Read on:
Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ-104 – Study Tips
Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect AZ-305 – Study Tips
Welcome to yet another 3rd article in the Azure Certification series! In the previous blog posts, we covered AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) and AZ-305 (Azure Architect). This article will cover the AZ-400 exam or Microsoft Certified Azure DevOps Engineer. This article is intended for those who are about to take the exam or are considering it.
Who is the exam for?
This exam is for those who have already passed the AZ-104 (or AZ-204) exam and want to specialize in Azure DevOps, whether you are a system administrator, a project manager, or a software developer.
Even if you don’t yet work with (Azure) DevOps, it may make sense to take the exam. If only because it provides insight into Azure DevOps and Agile’s capabilities. The exam is at the EXPERT level, so you need to have sufficient hands-on experience and a good command of the material. Microsoft recommends one year or more experience with the product.
#LittleBitDevOps
DevOps combines development (Dev) and Operations (Ops). Roles that used to be independent, now work together to create faster development, better quality, and security, and therefore more reliable products. Benefits of DevOps include :
- Shortened market introduction/li>
- More flexible/li>
- Improved stability and reliability of the IT environment/li>
- Fast recovery time/li>
- Improvement of collaboration between different IT teams
DevOps is often used when using Cloud services (Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud). So DevOps is a way of (working together), and Azure DevOps is (Microsoft) Azure’s interpretation of this. Azure DevOps can also be used with other Cloud services, although you see it mainly when using Azure.
AZ-400 Exam
The exam has recently (November 1, 2022) been completely updated. The exam consists of the following topics :
- Configure processes and communications (10-15%)
- Design and implement source control (15-20%)
- Design and implement build and release pipelines (40-45%)
- Develop a security and compliance plan (10-15%)
- Implement an instrumentation strategy (10-15%)
As you can see above, you must master the build and release pipelines since it is a big part of the exam. Expect a lot of questions on this topic!
It is a requirement that you have passed the AZ-104 or AZ-204 exam before you can take the AZ-400 exam.
The exam includes :
- One or more case studies, each with multiple questions
- Single and multiple-choice questions
- Drag and drop questions
In my experience, you cannot scroll back to previously answered questions during the exam. So ensure you do time management during the exam. You also get points for each correct answer on some questions, even if you get part of it wrong.
My Personal Experience
I recently renewed the AZ-400 again. Of course, I respect the NDA and can’t share specific confidential information. But some things I can share. First, I found the new exam improved from the previous version. In particular, the previous version was very much focused on the (application) developer side of things and less on Azure Infra. Depending on whether you have experience on the DEV or on the OPS side, this can be an advantage and disadvantage. In any case, I found the new version more enjoyable and a realistic reflection of the DevOps way of working in Azure.
You have a head start if you have experience with (Azure) DevOps and application development. However, are you mainly working on the infra side of Azure, and do you do little with things like infrastructure as code (IaC), automation, and collaboration with, for example, a development team? Then this exam can be more difficult.
Make sure you have enough hands-on experience apart from theory. This is going to help you answer questions. Think about things like how you deploy services within Azure. What items do you use, and how can you influence them? For example, think about the CI/CD process, different tasks, and deployments.
Furthermore, some questions about how to automate, monitor, and log things with regular Azure services are asked. This is not explicitly stated in the scope of AZ-400 but is assumed to be (highly over) mastered. In any case, I found it useful to go over AZ-900 again, as crazy as this may sound.
Do I need specific knowledge prior doing the exam?
I recommend that you do! Obviously, it is necessary that you have studied and gone through the material well, but in addition, I recommend (basic) knowledge of:
- Linux
- System Management & Networking, think about DNS, IP ports, and network routing. But also make sure you know and master the various system management tools. Further basic knowledge of migration, DR, and backups is desirable
- Security
The exam will not ask specific questions on the above topics but it will help if you review the material. This is why the AZ-104 or AZ-204 exam is a prerequisite.
Links useful for study and/or reference:
- Microsoft Learn
- Exam Study Guide
- Self-Paced training
- Instructor-led training
- Virtual events
- Exam Readiness Zone
- Pluralsight AZ-400 training
- Azure DevOps Labs
- John Savill DevOps Master Class
Follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds for new releases, updates, insightful posts and more.
