Aspired to build your career as an Azure data engineer? Follow this definite career path and become an Azure data engineer.
Data is the biggest superpower in the present time. Collecting the appropriate and relevant data can help businesses drive better decisions. Furthermore, the proper use of information could support improvements in customer service. This has been one of the causes for a sudden rise in demands for data scientists. However, no one points out the significance of a data engineer amidst the noise for data scientists.
You should note that an Azure data engineer is also one of the most coveted job roles in the Microsoft Azure landscape. The following discussion would aim at illustrating a guide for the Azure data engineer career path, along with the Azure certification required for the data engineer role. The discussion would focus on crucial aspects such as the path for becoming a data engineer. The discussion would also make an effort to present details about reasons to choose data engineer jobs.
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The next aspects of the discussion include an outline of the basic and role-specific skills for data engineers. Furthermore, the discussion would also reflect on the details of Azure certification for aspiring data engineers. Most important of all, the following discussion would also present the basic job description of an Azure data engineer and the expected salary.
The Path Towards Becoming an Azure Data Engineer
The Azure learning path for becoming a data engineer on the Microsoft Azure platform leads directly to the role of an Azure data engineer associate. First of all, you should have a clear idea of the Azure fundamentals for starting on this journey. You need to understand the need to appear and qualify two exams for achieving the job role of a data engineer.
Interestingly, you can become a data engineer on the Azure platform with a role-based certification. The eligibility criteria for the certification exam can find a mention later in this discussion. However, for now, we shall note that there are two exams for becoming an Azure data engineer associate. The two exams have the codes DP-200 and DP-201. These new certification exams are the latest entrants among Azure certifications in the new role-based model.
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Reasons to Choose Data Engineer Jobs in Azure
As an Azure data engineer, you can pursue the roles of a data analyst and data scientist in a single job. The work of a data engineer involves the management of data workflows and pipelines. One of the formidable highlights about data engineers is the ambiguity regarding their roles concerning data scientists. However, a closer look at the hierarchy of needs in data science clearly shows the significance of data engineers.
Data engineers are responsible for preparing the foundation that data scientists use for their work. Data engineers are responsible for the collection, moving, storing, and preparation of data infrastructure. Then, data scientists could use the infrastructure for learning or optimization. So, you could observe the significance of a data engineer on the Azure platform from these aspects.
Apart from the significance that an Azure data engineer can enjoy, you could find promising job prospects. The prospects are not important only in terms of the remuneration but also the reputation of potential employers for data engineers. Data engineering is an emerging and constantly evolving job that can stand the test of time and trends in computing.
The next important concern that should drive every candidate is the tangible nature of validation by Azure certifications. To become an Azure data engineer, you need to clear two critical certification exams. These exams prove your capabilities in the special skills needed for data engineering on the Azure platform.
Therefore, you can always have solid proof of your expertise in Azure data engineering. Also, you could choose Azure as a vital platform for pursuing data engineering because of the gradual rise in its popularity. Presently, Azure commands the second position in the cloud service vendor market. That shows promising reasons to go for Azure data engineering jobs.
Preparing for Azure Data Engineer certification? Follow these guides for DP-200 Exam Preparation and DP-201 Exam Preparation and get ready to receive the badge.
Basic Skills for Azure Data Engineers
The number of Azure data engineer jobs is rising steadily. So, you should immediately identify all the basic skills for data engineers on the Azure platform. The basic skills are ideal for every data engineer, irrespective of the cloud platform. Here are some of the prominent foundation-level skills for data engineers.
- Candidates aspiring to become Azure data engineer should have an understanding of the evolving data landscape. They should know about the evolution of data systems and their influence on data professionals.
- Candidates should know the differences between on-premises and cloud data solutions. Furthermore, a clear understanding of business use cases of cloud technologies is also favorable.
- Candidates should have a formidable understanding of the job role and responsibilities associated with the role. Also, candidates should have a comprehensive understanding of Azure services.
Role-specific Skills for Data Engineers
To secure promising Azure data engineer jobs, candidates also need to specialize in role-specific skills. The role-specific skills clearly emphasize on the essential capabilities and knowledge a data engineer needs to address their tasks.
