Microsoft Certification Guide: Which Microsoft Certification Should You Choose?
Compare Microsoft certifications in English, including tracks, pricing checks, registration, language support, and major Microsoft certification paths.
Microsoft certifications cover Azure, AI, data, security, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and newer business AI credentials. This guide helps you compare current and forward-looking English Microsoft certification paths.
Important: This is an independent reference guide, not a Microsoft page. Credential names, exam codes, availability, retirement dates, pricing, languages, registration rules, and policies may change. Confirm details on Microsoft Learn before registering.
In this guide
- Microsoft certification overview
- Certification list
- Which Microsoft certification should you choose
- Microsoft certification tracks, cost, registration, and language support
- Fundamentals vs Associate vs Expert vs Specialty
- Reference links
- What is not included
- Prep resources
1. Microsoft certification overview
Microsoft Learn separates credentials into several types, including certifications and Applied Skills. For this LoSimplifica topic, the focus is Microsoft certifications. GitHub credentials are not included here, even when they appear on the broader Microsoft credential poster, because they will be handled under other tech certifications.
This guide intentionally excludes retired exams and exams that are very close to retirement, such as AZ-204, AZ-800/AZ-801, PL-200, MB-280, and MB-300. The goal is to help new learners choose paths that are less likely to require immediate maintenance.
2. Certification list
Open the detailed guide for each Microsoft certification below.
- AB-100: Microsoft Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect
- AB-210: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate
- AB-250: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center AI Engineer Associate
- AB-410: Microsoft Intelligent Applications Builder Associate
- AB-620: Microsoft AI Agent Builder Associate
- AB-730: Microsoft AI Business Professional
- AB-731: Microsoft AI Transformation Leader
- AB-900: Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals
- AI-103: Microsoft Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate
- AI-200: Microsoft Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate
- AI-300: Microsoft Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate
- AI-901: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals
- AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate
- AZ-120: Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty
- AZ-140: Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty
- AZ-305: Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- AZ-400: Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert
- AZ-700: Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate
- AZ-802: Microsoft Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
- AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
- DP-300: Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate
- DP-420: Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty
- DP-600: Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate
- DP-700: Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate
- DP-750: Microsoft Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate
- DP-800: Microsoft SQL AI Developer Associate
- DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals
- MB-230: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
- MB-310: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate
- MB-330: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate
- MB-500: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate
- MB-800: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant Associate
- MB-820: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Developer Associate
- MD-102: Microsoft Endpoint Administrator Associate
- MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert
- MS-700: Microsoft Teams Administrator Associate
- MS-721: Microsoft Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate
- PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate
- PL-400: Microsoft Power Platform Developer Associate
- PL-900: Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals
- SC-100: Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Expert
- SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst Associate
- SC-300: Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator Associate
- SC-401: Microsoft Information Security Administrator Associate
- SC-500: Microsoft Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate
- SC-730: Cybersecurity Business Professional (cancelled)
- SC-900: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
| Code | Certification |
|---|---|
| AB-100 | Microsoft Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect |
| AB-210 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate |
| AB-250 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center AI Engineer Associate |
| AB-410 | Microsoft Intelligent Applications Builder Associate |
| AB-620 | Microsoft AI Agent Builder Associate |
| AB-730 | Microsoft AI Business Professional |
| AB-731 | Microsoft AI Transformation Leader |
| AB-900 | Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals |
| AI-103 | Microsoft Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate |
| AI-200 | Microsoft Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate |
| AI-300 | Microsoft Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate |
| AI-901 | Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals |
| AZ-104 | Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate |
| AZ-120 | Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty |
| AZ-140 | Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty |
| AZ-305 | Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert |
| AZ-400 | Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert |
| AZ-700 | Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate |
| AZ-802 | Microsoft Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate |
| AZ-900 | Microsoft Azure Fundamentals |
| DP-300 | Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate |
| DP-420 | Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty |
| DP-600 | Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate |
| DP-700 | Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate |
| DP-750 | Microsoft Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate |
| DP-800 | Microsoft SQL AI Developer Associate |
| DP-900 | Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals |
| MB-230 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate |
| MB-310 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate |
| MB-330 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate |
| MB-500 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate |
| MB-800 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant Associate |
| MB-820 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Developer Associate |
| MD-102 | Microsoft Endpoint Administrator Associate |
| MS-102 | Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert |
| MS-700 | Microsoft Teams Administrator Associate |
| MS-721 | Microsoft Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate |
| PL-300 | Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate |
| PL-400 | Microsoft Power Platform Developer Associate |
| PL-900 | Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals |
| SC-100 | Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Expert |
| SC-200 | Microsoft Security Operations Analyst Associate |
| SC-300 | Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator Associate |
| SC-401 | Microsoft Information Security Administrator Associate |
| SC-500 | Microsoft Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate |
| SC-730 | Microsoft Cybersecurity Business Professional (cancelled before general availability, June 2026) |
| SC-900 | Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals |
3. Which Microsoft certification should you choose
| Goal | Consider |
|---|---|
| New to Microsoft cloud | AZ-900 |
| New to Microsoft AI | AI-901 |
| New to Microsoft data | DP-900 |
| New to Microsoft security | SC-900 |
| New to Power Platform | PL-900 |
| Azure administration | AZ-104 |
| Azure architecture | AZ-305 |
| DevOps and delivery | AZ-400 |
| Security operations | SC-200 |
| Identity and access | SC-300 |
| Business security awareness | SC-730 (cancelled — see update; SC-900 is the nearest live alternative, with caveats) |
| Microsoft 365 administration | MS-102 |
| Power BI analytics | PL-300 |
| Dynamics 365 ERP or CRM | MB series or AB-210 / AB-250 |
| Business AI leadership | AB-730 or AB-731 |
| Agentic AI business solutions | AB-100, AB-410, or AB-620 |
4. Microsoft certification tracks, cost, registration, and language support
These tracks are practical study paths, not formal prerequisites. Use them to decide where to start, what to compare, and what to consider next.
