Getting certified in Azure Data Factory can open doors to new career opportunities and enhance your skills in data integration and processing. This certification is highly valued in the industry.
Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service that enables you to create, schedule, and manage data pipelines. With this certification, you'll learn how to use ADF to connect to various data sources, transform data, and load it into target systems.
The benefits of Azure Data Factory certification include increased job prospects, higher salary potential, and the ability to work with a wide range of data sources and systems.
Benefits and Importance
The Azure Data Factory Certification is a game-changer for data professionals. It validates your knowledge and abilities in managing and developing data processing, implementing data storage solutions, and monitoring and optimizing data solutions.
High demand for data professionals is on the rise, with the US Bureau of Labour Statistics projecting an 11% increase in employment from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Data professionals with Azure Data Factory Certification can command higher salaries, with an average salary of $100,000 annually for data engineers with Azure skills, and up to $150,000 annually for those with certification.
Obtaining an Azure Data Factory Certification can open up new career opportunities for data professionals, including roles such as data integration developer, data engineer, business intelligence developer, data architect, and solution architect.
Here are the benefits of Azure Data Factory Certification in a nutshell:
- Stand out in a crowded job market
- Increase your earning potential
- Open up new career opportunities
- Stay relevant in the ever-evolving world of data
By getting certified in Azure Data Factory, you can stay current with the newest technology and trends, and demonstrate your knowledge and skills in cloud-based data integration. This is especially important in an industry where data continuously develops.
Certification Process
To get Azure Data Factory Certified, you must pass the relevant certification exams. These exams are designed to test your knowledge and skills in using Azure Data Factory, specifically in implementing data storage solutions, managing and developing data processing, and monitoring and optimizing data solutions.
The certification exams for Azure Data Factory are DP-200 and DP-201. The DP-200 exam tests your knowledge and skills in implementing data storage solutions, managing and developing data processing, and monitoring and optimizing data solutions. The DP-201 exam tests your knowledge and skills in designing Azure data solutions, including designing Azure data storage solutions, designing data processing solutions, and designing for data security and compliance.
To prepare for these exams, you can take online courses, attend training sessions, and practice using Azure Data Factory. Microsoft offers official training courses for both exams, which can help you with the certification exams.
Here are the details of the certification exams:
It's worth noting that to be eligible for the DP-203 exam, you must pay $165, and you must score at least 70% of the marks to earn the certificate.
How to Get Certified
To get certified in Azure Data Factory, you'll need to pass the relevant certification exams. There are two exams to pass: Exam DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution and Exam DP-201: Designing an Azure Data Solution.
The exams test your knowledge and skills in using Azure Data Factory, including implementing data storage solutions, managing and developing data processing, and monitoring and optimizing data solutions. You can prepare for the exams by taking online courses, attending training sessions, and practicing using Azure Data Factory.
Microsoft offers official training courses for both exams, which can help you with the certification exams. The training courses are designed to help you clear the certification exams and get the best jobs in top companies.
To be eligible for the DP-203 exam by Microsoft, you must pay $165. You must also score at least 70% of the marks to earn the certificate. The certificate is valid for two years.
You can take the DP-203 exam in person at a testing center or online from the comfort of your home or office. The exam consists of 40-60 multiple-choice questions and lasts 150 minutes. The cost of the exam is USD 165.
To prepare for the DP-203 exam, Microsoft recommends that data professionals understand data integration concepts, data transformation, and data pipeline monitoring and management. Microsoft provides online training courses, practice exams, and study guides to help data professionals prepare for the exam.
Here are the certification exams you need to pass to get certified in Azure Data Factory:
- Exam DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution
- Exam DP-201: Designing an Azure Data Solution
Note that the DP-203 exam is also a certification exam, and it's designed to measure the skills and knowledge of data professionals in using Azure Data Factory to create, schedule, and manage data pipelines.
Batch and Pipeline Management
To manage batches and pipelines, you need to trigger batches and handle failed batch loads.
Data professionals must understand data integration concepts, data transformation, and monitoring and managing data pipelines. Triggering batches involves using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines to manage data pipelines.
Failed batch loads can be handled by validating batch loads. This ensures that data pipelines are running smoothly and efficiently. Managing data pipelines in Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines is crucial for success.
