MICROSOFT CERTIFIED: AZURE DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR ASSOCIATE – SKILLS MEASURED

NOTE: The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are
assessing that skill. This list is NOT definitive or exhaustive.
NOTE: Most questions cover features that are General Availability (GA). The exam may contain
questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.
Exam DP-300: Administering Relational Databases on
Microsoft Azure
Plan and Implement Data Platform Resources (15-20%)
Deploy resources by using manual methods
◼ deploy database offerings on selected platforms
◼ configure customized deployment templates
◼ apply patches and updates for hybrid and IaaS deployment
Recommend an appropriate database offering based on specific requirements
◼ evaluate requirements for the deployment
◼ evaluate the functional benefits/impact of possible database offerings
◼ evaluate the scalability of the possible database offering
◼ evaluate the HA/DR of the possible database offering
◼ evaluate the security aspects of the possible database offering
Configure resources for scale and performance
◼ configure Azure SQL Database for scale and performance
◼ configure Azure SQL Managed Instance for scale and performance
◼ configure SQL Server in Azure VMs for scale and performance
◼ calculate resource requirements
◼ evaluate database partitioning techniques, such as database sharding
◼ set up SQL Data Sync
Evaluate a strategy for moving to Azure
◼ evaluate requirements for the migration
◼ evaluate offline or online migration strategies
◼ evaluate requirements for the upgrade
◼ evaluate offline or online upgrade strategies
Implement a migration or upgrade strategy for moving to Azure
◼ implement an online migration strategy
◼ implement an offline migration strategy
◼ implement an online upgrade strategy
◼ implement an offline upgrade strategy
Implement a Secure Environment (15-20%)
Configure database authentication by using platform and database tools
◼ configure Azure AD authentication
◼ create users from Azure AD identities
◼ configure security principals
Configure database authorization by using platform and database tools
◼ configure database and object-level permissions using graphical tools
◼ apply principle of least privilege for all securables
Implement security for data at rest
◼ implement Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)
◼ implement object-level encryption
◼ implement Dynamic Data Masking
◼ implement Azure Key Vault and disk encryption for Azure VMs
Implement security for data in transit
◼ configure server and database-level firewall rules
◼ implement Always Encrypted
Implement compliance controls for sensitive data
◼ apply a data classification strategy
◼ configure server and database audits
◼ implement data change tracking
◼ perform a vulnerability assessment
Monitor and Optimize Operational Resources (15-20%)
Monitor activity and performance
◼ prepare an operational performance baseline
◼ determine sources for performance metrics
◼ interpret performance metrics
◼ configure and monitor activity and performance at the infrastructure, server, service, and
database levels
Implement performance-related maintenance tasks
◼ implement index maintenance tasks
◼ implement statistics maintenance tasks
◼ configure database auto-tuning
◼ manage storage capacity
Identify performance-related issues
◼ configure Query Store to collect performance data
◼ identify sessions that cause blocking
◼ assess growth/fragmentation of databases and logs
◼ assess performance-related database configuration parameters
Configure resources for optimal performance
◼ configure storage and infrastructure resources
◼ configure server and service account settings for performance
◼ configure Resource Governor for performance
Configure a user database for optimal performance
◼ implement database-scoped configuration
◼ configure compute resources for scaling
◼ configure Intelligent Query Processing (IQP)
Optimize Query Performance (5-10%)
Review query plans
◼ determine the appropriate type of execution plan
◼ identify problem areas in execution plans
◼ extract query plans from the Query Store
Evaluate performance improvements
◼ determine the appropriate Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) to gather query
performance information
◼ identify performance issues using DMVs
◼ identify and implement index changes for queries
◼ recommend query construct modifications based on resource usage
◼ assess the use of hints for query performance
Review database table and index design
◼ identify data quality issues with duplication of data
◼ identify normal form of database tables
◼ assess index design for performance
◼ validate data types defined for columns
◼ recommend table and index storage including filegroups
◼ evaluate table partitioning strategy
◼ evaluate the use of compression for tables and indexes
Perform Automation of Tasks (10-15%)
Create scheduled tasks
◼ manage schedules for regular maintenance jobs
◼ configure multi-server automation
◼ configure notifications for task success/failure/non-completion
Evaluate and implement an alert and notification strategy
◼ create event notifications based on metrics
◼ create event notifications for Azure resources
◼ create alerts for server configuration changes
◼ create tasks that respond to event notifications
Manage and automate tasks in Azure
◼ perform automated deployment methods for resources
◼ implement policies by using automated evaluation modes
Plan and Implement a High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR)
Environment (15-20%)
Recommend an HADR strategy for a data platform solution
◼ recommend HADR strategy based on RPO/RTO requirements
◼ evaluate HADR for hybrid deployments
◼ evaluate Azure-specific HADR solutions
◼ identify resources for HADR solutions
Test an HADR strategy by using platform, OS, and database tools
◼ test HA by using failover
◼ test DR by using failover or restore
Perform backup and restore a database by using database tools
◼ perform a database backup with options
◼ perform a database restore with options
◼ perform a database restore to a point in time
◼ configure long-term backup retention
Configure HA/DR by using OS, platform, and database tools
◼ configure replication
◼ create an Always On Availability Group
◼ configure auto-failover groups
◼ integrate a database into an Always On Availability Group
◼ configure quorum options for a Windows Server Failover Cluster
◼ configure an Always On Availability Group listener
◼ configure failover cluster instances on Azure VMs
Perform Administration by Using T-SQL (10-15%)
Examine system health
◼ evaluate database health using DMVs
◼ evaluate server health using DMVs
◼ perform database consistency checks by using DBCC
Monitor database configuration by using T-SQL
◼ assess proper database autogrowth configuration
◼ report on database free space
◼ review database configuration options
Perform backup and restore a database by using T-SQL
◼ prepare databases for Always On Availability Groups
◼ perform transaction log backup
◼ perform restore of user databases
◼ perform database backups with options
Manage authentication by using T-SQL
◼ manage certificates
◼ manage security principals
Manage authorization by using T-SQL
◼ configure permissions for users to access database objects
◼ configure permissions by using custom roles