| Track | Start here | Then consider | Advanced or specialized | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azure cloud foundation | AZ-900 | AZ-104 | AZ-305 | General Azure route for cloud operations and architecture. |
| Azure developer and DevOps | AZ-900 | AI-200, AZ-104 | AZ-400 | AZ-204 is intentionally excluded because it retires on July 31, 2026. |
| Azure networking and infrastructure | AZ-900 | AZ-104, AZ-700 | AZ-802, pending GA confirmation, AZ-120, AZ-140 | As of June 2026, AZ-802 had not fully reached GA. Learners should manually confirm current Microsoft Learn information before preparing or registering. |
| Microsoft AI developer | AI-901 | AI-103, AI-200 | AI-300, AB-620 | For Azure AI apps, agents, AI-enabled cloud apps, Copilot Studio agents, and MLOps. |
| Microsoft data and SQL | DP-900 | DP-300, DP-420 | DP-600, DP-700, DP-750, DP-800 | For SQL, Azure databases, Cosmos DB, Fabric, Databricks, and AI-enabled data work. |
| Microsoft Fabric analytics | DP-900 | PL-300 | DP-600, DP-700 | For Power BI, Fabric analytics, lakehouses, warehouses, and data engineering. |
| Microsoft security | SC-900 | SC-200, SC-300, SC-401, SC-500 | SC-100, SC-730 | SC-730 was cancelled before general availability (June 2026); the others are technical security paths. |
| Microsoft 365 administration | AB-900 | MD-102, MS-700, MS-721 | MS-102 | For endpoint management, Teams, collaboration communications, Copilot administration, and Microsoft 365 tenant administration. |
| Power Platform | PL-900 | AB-410, PL-300 | PL-400, AB-620 | PL-200 is intentionally excluded because it retires on August 31, 2026. Use AB-410 as the forward-looking app-builder route. |
| Dynamics 365 business apps | Choose the product area | MB-800, MB-230, MB-330, AB-210 | MB-820, MB-310, MB-500, AB-250 | MB-300 is retired. MB-280 is intentionally excluded because it retires on July 31, 2026 and is replaced by AB-210 for the sales AI route. |
| Business AI | AI-901 | AB-730, AB-731 | AB-100, AB-210, AB-250, AB-410, AB-620 | For business AI strategy, transformation leadership, agentic AI business solutions, sales AI, contact center AI, intelligent apps, and agent building. |
Price, registration, and language support
Microsoft exam cost is not the same everywhere. The exam page on Microsoft Learn shows the price for your country or region. The final amount can also depend on local currency, taxes, vouchers, student programs, employer benefits, or promotional discounts.
To register, open the exact certification or exam page on Microsoft Learn. Find the Schedule exam section. Microsoft may show more than one exam provider. For most Microsoft Certification exams taken independently, choose Pearson VUE. For students, academic institutions, or some Microsoft Office Specialist routes, Microsoft may point to Certiport instead.
Language support is exam-specific. Microsoft Certification exams are generally available in several languages, but not every exam supports the same languages. Before paying, check the Languages section on the exact exam page and confirm that your preferred language is available for that exam and delivery option.
Registration checklist
| Before paying | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Exact exam | Confirm the certification title and exam code on Microsoft Learn. |
| Status | Check whether the exam is active, beta, retiring, or being replaced. |
| Price | Check the price for your country or region on the exam page. |
| Provider | Check whether the page sends you to Pearson VUE or Certiport. |
| Language | Check the Languages section for the exact exam. |
| Delivery | Check whether online proctored or test center delivery is available. |
| ID and profile | Make sure your Microsoft Learn profile and exam registration name match your identification documents. |
5. Fundamentals vs Associate vs Expert vs Specialty
Fundamentals credentials are entry points for vocabulary and product context. Associate credentials usually map to an implementation or administration role. Expert credentials are intended for deeper architecture or senior operational judgment. Specialty credentials focus on a narrower workload.
6. Reference links
- Microsoft Learn credentials browse
- Microsoft exam registration and scheduling
- Microsoft certification poster
7. What is not included
GitHub credentials are not included in this Microsoft topic. They will fit better in an other-tech certification topic. Microsoft Applied Skills are also not mixed into this first certification guide because they are scenario-based credentials rather than the same certification structure.