Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Detailed Explanation

If you're interested in data storage and internet access, your quest is Cloud Computing. Cloud computing platforms are widely available, including IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Digital Ocean, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and many more. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 trains you in the fundamentals of Cloud Computing concepts, and it provides a brief introduction to various Azure services. Through this certification, you'll understand the importance of Azure Cloud Computing, which includes disaster recovery, high availability, and scalability. Read this blog further to learn more.

Table of Contents

1) What is Microsoft Azure? 

2) What is Microsoft Azure Fundamentals?

      a) Analyse the data formats 

      b) Various storage options for storing data in files

      c) A detailed description of database storage 

      d) The features of transactional data processing  

      e) Analytical data processing  

3) Why do you need a Certificate in Microsoft Azure? 

4) Conclusion 

What is Microsoft Azure? 

Microsoft Azure, often known as Azure, is a Cloud Computing platform offered by Microsoft that provides various networking, storage, processing, and analysis services including the highly versatile Azure Virtual Machine for scalable computing resources in the cloud. The second-ranked cloud platform in the world, Microsoft Azure, offers close to 200 services.

Azure Cloud Model supports all programming languages like Java, NET, Python, and Node JS. Azure only costs for the services you choose. There are 160 physical data centres operated by Azure today, and more to come soon. The dynamic and robust computing capabilities of Azure are now well known.  
 

What is Microsoft Azure Fundamentals? 

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals introduces core Cloud concepts, Azure services, workloads, security, and privacy. It explains Azure pricing and support, offering beginners a solid foundation in Cloud Computing and how Azure facilitates building, managing, and deploying applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed data centres. 

Let's look at each one to learn more about the contents of Microsoft Azure Fundamentals.  

Analyse the data formats: 

Data can be of any type as strings, numbers, or special characters. Data structures are the data that are organised and represent pieces of information which are essential for an organisation. Customers, for instance, have shared their names, addresses, phone numbers, and other information. 

The data is of three types:  

1) Structured data: Structured data is a framework where data is presented as rows and columns. These structured data are often stored in a relational model. 

2) Semi-structured data: Semi-structured data is a mixture of structured and unstructured data with some structure in its data type. These data types are elements and tags used in categorising data. Semi-structured data is frequently presented in the JavaScript Object Notation format (JSON). 

3) Unstructured data: Unstructured data lacks a defined data model and is maintained in Non-relational (NoSQL) databases. Examples like binary files, photos, audio and video data, and documents are not of the same structure and are stored in raw form like data lakes. 

There are two types of data storage: 

1) File stores 

2) Databases 

Become an expert in Cloud Computing with our Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ900 Course. Sign up now!

Various storage options for storing data in files: 

The necessary component of any computing system is the capacity to store data in files. Let it be on the hard drive or external storage systems like USB drives. Most companies' data files are in a central file storage system. These systems are enclosed in the Cloud, making securing vast amounts of data more reliable and affordable. 

Come on, let's see the common file types:  

1) Delimited text files 

2) JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) 

3) Extensible Markup Language (XML) 

4) Binary Large Object (BLOB) 

5) Optimised file formats 

A detailed description of database storage: 

A database is a place where data can be stored and accessed. These days, the World Wide Web uses databases to manage the content of websites. A live example would be checking for hotel room availability. MySQL, Sybase, Oracle, MongoDB, Informix, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and more are the various databases.   

Relational database: with Azure Pipelines facilitating automated deployment processes and managing database schema changes for enhanced efficiency and reliability.

Non- relational database: In contrast to conventional relational databases, non-relational databases (commonly referred to as NoSQL databases) store their data in a non-tabular format. Non-relational database data types are like documents. They may contain a variety of information. They are more flexible, as they can arrange data alongside more details. 

The features of transactional data processing:  

Transactional data processing is an information system that allows enterprise processes for enterprises globally. It is an advanced revenue management system that uses client orders and invoice inputs to produce the desired outputs as reports or summaries. The Transaction Processing System (TPS) is a real-time processing system that confirms all events and transactions through the organisation are processed without delay. A good model for TPS is an Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) System practised in all online transactions.  

Analytical data processing:  

The analytical data processing is of read-only format, which stores a vast amount of historical and business data. The data are generally held in a data warehouse or data lake, and analytical models are used to generate reports, graphs, dashboards, etc.  

The Data Analysis can be done in various procedures: 

1) For the purposes of exploring and modelling data, Data Scientists interact directly with data files in a data lake. 

2) Data Analysts use data from the data warehouse to create reports and visualisations.

3) Reports and dashboards are the common ways to work on analytical models for business.

Want to learn our Microsoft Azure Data Fundaments? Check out our website on the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP900 Course.

Why do you need a Certificate in Microsoft Azure? 

Azure is five times less expensive for SQL and Windows Servers than AWS. Due to this, companies are looking for candidates who are familiar with Azure and Oracle Cloud. A course certification lands you in a good job role and a higher package.  

Let’s see how you can secure a certificate in Azure:

AZ900 Microsoft Azure Fundamental exam 

The AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam gives you a certification covering all the fundamentals. It is also helpful for further role-based certifications such as Developer, Administrator, Solution Architect, Data Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Security Engineer, and Functional Consultant.  

There are six distinct skills being tested for Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900. The list of skills are as follows : 

a) Understanding of Cloud concepts

b) Knowledge of core Azure services

c) Azure pricing and support plans

d) Security, privacy, compliance, and trust

e) Azure workloads and applications

f) Azure Resource Management

How to prepare for the exam?

You can prepare for the AZ900 Microsoft Azure exam in the following ways:

a) You need to first understand the domains that are covered by the exam, such as various Cloud concepts, different Azure services, security, privacy, compliance, pricing and support.

b) We provide various certification courses on Microsoft Azure, which you can follow through easily.

c) We also provide many instructor-led trainings, which will help you achieve a deeper insight, structured learning, and the opportunity to ask questions in real-time.

d) You can take mock exams to familiarise yourself with the format of the actual exam. These mock exams will help you identify areas where you need to put more effort.

e) It is crucial that you have a hands-on experience with Azure before you attempt for the exam.

f) There are many online community forums that will help you with study tips and clarify any confusing topics.

Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Azure? Register now for our Microsoft Azure Training!

Scheduling the test

Here we discuss the preparation step you must follow to pass the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam. Every knowledge you gain over the process will help you not only in obtaining this certificate but also in your career development. 

To schedule the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam, you must follow these steps:   

1) Visit the Microsoft portal. Once you have understood the preparation strategies, click on this link.  

2) Based on your preparation and practice test scores, you can schedule your exam by clicking on the 'Schedule Exam' section.   

3) Select the class you want to register for the exam. You can choose between a schedule with Pearson VUE, a schedule with certification.  

4) Sign in to your Microsoft account and enter all the required information. Choose to take the exam online or at a physical centre.  

5) Complete the registration, select the Exam date and pay the confirmation fee. The exam fee is £82. 

If a situation arises where you have to retake the exam, you can follow these steps:1)  You need to wait 24 hours for a re-test  

2)  If you fail again on the second attempt, then the re-test duration would be 14 days   

3) You can retake the exam up to five times a year 

Conclusion 

We hope that you got a good grasp of Microsoft Azure Fundamentals from this blog. In this blog, we discussed the importance and benefits of gaining a certificate in Microsoft Azure. It is very important that, as a software professional, you need to have a good grasp of Microsoft Azure.

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