In my journey into multi-cloud, I started a ritual where I’d write about each certification I pass (GCP, Hashicorp) for my own use and for times when I’m asked for prep tips and takeaways. This time, the Azure administrator associate exam is no exception.
Whether you’re preparing for an Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Alibaba, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certification, sharing your afterthoughts around the preparation journey along with insights on training material vs exam impressions can be very powerful. As you surf that learning curve, it becomes crucial to not only absorb the content but also pause and reflect upon each step. These captured snapshots and highlights, can elevate your learning process to new heights.
Table of Contents
All you need to know about the exam layout can be found on the official Page, Including the exam guide. The important points to remember however are the below:
Length: 2 hours
Questions: 50-65
Exam format: Multiple choice and multiple select
Recommended experience: Officially, 6-12 months of hands-on experience, but this can be offset by the labs and online training.
Pass Score: 700
Score Per Topic: Available
Exam center: Pearson VUE: Microsoft
Retake Policy: 24h after the 1st fail, 14 days waiting period imposed between all subsequent attempts (up to 5)
Pass Confirmation: Instantaneous
Validity: 18-months
Preparation Time: Some say 2-3 months, Already passed the Az-900 before and used evenings and weekends, so it took me around ~90 days course/labs + exam practice spread across 9 months. I know it’s long but that’s just me as I like to take notes and had to redo labs after long interruptions.
After my GCP cert, I opted for this exam because AWS Solution Architect certification (SAA-C03) wasn’t out yet, but this cloud platform really grew up on me along the way. If an ACloudGuru subscription is too expensive, check out the 100% FREE section.
The administrator title is not a coincidence
The Azure AZ-104 exam stands out from other cloud exams as it truly reflects the role of an administrator
You will not pretend to play the architect, but really act as an MS admin like the ones who are rocking it on-premises
This exam focuses on the hands-on responsibilities of managing the Microsoft system in-out of Azure
Concepts such as Active Directory, hybrid networks, and security proved to be the most challenging aspects
It has case studies and scenario questions that are unique to Microsoft exams
However, unlike other cloud providers like AWS or OCI, there is less emphasis on database services, and Kubernetes is not a prominent topic (unlike GCP)
While I had mixed feelings about the contrast between the training content and the actual exam questions, the overall experience was enjoyable, as I got more interest in Azure today than I was before
The content is available on the Official Microsoft Certification Page and you will see a lot of versions online.
– The best resource to start with is the official AZ-104 Study Guide (Download PDF Version)
– The 4 major areas that the exam focuses on are as follows (as of April 27, 2023)
Manage Azure Identities and Governance (15-20%)
Implement and Manage Storage (15-20%) => Increased
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources (20-25%) => Decreased
Configure and Manage Virtual Networking (20-25%) => Decreased
Monitor and Back up Azure Resources (10-15%)
But basically, There are 9 objective domains modules:
Module 1: Identities
Module 2: Governance and Compliance
Module 3: Azure Administration
Module 4: Virtual Networks
Module 5: Intersite Connectivity
Module 6: Network Traffic Management
Module 7: Azure Storage
Module 8: Azure Virtual Machines
Module 9: Serverless Computing
Module 10: Data Protection
Module 11: Monitoring
If you’re wondering why it took me 9 months to ace it, it’s partly due to my notes.
This one is the most complete you can find. Chapters contain deeper descriptions of each domain module and more, and I still use them today to refresh my memory as it has tons of tips. Enjoy :)!
Link: https://bit.ly/45VJEPe will also blog about some labs in the future.
Other Microsoft Resources: This can also help you quickly describe GCP services grouped by domain
Azure Documentation– containing an overview, tutorials, and how-to guides that help dig deep into Azure services
Official Azure tips and Tricks– community repository with 100s of tips (blog posts and videos cover all of the Azure Platform
Azure Blog – updated on new features and offerings of Microsoft Azure ( new services replacing old ones)
Like many, I searched for the best training materials online. While I couldn’t take multiple courses due to the time commitment (30-40 hours on average), I did explore the Microsoft official Az-104 modules and videos first.
