DP-300 Exam Guide: Azure SQL Skills, Weights and 6-Week Plan

Exam DP-300 (Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions) leads to Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate. You have 100 minutes, you need a score of 700 to pass, and the exam is proctored and scheduled through Pearson VUE.

Below you get the skills and weights, the exam format, the cost, a six-week study plan with a hands-on lab, and what to do after you pass.

What DP-300 proves and who it is for

Microsoft describes the role as administering "an SQL Server database infrastructure for cloud, on-premises and hybrid relational databases" using its PaaS relational database offerings. The official certification page lists the level as Intermediate, the role as Database Administrator and the product as Azure.

The exam fits you if you run or plan to run databases on:

• Azure SQL Database

• Azure SQL Managed Instance

• SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (Windows and Linux)

• SQL Server on-premises

Microsoft expects you to be responsible for management, availability, security, and performance monitoring and optimization. You also evaluate and implement migrations between Azure and on-premises. You use Transact-SQL (T-SQL) and other tools to automate day-to-day work.

Skills measured and their weights

The official study guide lists these weights under "Skills measured as of October 27, 2026".

Three areas carry up to 25% each. Together, security, monitoring and HA/DR make up most of the exam. Give them most of your time.

Topics named in the guide include:

• Azure Arc-enabled SQL services and Azure SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric

• Microsoft Entra ID authentication, transparent data encryption (TDE), Always Encrypted and Always Encrypted with secure enclaves

• Dynamic data masking, row-level security and ledger in Azure SQL

• Query Store, Extended Events, database watcher and Intelligent Insights

• Online and offline migration strategies

Microsoft notes that the bullets illustrate how each skill is assessed. Related topics may also appear, and most questions cover generally available features.

Exam format at a glance

Localized versions are updated about eight weeks after the English version. A translated exam can therefore lag behind the English skills list. Microsoft recommends registering with a personal Microsoft account (MSA). Records tied to a work or school account can be lost if you leave that organization.

What the exam costs and what our voucher changes

Microsoft's official list price is $165.00 USD, as published by the vendor. Microsoft says the price depends on the country or region where you take the exam. Check the exam page for your location.

Our DP-300 voucher costs $44.99.

Refund rules are simple:

• You can cancel an order for a full refund before delivery.

• A delivered code is non-refundable, unless the test provider rejects it as invalid, already used or expired on first use.

• In that case, contact support within 14 days with your order number and a screenshot. We replace or refund the code.

Full terms are on the refund page and the delivery page.

A six-week study plan built around the weights

This plan assumes you already write everyday T-SQL and know basic Azure concepts. It adds up to about 52 hours. Add a week or two if you are new to Azure or to SQL Server administration.

Use Microsoft's new Practice Assessment on AI Skills Navigator. The legacy assessment on Microsoft Learn is no longer updated, and Microsoft strongly recommends the new one.

Spend about half of every week in a real Azure subscription or a SQL Server instance. Reading about a feature rarely prepares you for an interactive task.

Hands-on example: find the expensive query, then check blocking

Query Store and DMVs appear in the monitoring area, which carries up to 25%. Practice this sequence on a test database.

First, turn on Query Store:

ALTER DATABASE CURRENT SET QUERY_STORE = ON (OPERATION_MODE = READ_WRITE);

Run a workload, then list the top five queries by total CPU:

SELECT TOP 5 q.query_id, qt.query_sql_text,
       SUM(rs.avg_cpu_time * rs.count_executions) AS total_cpu
FROM sys.query_store_query AS q
JOIN sys.query_store_query_text AS qt ON q.query_text_id = qt.query_text_id
JOIN sys.query_store_plan AS p ON q.query_id = p.query_id
JOIN sys.query_store_runtime_stats AS rs ON p.plan_id = rs.plan_id
GROUP BY q.query_id, qt.query_sql_text
ORDER BY total_cpu DESC;

Next, open two sessions. In the first, start an uncommitted UPDATE inside a transaction. In the second, run a conflicting UPDATE on the same rows. A SELECT can slip past the lock under row-versioning isolation, so use an UPDATE for a reliable block. Then look for the blocker:

SELECT session_id, blocking_session_id, wait_type, wait_time
FROM sys.dm_exec_requests
WHERE blocking_session_id <> 0;

Finally, open the execution plan of the top query and decide whether an index would help. That one loop covers several bullets in the study guide.

Common mistakes

• Treating all five areas equally. Security, monitoring and HA/DR carry the most weight.

• Only using the portal. The guide stresses T-SQL, automated deployment and administration with tools. Practice both graphical and scripted approaches.

• Studying from old material. Check any book or video against the study guide's skills list dated October 27, 2026.

• Ignoring platform differences. Many questions hinge on which offering supports a feature. Build a comparison table for the three Azure SQL platforms.

• Skipping the time check. You have 100 minutes. Practice with a timer.

• Registering with a work account. Microsoft recommends a personal MSA for your exam records.

After you pass: renewal and next steps

The certification has a renewal frequency of 12 months. You renew at no cost by passing an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Put a reminder in your calendar well before the expiry date.

For your next step, browse our Cloud Computing and Data & Analytics categories for related Microsoft exams.

Ready to book? Get the DP-300 voucher and schedule through Pearson VUE.

Sources

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate

• Study guide for Exam DP-300: Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions