I took the Implementing Analytics Solutions Using Microsoft Fabric (DP-600) recently and it was a unique experience for me. This was the first time I took a beta exam from Microsoft. It was also the first time I took an exam with the new rules around being able to search Microsoft Learn. I felt it was a different experience, but a successful one as I did pass.
It would be unethical to discuss specific questions and details around the exam. However, there are a few things you can do to make sure you are prepared for this exam. A little preparation can go a long way!
Content Breakdown for the Exam
This exam assesses your knowledge with Microsoft Fabric. As a user of Power BI, you might find elements of this exam easier. Because Power BI is a big part of Fabric, you will find elements of it in there. The breakdown of the exam is as follows:
- Plan, implement, and manage a solution for data analytics (10–15%)
- Prepare and serve data (40–45%)
- Implement and manage semantic models (20–25%)
- Explore and analyze data (20–25%)
With this knowledge in hand, it is easier to start to understand what you need to focus on when it comes to the prep for the exam. Clearly, prepare and serve data is a hefty portion of the exam. And if you have not touched Fabric, you will not perform well with this exam. But all is not lost as you will need some of that knowledge to be successful!
Studying for the DP-600
Ideally, everyone would attend a training for the DP-600. However, that is not always realistic. My work schedule has been chaotic, so even if I wanted to attend a class, how would I do it?!
To start, Microsoft has a few learning paths that can get you on the right track. They are designed to walk you through the core components of Microsoft Fabric. They are available on the DP-600 page, but I have them summarized here:
- Ingest data with Microsoft Fabric
- Implement a Lakehouse with Microsoft Fabric
- Implement a data warehouse with Microsoft Fabric
- Work with semantic models in Microsoft Fabric
- Design and build tabular models
- Manage the analytics development lifecycle
In addition, Microsoft has created some learning paths to help you out. It might be best to start with the DP-600 Study Guide from Microsoft. This will help you wrap your head around the core components of the exam. It also gives you some links to additional learning paths to help you out.
However, you will want to get some hands on experience with Microsoft Fabric. You can fire up a free trial if you have an active Microsoft 365 environment in place. To get started, sign into Power BI, go to your account in the upper right hand corner, and start the trial:
You will have sixty days to explore Microsoft Fabric at no cost. Make sure you are ready to commit to your learning to ensure you do not run out of time before you take the exam!
Practice Makes Perfect!
I am always prompted to add a practice exam when I sign up for an exam. But Microsoft has a free exam you can take to get a baseline of your knowledge. Take a look at this screenshot from the DP-600 exam page:
This practice exam runs you through fifty multiple choice questions. It does not mimic the actual exam as there are no case studies. In addition, the exam does have some questions that do not use multiple choice for the answers. It is not an accurate representation of the exam, but it does a good job of giving you a baseline of your knowledge.
If you have not taken many certification exams, you might want to invest in the paid practice exam. In general, most exams are broken into three sections. The majority of the exam is a collection of questions that you can come back and review before moving on to the next section. However, once you move on, you cannot go back. The same is true for the lab section. Then, there is a section where you cannot go back to update previous answers. That causes some anxiety for some people, so taking a paid practice exam can help prepare you for that experience.
Regardless of the route you choose, I love that you can check the answer on the spot. When you do it, they provide a link to the documentation on Microsoft Learn that explains why the answer is correct. Sometimes you are just guessing and get lucky, but this will help you confirm why you chose the right answer.
Anything Else to Consider?
The resources above helped me pass the exam. However, you might need to know a little more than what is outlined above. Being multi-lingual will help you be successful with this exam. You need to know your DAX, M (both code and GUI), T-SQL, and PySpark syntax and best practices. You might not be an expert in all of them, but a strong command of the basics is critical.
Microsoft Learn was helpful for me as there were a few items that I got stuck on. In fact, my wife commented on the fact that I spent more time on this exam than any others I have taken in the past. Having Microsoft Learn at my disposal helped a lot, but it was not a replacement for my existing knowledge. While it will assist you, relying on it will result in you running out of time.
Conclusion
I felt like this exam was one of the better exams I have taken in the recent past. I feel like so many certification exams are about trying to trick you. The broad amount of content in this exam allowed it to be both challenging, yet meaningful. It may seem weird, but I really enjoyed this exam! If you are looking to continue your analytics journey, you will want to add this exam to your list!
Have you taken the DP-600 yet? What did you think about it? Did you find it meaningful? Tell me in the comments below!