiers

  • Describe redundancy options

  • Describe storage account options and storage types

  • Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure StorageExplorer, and Azure File Sync

  • Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box

Describe Azure identity, access, and security

  • Describe directory services in Azure, including Microsoft Entra ID andMicrosoft Entra Domain Services

  • Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on(SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and passwordless

  • Describe external identities in Azure, including business-to-business(B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C)

  • Describe Microsoft Entra Conditional Access

  • Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC)

  • Describe the concept of Zero Trust

  • Describe the purpose of the defense-in-depth model

  • Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cost management in Azure

  • Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure

  • Compare the pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Calculator

  • Describe cost management capabilities in Azure

  • Describe the purpose of tags

Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance

  • Describe the purpose of Microsoft Purview in Azure

  • Describe the purpose of Azure Policy

  • Describe the purpose of resource locks

Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources

  • Describe the Azure portal

  • Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure Command-LineInterface (CLI) and Azure PowerShell

  • Describe the purpose of Azure Arc

  • Describe infrastructure as code (IaC)

  • Describe Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and ARM templates

Describe monitoring tools in Azure

  • Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor

  • Describe Azure Service Health

  • Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts,and Application Insights

Study resources

We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you takethe exam. We offer self-study options and classroom training as well aslinks to documentation, community sites, and videos.

Study resourcesLinks to learning and documentation
Get trainedChoose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an instructor-led course
Find documentationAzure on Microsoft Learn
Azure documentation
Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure
Accelerate cloud adoption with the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure
Ask a question
Get community supportAzure Community Support
Follow Microsoft LearnMicrosoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community
Find a videoExam Readiness Zone
Azure Fridays
Browse other Microsoft Learn shows

Change log

Key to understanding the table: The topic groups (also known asfunctional groups) are in bold typeface followed by the objectiveswithin each group. The table is a comparison between the two versions ofthe exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent ofthe changes.

Skill area prior to January 23, 2024Skill area as of January 23, 2024Change
Audience profileNo change
Describe cloud conceptsDescribe cloud conceptsNo change
Describe cloud computingDescribe cloud computingNo change
Describe the benefits of using cloud servicesDescribe the benefits of using cloud servicesNo change
Describe cloud service typesDescribe cloud service typesMinor
Describe Azure architecture and servicesDescribe Azure architecture and servicesNo change
Describe the core architectural components of AzureDescribe the core architectural components of AzureNo change
Describe Azure compute and networking servicesDescribe Azure compute and networking servicesNo change
Describe Azure storage servicesDescribe Azure storage servicesNo change
Describe Azure identity, access, and securityDescribe Azure identity, access, and securityMinor
Describe Azure management and governanceDescribe Azure management and governanceNo change
Describe cost management in AzureDescribe cost management in AzureNo change
Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and complianceDescribe features and tools in Azure for governance and complianceNo change
Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resourcesDescribe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resourcesNo change
Describe monitoring tools in AzureDescribe monitoring tools in AzureNo change

Skills measured prior to January 23, 2024

Audience profile

Candidates for this exam are technology professionals who want todemonstrate foundational knowledge of cloud concepts in general andAzure in particular. This certification is a common starting point in ajourney towards a career in Azure.

These professionals can describe Azure architectural components andAzure services, such as compute, networking, and storage. They can alsodescribe features and tools to secure, govern, and administer Azure.

Candidates for this exam have skills and experience working with an areaof information technology (IT), such as infrastructure management,database management, or software development.

  • Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)

  • Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)

  • Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)

Describe cloud computing

  • Define cloud computing

  • Describe the shared responsibility model

  • Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid

  • Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model

  • Describe the consumption-based model

  • Compare cloud pricing models

  • Describe serverless

Describe the benefits of using cloud services

  • Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in thecloud

  • Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud

  • Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud

  • Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud

Describe cloud service types

  • Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

  • Describe platform as a service (PaaS)

  • Describe software as a service (SaaS)

  • Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, andSaaS)

Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)

Describe the core architectural components of Azure

  • Describe Azure regions, region pairs, and sovereign regions

  • Describe availability zones

  • Describe Azure datacenters

  • Describe Azure resources and resource groups

  • Describe subscriptions

  • Describe management groups

  • Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, andmanagement groups

Describe Azure compute and networking services

  • Compare compute types, including containers, virtual machines, andfunctions

  • Describe virtual machine options, including Azure virtual machines,Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, availability sets, and Azure VirtualDesktop

  • Describe the resources required for virtual machines

  • Describe application hosting options, including web apps, containers,and virtual machines

  • Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure virtualnetworks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPNGateway, and ExpressRoute

  • Define public and private endpoints

Describe Azure storage services

  • Compare Azure Storage services

  • Describe storage tiers

  • Describe redundancy options

  • Describe storage account options and storage types

  • Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure StorageExplorer, and Azure File Sync

  • Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box

Describe Azure identity, access, and security

  • Describe directory services in Azure, including Azure Active Directory(Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra and Azure Active Directory DomainServices (Azure AD DS)

  • Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on(SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and passwordless

  • Describe external identities in Azure, including business-to-business(B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C)

  • Describe Conditional Access in Azure AD

  • Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC)

  • Describe the concept of Zero Trust

  • Describe the purpose of the defense-in-depth model

  • Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cost management in Azure

  • Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure

  • Compare the pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Calculator

  • Describe cost management capabilities in Azure

  • Describe the purpose of tags

Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance

  • Describe the purpose of Microsoft Purview in Azure

  • Describe the purpose of Azure Policy

  • Describe the purpose of resource locks

Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources

  • Describe the Azure portal

  • Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure Command-LineInterface (CLI) and Azure PowerShell

  • Describe the purpose of Azure Arc

  • Describe infrastructure as code (IaC)

  • Describe Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and ARM templates

Describe monitoring tools in Azure

  • Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor

  • Describe Azure Service Health

  • Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts,and Application Insights

Study guide for Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (2024)
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