Plan and implement data platform resources (20–25%)

Plan and deploy Azure SQL Database solutions

• Deploy database offerings on selected platforms
• Understand automated deployment
• Apply patches and updates for hybrid and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) deployment
• Deploy hybrid SQL Server database solutions
• Recommend an appropriate database offering based on specific requirements
• Evaluate the security aspects of the possible database offering
• Recommend a table partitioning solution
• Recommend a database sharding solution

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 on Azure Virtual Machines for scale and performance
• Configure table partitioning
• Configure data compression

Plan and implement a migration strategy

• Evaluate requirements for the migration
• Evaluate offline or online migration strategies
• Implement an online migration strategy
• Implement an offline migration strategy
• Perform post migration validations
• Troubleshoot a migration
• Set up SQL Data Sync for Azure
• Implement a migration to Azure
• Implement a migration between Azure SQL services

Implement a secure environment (15–20%)

Configure database authentication and authorization

• Configure authentication by using Active Directory and Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra
• Create users from Azure AD identities
• Configure security principals
• Configure database and object-level permissions using graphical tools
• Apply principle of least privilege for all securables
• Troubleshoot authentication and authorization issues
• Manage authentication and authorization by using T-SQL

Implement security for data at rest and data in transit

• Implement transparent data encryption (TDE)
• Implement object-level encryption
• Configure server- and database-level firewall rules
• Implement Always Encrypted
• Configure secure access
• Configure Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Implement compliance controls for sensitive data

• Apply a data classification strategy
• Configure server and database audits
• Implement data change tracking
• Implement dynamic data masking
• Manage database resources by using Azure Purview
• Implement Azure SQL Database ledger
• Implement row-level security
• Configure Microsoft Defender for SQL

Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources (20–25%)

Monitor resource activity and performance

• Prepare an operational performance baseline
• Determine sources for performance metrics
• Interpret performance metrics
• Configure and monitor activity and performance
• Monitor by using SQL Insights
• Monitor by using Extended Events

Monitor and optimize query performance

• Configure Query Store
• Monitor by using Query Store
• Identify sessions that cause blocking
• Identify performance issues using dynamic management views (DMVs)
• Identify and implement index changes for queries
• Recommend query construct modifications based on resource usage
• Assess the use of query hints for query performance
• Review execution plans

Configure database solutions for optimal performance

• Implement index maintenance tasks
• Implement statistics maintenance tasks
• Implement database integrity checks
• Configure database automatic tuning
• Configure server settings for performance
• Configure Resource Governor for performance
• Implement database-scoped configuration
• Configure compute and storage resources for scaling
• Configure intelligent query processing (IQP)

Configure and manage automation of tasks (15–20%)

Create and manage SQL Server Agent jobs

• Manage schedules for regular maintenance jobs
• Configure job alerts and notifications
• Troubleshoot SQL Server Agent jobs

Automate deployment of database resources

• Automate deployment by using Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates) and Bicep
• Automate deployment by using PowerShell
• Automate deployment by using Azure CLI
• Monitor and troubleshoot deployments

Create and manage database tasks in Azure

• Create and configure elastic jobs
• Create and configure database tasks by using automation
• Automate database workflows by using Azure Logic Apps
• Configure alerts and notifications on database tasks
• Troubleshoot automated database tasks

Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) environment (20–25%)

Recommend an HA/DR strategy for database solutions

• Recommend HA/DR strategy based on Recovery Point Objective/Recovery Time Objective (RPO/RTO) requirements
• Evaluate HA/DR for hybrid deployments
• Evaluate Azure-specific HA/DR solutions
• Recommend a testing procedure for an HA/DR solution

Plan and perform backup and restore of a database

• Recommend a database backup and restore strategy
• Perform a database backup by using database tools
• Perform a database restore by using database tools
• Perform a database restore to a point in time
• Configure long-term backup retention
• Backup and restore a database by using T-SQL
• Backup and restore to and from cloud storage

Configure HA/DR for database solutions

• Configure active geo-replication
• Configure an Always On availability group
• Configure auto-failover groups
• Configure quorum options for a Windows Server Failover Cluster
• Configure failover cluster instances on Azure Virtual Machines
• Configure log shipping
• Monitor an HA/DR solution
• Troubleshoot an HA/DR solution