This post is an updated checklist for the DP-600 Microsoft Fabric exam. Which is the exam you need to pass to gain the Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate certification.
Some time ago I created a checklist for the DP-600 exam. Since then the skills measured for the exam has changed considerably. To show a bit of love for Microsoft Learn I decided to publish this update on Valentines Day.
When the exam was first released you needed a large breadth of knowledge about Microsoft Fabric. Now there is a greater focus on the Power BI workload. You can see this for yourself by comparing the current skills measured in the study guide with a previous DP-600 post by Andy Cutler.
Within this post I cover both Microsoft and community resources. Along the way I share plenty of links. I hope my updated checklist below helps those studying for the DP-600 exam.
Microsoft Learn material for the DP-600 exam
First thing to ask yourself is have gone through enough Microsoft Learn material for this exam?
For example, did you go through all of the Learning Paths for the Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer course on the recently revamped exam page, or did you skip parts of it because it said you had completed it before?
If so, it might be worth going through that material if you last went through it a while ago. Just to refresh your memory before you take the exam.
Compare Microsoft Learn material and the DP-600 guide
Make sure you check the latest version of the DP-600 study guide. Because the requirements for this exam have changed over time and will do again.
In addition, have you compared the material in the recommended Learning Paths with what is in the DP-600 study guide? To check you have enough knowledge about any items which are barely mentioned or not mentioned at all.
For example, Power BI Projects is mentioned in the study guide but is not covered in the Microsoft Learn material. Which is a topic I covered multiple times. Like my post on how to automatically check Power BI reports are using the right template with Azure DevOps.
Because you need to know about aspects relating to the analytics development lifecycle.
Recommended Microsoft resources for the DP-600 exam
In addition to the Microsoft Learn material for the DP-600 exam I do recommend some other Microsoft resources. To help you get up to speed with things quickly.
Microsoft launched a Microsoft Fabric Launch Digital event at the same time as the public preview announcement at Microsoft Build back in 2023.
I highly recommend watching the videos that were a part of this. Since they highlight some areas that are covered by the exam and provide you with a better understanding of the basics. For example, Power BI projects.
You can watch both the Day 1 and theDay 2 videos on for the Microsoft Fabric Launch Digital event on YouTube.
Plus, Microsoft provide a Fabric Career Hub. To help with your personal development as far as Microsoft Fabric is concerned. It includes practice tests for the DP-600 exam. So it is definitely worth looking at.
You can also access the same practice test on the DP-600 study guide page. By clicking on the ‘Take the Practice Assessment’ link.
Recommended community resources for the DP-600 exam
In addition to the material provided by Microsoft there is plenty of material provided by various members of the community as well. Including myself, since I share a variety of DP-600 posts.
Nikola Ilic published a number of DP-600 certification posts. Plus, provided other resources such as a DP-600 Fabric Analytics Engineer FREE workshop.
Will Needham has shared over six hours of DP-600 exam course content on video as well. Aleksi Partanen has also shared a DP-600 video series as well. Plus, Aleksi is one of the co-creators of the CertiAce site which provides Microsoft Fabric material.
Final resources I want to share are a couple of Microsoft Fabric forums. First one is the ever-popular Microsoft Fabric subreddit. Second one is the Microsoft Fabric Discord community.
Terminology and GUI changes
Make sure you aware of any recent terminology changes that have occurred in Microsoft Fabric. Like when datasets were renamed to semantic models. Because Microsoft are known to rename things now and again.
I would recommend knowing both the old and the new terminology for any changes before taking the exam.
Be aware that there can be differences between your study material and the GUI as well. Due to the fact that Microsoft occasionally updates editors within Microsoft Fabric. For example, how you work with the Model layout has changed in the Warehouse Editor over time.
Booking the DP-600 exam tip
Make sure you book the exam with a personal Microsoft Account (MSA). So that your exam records are transferrable when you change jobs. Microsoft themselves now advise this on the exam page when you go to book the exam.
To add to this, you can link other Microsoft accounts to your Learn profile. For instance, you can link your work account to your personal Learn profile. Allowing your employer to see when you gain new certifications through your work account.
Wrapping Up
I hope this checklist for the DP-600 exam for Microsoft Fabric helps some of you prepare to take this exam.
Those who love certifications as much as I do are welcome to check out my recommended certifications for Microsoft Fabric enthusiasts. To do something AI related with the online Microsoft Learn material checkout my post about the Microsoft Learn MCP server.
Good luck to those of you intending to take this exam.