To implement version control for pipeline artifacts, you can use Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines. This helps to track changes and updates to pipeline artifacts.
Managing Spark jobs in a pipeline requires a solid understanding of data processing languages, including SQL, Python, and Scala. This is because Spark jobs often involve complex data processing and transformation tasks.
Here are some key tasks involved in batch and pipeline management:
- Trigger batches
- Handle failed batch loads
- Validate batch loads
- Manage data pipelines in Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines
- Schedule data pipelines in Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines
- Implement version control for pipeline artifacts
- Manage Spark jobs in a pipeline
Monitor
Monitoring is a crucial aspect of Azure, and understanding its capabilities will help you ace your certification. Azure Monitor collects data from various sources, including logs and metrics.
To effectively monitor your Azure resources, you'll want to implement logging using Azure Monitor, configure monitoring services, and monitor stream processing. This will give you a comprehensive view of your system's performance.
Here are some key monitoring tasks to keep in mind:
- Implement logging used by Azure Monitor
- Configure monitoring services
- Monitor stream processing
- Measure performance of data movement
- Monitor and update statistics about data across a system
- Monitor data pipeline performance
- Measure query performance
- Schedule and monitor pipeline tests
- Interpret Azure Monitor metrics and logs
- Implement a pipeline alert strategy
By understanding these monitoring tasks, you'll be better equipped to troubleshoot issues and optimize your Azure resources.
Skills and Knowledge
With the DP-203 Microsoft Azure Data Factory Certification, you'll gain expertise in designing and implementing data storage, developing data processing, and securing, monitoring, and optimizing data storage and processing. This certification covers a wide range of skills.
Here are some of the key skills you'll learn:
- Design and implement data storage (15–20%)
- Develop data processing (40–45%)
- Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing (30–35%)
You'll also learn about various Azure services, including NoSQL, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Azure SQL, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, Azure Stream Analytics, and Azure SQL Database Auditing. These skills are highly in demand and can lead to a successful career in data engineering.
Skills at a Glance
As you start your journey in Azure Data Engineering, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the skills required to succeed in this field. Design and implement data storage is a crucial aspect, taking up around 15-20% of your overall skills.
Developing data processing skills is where you'll spend most of your time, around 40-45% of your skills. This includes designing and implementing data processing, as well as securing, monitoring, and optimizing data storage and processing.
Here's a breakdown of the key skills you'll need to master:
These skills are not only essential for success in Azure Data Engineering but also open doors to high-paying job opportunities. In the United States, the average salary for a data engineer is around $85,000, while in India, it's approximately ₹7,00,000. Experienced professionals with recognized certifications can earn up to $120,000 in the United States and ₹15,00,000 in India.
Partition Strategy
Partitioning is a key concept in managing data, and it's essential to implement a partition strategy for optimal performance.
Azure Stream Analytics promotes greater performance through partitioning, allowing complicated queries to be parallelized and run on many stream nodes.
Partitioning is not just limited to streaming workloads, it's also crucial for analytical workloads.
To implement a partition strategy, you need to consider different scenarios, such as files, analytical workloads, streaming workloads, and Azure Synapse Analytics.
Here are some key points to keep in mind when implementing a partition strategy:
- Implement a partition strategy for files
- Implement a partition strategy for analytical workloads
- Implement a partition strategy for streaming workloads
- Implement a partition strategy for Azure Synapse Analytics
- Identify when partitioning is needed in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
By implementing a partition strategy, you can scale your real-time event processing applications and improve their performance.
Case Studies and Examples
Let's take a look at some real-world examples of Azure Data Factory certification in action.
A company called Contoso used Azure Data Factory to integrate data from multiple sources, including Salesforce and Azure Blob Storage, to create a unified customer view.
By doing so, they were able to gain a 30% increase in sales revenue within a year.
Another example is a data integration project for a large retail chain, where Azure Data Factory was used to load data from on-premises sources into Azure Synapse Analytics.
Implement the Layer
Implementing the data exploration layer is a crucial step in any data analytics project. You can create and execute queries using a compute solution that leverages SQL serverless and Spark clusters.
