8 Highlights to crack the AZ-204 Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions Exam Certification

Are you planning to take the AZ-204 Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions exam and get certified to progress your career? Then you have arrived at the right place. This exam is directed primarily towards Developers, who want to create end-to-end solutions that are hosted on Microsoft Azure.  However, this course and the exam can be taken by anyone interested to learn how to develop, design, and deploy various application architectures on Azure.

Even cloud architects, admins can take their knowledge to the next level by undergoing this exam as it covers an in-depth discussion on application architectures using containers, Azure app services, distributed architectures, microservices-based architectures, serverless, event-driven architectures, publisher/subscriber architectures, and how to create decoupled and loosely coupled application architectures designed through service bus, event grid, and azure storage queue.

With Microsoft Azure Certification you will stand out amongst others when it comes to securing a job to progress in your career. Earning a Microsoft Azure Certification is an impressive credential and shows potential employers that you are skilled in Microsoft Azure. This certification is highly in demand in the market and companies are looking for certified Azure Developers.

What to expect from this article?

This is a collaboration of topics and exam pattern that will help you clear AZ-204 certification preparations. You can brush knowledge on developing and optimizing Azure solutions, implement Azure security, develop Azure storage solutions, connect with Azure services and other third-party services, etc. Let us start from the basic prerequisites and work our way through the course outline, exam pattern, and all the way to documentation and related links to support your learning and expedite your career as an Azure Developer.

Prerequisites

Programmers should have a minimum of 1-2 years of experience with Microsoft Azure to take up this exam. Hardcore developers willing to build Azure applications from the basics will get in-depth knowledge with subject matter expertise in designing, building, testing, and maintaining cloud applications, deployment, performance tuning, and monitoring. Candidates must be familiar with .NET architecture and C# language i.e., Azure SDKs, PowerShell, CLI, authorization, debugging to get an edge while attempting the AZ-204 certification.

About the Certification

1. AZ-204 is an associate-level exam that has ‘Intermediate’ difficulty when compared to other Microsoft role-based exams. In this exam, you can expect questions from the 5 modules listed below, and based on the weightage of each module, you can prepare for the certifications.
   • Module 1: Develop Azure compute solutions (25-30%)
   • Module 2: Develop for Azure storage (10-15%)
   • Module 3: Implement Azure security (15-20%)
   • Module 4: Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (10-15%)
   • Module 5: Connect to and consume Azure and third-party services (25-30%)

Exam Pattern

The exam pattern is described in the below table. There are no negative markings, so try your best to answer all the questions to be rewarded with partial marking. To score maximum marks, attempt every question.

Percentage of Questions from all the modules

Module 1: Develop Azure compute solutions (25-30%)

This module covers developing and deploying App Services, integrating Azure Functions with various Azure and third-party services, and developing them, hosting, and binding concepts.  Earlier, AZ-203 covered Kubernetes but has been discontinued for AZ-204 certification.

Module 2: Develop for Azure storage (10-15%)

In this module, more questions can be expected on Azure Blog Storage which is Microsoft’s object storage solution for the cloud. Various types of storage accounts are discussed, and related questions can be present in the exam. Azure Cosmos Database structure and overview will attract maximum questions. Work on demo and practice tasks from this module to be able to answer all possible questions.

Module 3: Implement Azure security (15-20%)
In this module, Virtual machine availability options are discussed. Topics such as the Azure Virtual Machine checklist and sizing are covered. Questions from ARM Template deployment, Resource Manager templates, and deployment codes can appear in the exam.

Module 4: Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (10-15%)

Key Vault API, Simplified administration, storing secrets and keys to monitor access and use, characteristics of managed identities, services to support managed identities for Azure resources are the topics in this module covered in the exam. A demo of Creating an Application Insights resource can help gain deeper knowledge.

Module 5: Connect to and consume Azure and third-party services (25-30%)

A major chunk of the exam questionnaire will appear from this module. Expect questions on topics such as Configuration and Interaction with Azure Cache for Redis, Azure Contact Delivery Network (Azure CDN), and Azure Monitoring data platform. Hands-on experience in improving performance, monitoring various Azure applications, and integrating applications using resources built using the Web Apps feature of Azure App Service can augment your knowledge and help to clear the exam.

Study Materials and References

Persistent learning and practice tests are part of the exam preparation but here I am talking about the material you need to collect and structure your learning methodology. Preparing for exams can be a daunting task and the AZ-204 exam is quite a challenging one. Pick your learning methods based on how comfortable you are. Microsoft Learn Portal, Microsoft Documentation, and Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC) are self-learning portals (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/create-serverless-applications/ ) that are readily available to you. Otherwise, there is an option for instructor lead training that can help you learn the coveted AZ-204 certification. It is strongly recommended that you consider the right to learning to Move up. At CloudThat we have a course dedicated to candidates preparing for the AZ-204 Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions exam certification.

Here is the course link from CloudThat with a detail about the course here:

Microsoft Azure AZ-204 Course
Enroll in this course and get trained by the most qualifies and accomplished trainers

Points to Remember

The objective of AZ-204 developing Microsoft solutions certification is for candidates to qualify as subject matter experts as Azure developers, partner with cloud architects, cloud administrators, cloud DBA, and implement solutions to clients. You will be thoroughly tested for their understanding of various phases of the Software Development lifecycle i.e., designing, development, performance testing, and troubleshooting to optimize the solutions. To get a better understanding of the concepts, you are advised to get hands-on experience to develop cloud solutions, create an account on Azure, connect with our finest trainers to receive lab instructions. CloudThat provides TestPrep for you to sharpen your skills and knowledge on the cloud.

GET CERTIFIED NOW

Below is the link for official Microsoft documentation that can be handy for you.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/azure-developer

Look forward to my next blog on ‘12 Sample questions for AZ-204 certification’ and test your knowledge for Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions.

If you have just started your journey towards the cloud, then you can begin with the fundamentals. Here is my previous article shedding more light covering basics, a stepping-stone towards becoming a Microsoft Azure expert for any Software Developer, System Administrator, Sales, or even Marketing personnel.

How to Prepare for and crack the Microsoft Azure fundamentals AZ-900 certification exam

Many thanks to Ajay Kumar Lodha for co-authoring this blog.

If, at any point, you are confused amidst the chaos of Azure certifications, feel free to drop a message in the comments sections and we will get back to you with answers.