Microsoft data and analytics certification path
If you build reports, start with PL-300. If you build data platforms, pick DP-700 for Microsoft Fabric or DP-750 for Azure Databricks. If you design analytics solutions on Fabric, take DP-600. If you write SQL for applications that use AI, take DP-800. Microsoft has no fixed order between these five.
The five exams side by side
| Exam | Certification | Platform | Take it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| PL-300 | Power BI Data Analyst Associate | Power BI | You model data and build reports |
| DP-600 | Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate | Microsoft Fabric | You design semantic models and analytics solutions |
| DP-700 | Fabric Data Engineer Associate | Microsoft Fabric | You ingest and transform data with pipelines, notebooks and KQL |
| DP-750 | Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate | Azure Databricks | You engineer data on Databricks inside Azure |
| DP-800 | SQL AI Developer Associate | SQL and AI | You develop database solutions that use vectors and AI features |
Choosing between them
Analyst or engineer? PL-300 vs DP-600 explains why PL-300 is the right start for report builders and DP-600 the next step if you also own the data model and the platform around it. DP-600 vs DP-700 separates the analytics engineer from the data engineer.
Fabric or Databricks? Both are data engineering associates. DP-750 vs DP-700 compares the two Microsoft exams, and the Databricks vs Azure data engineering guide compares the Microsoft route with Databricks’ own certifications. If your employer already runs Databricks, the Databricks certification path may serve you better than a Microsoft exam.
Databases and AI? DP-800 is the odd one out: it targets SQL developers rather than lakehouse engineers. DP-800 vs DP-700 shows where they overlap.
Check the outline before you book
Several of these outlines change in October 2026: DP-600, DP-700, DP-750 and DP-800 share an English update on October 19, 2026, and the localised exams follow about eight weeks after English. Each guide on this site follows the newest outline and tells you where it differs. Associate certifications renew annually through a free online assessment. See the exam changes tracker for the current state.
Choosing between Fabric and Databricks as an analyst? See Data analyst to Fabric or Databricks.