- Candidates should have a formidable understanding of algorithms and data structure.
- They should learn SQL to understand the database and the structures underlying them.
- Candidates aspiring for data engineer roles should also note that the majority of tools for storage and processing of data use programming languages. Therefore, detailed awareness of programming languages like Python, Java, or Scala is mandatory for data engineers.
- Candidates trying for Azure data engineering jobs should also have an understanding of big data tools such as Hadoop.
- Finally, role-specific skills for data engineers also include prominent references to distributed systems and data pipelines.
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Certification Needed for a Job in Azure Data Engineering
The certification for the job role of Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer Associate is highly important. The certification path involves two different exams meant for testing distinct capabilities of Azure data engineers. The two Azure data engineer certification exams are DP-200 and DP-201.
DP-200 is known as Implementing an Azure Data Solution, and DP-201 is known as Designing an Azure Data Solution. Both of these exams are ideal for data engineers interested in designing and implementation of data management, monitoring, security, and privacy. The certification exams also test the capabilities of candidates to use the complete stack of Azure data services to address business requirements.
Prerequisites for the Certification
Candidates aspiring to become an Azure data engineer should note that DP-200 and DP-201 are mandatory exams for them. However, there is no specific prerequisite exam for candidates to become eligible for these two certification exams. However, candidates should have promising fluency in SQL syntax as well as programming fundamentals before trying for a data engineering career. The hands-on experience of candidates in areas such as distributed systems, data pipelines, and database fundamentals are also preferable.
Objectives of the Certification Exams
Now let us take a look at the objectives of the two exams to get Microsoft Certified Azure data engineer associate certification. The exam objectives, along with an outline of their weight in the exam, can support your preparations.
The exam DP 200 tests the abilities of candidates in the following domains:
- Implementing data storage solutions. (40-45%).
- Management and development of data processing. (25-30%).
- Monitoring and optimization of data solutions. (30-35%).
The “DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution” exam is available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese languages. The registration fee for the exam is USD 165.
The exam DP 201 tests the abilities of candidates in the following domains:
- Designing Azure data storage solutions. (40-45%).
- Designing data processing solutions. (25-30%).
- Designing for data security and compliance. (25-30%).
The “DP-201: Designing an Azure Data Solution” exam is available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese languages. The registration fee for the exam is USD 165.
The Job Description of Azure Data Engineering Professional
Any Azure data engineer tutorial is incomplete without an outline of the job description of Azure data engineers. The function of the job description in this Azure data engineer tutorial is to inform candidates about roles and responsibilities. Here is an outline of the basic job description for Azure data engineering professionals.
- Working with external partners for bringing data into the organization.
- Design and maintenance of database schemas.
- Working in collaboration with data architects for translating functional specifications into technical specifications.
- Working with external resources on large projects.
- Implementing reliable communication and problem-solving skills for addressing support issues.
- Ensuring compliance with data security best practices and data stewardship standards.
- Collaborating with internal technical personnel for troubleshooting different issues and proposing solutions.
Salary of Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineering Professional
When you started reading this discussion, your focus must have been on the high demand of Azure data engineers. So, you must be curious to know about Azure data engineer salary estimates, don’t you? The average salary estimate for data engineers on the Azure platform can spike your interest further to pursue a data engineering career.
According to the report by Neuvoo, the average Azure Data engineer salary in the United States is $150,500 per year, with entry-level positions fetching around $112,500 annually.
Bottom Line
The highlights in this discussion show a clear path towards becoming an Azure data engineer. However, you will appear for the certification exams as a candidate and commit your efforts to a long-term career. Therefore, every aspiring candidate needs to choose their career path in data engineering carefully. The choice of appropriate certification paths and learning resources, as well as training platforms, always play a crucial role.
Furthermore, candidates trying to approach data engineering as a career should also focus on developing an outlook for the future. Emerging trends in big data and analytics, as well as the changing face of data engineering technologies, will be challenging. You need to prepare yourself for all that to have a successful career!
Preparing to become an Azure data engineer? Try out our practice tests for Azure DP-200 and Azure DP-201 exams, and be confident to pass the certification exam on your first attempt.
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