To get started, you'll need to recommend and implement Azure Synapse Analytics database templates. These templates provide a solid foundation for your data exploration layer.
One key aspect of implementing the data exploration layer is pushing new or updated data lineage to Microsoft Purview. This ensures that your data is accurately tracked and cataloged.
To browse and search metadata in Microsoft Purview Data Catalog, you can use the platform's intuitive interface. This allows you to easily find and access the data you need.
Here's a quick rundown of the key tasks involved in implementing the data exploration layer:
- Create and execute queries using SQL serverless and Spark clusters
- Recommend and implement Azure Synapse Analytics database templates
- Push new or updated data lineage to Microsoft Purview
- Browse and search metadata in Microsoft Purview Data Catalog
Batch Processing Solution
Developing a batch processing solution requires careful planning and execution. You can use Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Factory to develop batch processing solutions.
One key component of batch processing is data loading, and PolyBase can be used to load data to a SQL pool. Azure Synapse Link can also be used to query replicated data.
Data pipelines are a crucial part of batch processing, and you can create them using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines. You can also scale resources, configure the batch size, and create tests for data pipelines.
Here are some key tasks to consider when developing a batch processing solution:
- Develop batch processing solutions using Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Factory
- Use PolyBase to load data to a SQL pool
- Implement Azure Synapse Link and query the replicated data
- Create data pipelines using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines
- Scale resources
- Configure the batch size
- Create tests for data pipelines
- Integrate Jupyter or Python notebooks into a data pipeline
- Upsert batch data
- Revert data to a previous state
- Configure exception handling
- Configure batch retention
- Read from and write to a delta lake
By following these steps and considering these key tasks, you can develop a robust batch processing solution that meets your needs.
Case Study 2 Non-Relational Stores
In this case study, we'll be working with non-relational data stores, specifically Azure Blob Storage and Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.
We can copy data from Azure Blob Storage to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 with ease.
One of the key features of Azure Cosmos DB is its ability to handle large amounts of data, making it a great choice for big data projects.
We can create an Azure Cosmos DB account and add regions to our database account as needed.
Partitioning data is a crucial strategy in Cosmos DB, and we can use a variety of techniques to achieve this, including range-based partitioning and hash-based partitioning.
Semantics also play a key role in Cosmos DB, and understanding how to properly implement them is essential for optimal performance.
Case Study 3: Relational Stores
Relational Data Stores are a crucial part of modern data management, and Case Study 3 showcases their capabilities in Azure SQL.
This project includes relational databases, deployment models in Azure SQL, creation of an elastic pool, Azure SQL security capabilities, and importing data from Blob storage to Azure Synapse Analytics by using PolyBase.
Let's dive into the specifics of Azure SQL Database, which is a key component of this project. Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service in the cloud.
To get started with Azure SQL Database, you can create a single database using the Azure Portal. This is a great way to get hands-on experience with the service.
Creating a managed instance is another key step in working with Azure SQL Database. This allows you to manage your database resources more efficiently.
An elastic pool is a great way to manage multiple databases together, and Azure SQL Database offers this capability. This can help you save costs and improve performance.
SQL Database Elastic Pool is a feature that allows you to group multiple databases together, making it easier to manage and scale your databases. This can be especially useful for applications with multiple databases.
To create a SQL virtual machine, you'll need to follow a series of steps in the Azure portal. This will give you a dedicated machine for your SQL Server instance.
Active geo-replication is a feature that allows you to replicate your database across different regions, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery. You can configure this in the Azure portal and initiate failover as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, DP 900 or AZ 900?
The AZ-900 certification is ideal for cloud administration, architecture, or engineering roles, while the DP-900 certification suits data analytics or data engineering positions. Choose the one that aligns with your career goals for a more focused learning experience.
How many days will it take to learn ADF?
Learning Azure Data Factory typically takes a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on your experience and dedication. Mastering ADF can be achieved with focused practice and hands-on tutorials.
Sources
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/dp-203
- https://intellipaat.com/azure-data-engineer-certification-course/
- https://azuretrainings.in/azure-data-factory-certification/
- https://www.teachingkrow.com/course/azure-data-factory-training-for-dp-203-certification
- https://www.henryharvin.com/azure-data-factory-training-course-nashville
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