If you want a Microsoft certification for a data career, two exams often come up first: DP-900, Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals, and PL-300, Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst. One is a beginner exam about data on Azure. The other is an associate exam about doing the work of a Power BI analyst. Here is how they compare, taken from Microsoft’s certification pages and study guides, followed by our suggestion on which to take first.
The two exams side by side
| Detail | DP-900 | PL-300 |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate |
| Level | Beginner (fundamentals) | Intermediate (associate) |
| Time | 45 minutes | 100 minutes |
| Questions | Not listed; Microsoft says most of its exams have 40–60 | Not listed; Microsoft says most of its exams have 40–60 |
| Passing score | 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000 (scaled) | 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000 (scaled) |
| Microsoft Learn during the exam | Not available | Available in a split screen; the clock keeps running |
| Skills measured as of | July 21, 2026 | April 20, 2026 |
| Price | Depends on your country or region | Depends on your country or region |
| Renewal | None; fundamentals certifications do not expire | Every 12 months, free, with an online assessment |
Both exams are proctored, may include interactive components and use the same pass mark. The big differences are the level, the time you get, and what happens after you pass.
Who each exam is for
DP-900. Microsoft says this exam is for candidates beginning to work with data in the cloud. You should be familiar with the concepts of relational and non-relational data, and with different types of data workloads, such as transactional or analytical. It is a broad exam. It covers databases, storage, analytics and reporting, mostly at the level of “describe” and “identify”.
PL-300. Microsoft describes a Power BI data analyst who delivers actionable insights by working with available data and applying domain expertise. The analyst builds easy-to-understand visualizations, enables others to do self-service analytics, works with business stakeholders on requirements, and works with analytics engineers and data engineers to get the data. Microsoft says you should be proficient at using Power Query and Data Analysis Expressions (DAX). This is a hands-on exam about one product.
DP-900 is not a prerequisite
You do not need DP-900 before PL-300. The PL-300 certification page and study guide list no formal prerequisite. Microsoft also says Azure Data Fundamentals can help you prepare for role-based certifications, such as Azure Database Administrator Associate or Azure Data Engineer Associate, but that it is not a prerequisite for any of them.
So the choice is about readiness, not rules. You can take either exam first, or take only one.
The skills measured
Both study guides group the exam into four skill areas, each with an official weight range.
| DP-900 skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Describe core data concepts | 25–30% |
| Identify considerations for relational data on Azure | 20–25% |
| Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure | 15–20% |
| Describe an analytics workload on Azure | 25–30% |
| PL-300 skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Prepare the data | 25–30% |
| Model the data | 25–30% |
| Visualize and analyze the data | 25–30% |
| Manage and secure Power BI | 15–20% |
What DP-900 covers. Structured, semi-structured and unstructured data, file formats and data stores, and transactional and analytical workloads. It also covers the roles of database administrators, data engineers and data analysts. On the relational side: normalization, common SQL statements and database objects, the Azure SQL family and the Azure services for open-source databases. On the non-relational side: Azure Blob storage, Azure Files, Azure Table storage and Azure Cosmos DB. The analytics area covers data ingestion, analytical data stores, Azure Databricks and Microsoft Fabric, batch and streaming data, and Power BI basics.
What PL-300 covers. Connecting to data and choosing between Import, DirectQuery and Direct Lake. Cleaning and transforming data in Power Query. Building a data model with relationships, a date table and DAX measures, including CALCULATE and time intelligence. Building and improving reports, including Copilot features, bookmarks, drillthrough and accessibility. Then the admin side: workspaces, apps, gateways and scheduled refresh, row-level security and sensitivity labels.
The overlap is small but real. Power BI appears in DP-900’s analytics area, where you describe its capabilities, data model features and suitable visualizations. PL-300 asks you to do those things in depth.
The April 2026 PL-300 update
PL-300 skills measured as of April 20, 2026. Microsoft’s change log marks the update as minor. Three groups changed slightly: Get or connect to data, Enhance reports for usability and storytelling, and Create and manage workspaces and assets. The four skill areas, their weights and the audience profile did not change.
Microsoft updates the English version of an exam first. Localized versions follow about eight weeks later, though Microsoft says this can vary. DP-900 also had a minor update, on July 21, 2026, with the same four skill areas and no change to its audience profile.
Exam day differences
- Time: DP-900 gives you 45 minutes. PL-300 gives you 100 minutes.
- Microsoft Learn: on PL-300, an associate exam, you can open Microsoft Learn in a split screen. No extra time is added. Fundamentals exams such as DP-900 do not give you this access.
- Scoring: both use a scaled score, so 700 may not equal 70% of the points. There is no penalty for guessing, and some questions may be unscored.
- Practice: both certification pages link to a free Practice Assessment and to the exam sandbox, where you can try the exam interface.
Keeping the certification
Azure Data Fundamentals does not expire. Microsoft says renewal does not apply to fundamentals certifications.
Power BI Data Analyst Associate has a 12-month renewal frequency. Renewal is free. A short, unproctored, open-book assessment on Microsoft Learn opens six months before expiry, and passing it extends the certification by one year. If it expires, you must pass the exam again.
Our suggestion: which to take first
This is our suggestion, not Microsoft’s. It is based on the official content above.
- You are new to data: start with DP-900. It gives you the vocabulary of data work, such as relational and non-relational data, transactional and analytical workloads, and who does what. It does not expire, so there is nothing to keep up while you build skills for the next step.
- You want to be a data analyst and already use Excel or reports at work: you can go straight to PL-300. Spend your time on Power Query and DAX, because Microsoft expects proficiency in both.
- You want both: take DP-900 first, then PL-300. The Power BI material in DP-900’s analytics area is a gentle start. The rest of DP-900 covers the wider data platform that a Power BI analyst works with.
- You are aiming at data engineering or database work, not reporting: DP-900 is the more relevant first step. Microsoft names Azure Data Engineer Associate and Azure Database Administrator Associate as role-based certifications it can help you prepare for.
- Before a PL-300 attempt: practise looking things up on Microsoft Learn quickly. It is open during the exam, but the clock keeps running.
If you want to test yourself first, ExamCrest has free practice questions for each exam.
Confirm the latest details on Microsoft’s Azure Data Fundamentals page and Power BI Data Analyst Associate page before you book.
I run ExamCrest, where this post first appeared. Try free PL-300 practice questions: https://examcrest.com/exam/ms-pl-300/free-questions?utm_source=devto&utm_campaign=dp-900-vs-pl-300-copy