Cloud Guru: AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Prep (By Chase Dovey)
This required a subscription which I thank my company for providing to their employees.
Pros
Best learning platform for preparing certifications and following tailored learning paths (100s of labs)
Multi-cloud sandboxes for Azure, AWS, and GCP exploration ( 4hrs/session)
Engaging labs with Chase using az CLI or PowerShell on various topics like
Scaling an App service plan
Build and run a Container using Azure ACR tasks
Create a WebApp from Docker Container in Azure
VM configuration automation using desired state configuration SDC or using ARM templates…
Opportunity to learn and configure Azure Firewall (my favorite)
These labs go beyond the initial goal and help in keeping skills updated and fresh
Clear and easy-to-understand explanations, such as the stateful nature of NSGs
ex: NSG are stateful => Allowed ingress traffic will allow egress with a return traffic
Cons
34 hrs, is a lot of time especially for me as I like to take notes of everything to reuse them after my exam
Limited content related to IAM and Azure AD user and device management (I wish they did more)
Insufficient coverage of hybrid configurations and DNS multiple setups
The exam practice was ok but don’t closely resemble the actual exam questions
Unfortunately, the gap between course material and exam content is a common issue in AZ-104 courses
Pro Tip don’t have long breaks between chapters and complement the labs with other exam practices online
There are usually tons of courses in Udemy but unlike AWS there’s not a lot of competition for Azure
AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam Prep – APR 2023 ($20-$54)
Bestseller: 17 hours – 1 practice test – 23 articles (AKS detailed)
Pluralsight: AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Prep (14hrs) same author ACGURU course / no lab
Azure Admin Certification (AZ-104) – Full Course By @AndrewBrown
Content:
Andrew is very popular in the community (AWS community hero/GCP champion innovator), as he has a lot of free courses on YouTube besides his learning platform examPro. I didn’t follow this one but he never ceases to deliver.
He covers everything in 11hrs but the best part was the cheat sheets:
0:53:22 AD CheatSheet
1:12:19 Device Management Cheatsheet
1:26:50 Roles CheatSheet
1:41:06 Policies CheatSheet
2:06:40 ARM CheatSheet
2:30:12 ARM Template CheatSheet
3:54:31 Storage Accounts CheatSheet
5:27:55 VM CheatSheets
6:01:36 Disks CheatSheet
6:11:43 AGW CheatSheet
6:21:22 Scale Sets CheatSheet
7:14:02 App Services CheatSheet
7:31:07 Create an Application Gateway
8:09:54 Monitor CheatSheet
Practice
Anyone who tells you that he passed the exam without taking any exam practice is either a genius or a liar. You better train as much as possible after the theory is done.
Here are some links(you’ll probably need to look for other sources.
Practice with ACloudGuru exam simulator until hitting 100%
Microsoft Official Free Practice Assessment: 50 questions, repeatable, FREE
Azure-in-bullet points: This repo contains nice summary notes for different Azure exams (ie. AZ-104)
Get your things together
I can’t emphasize enough on this because I made the same stupid mistake
When you have a certification don’t ever let long breaks creep in
No matter what time it takes or how busy you are at work, you need to respect your target
Take days off, I don’t care but don’t slack for months halfway through (don’t be cheap).
Otherwise, this will backfire hard, trust me! been there.
Despite my time management mistake, I am glad I held until the end to secure this one out.
Azure’s #2 cloud platform rank is no coincidence; as it’s adopted by 90% of Fortune 500 companies.
Learning the platform could open doors to a steady career path in the cloud industry.
But make no mistake, Continuous practice is crucial; without regular hands-on experience, your certification will have 0 value in the job market.
Solution? Spaced repetition to get better at it using labs and share it online through blogging.
If you did a task through the console? Try it using az-cli , PowerShell, or even Terraform.
Within 1 hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information presented.
Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information
Within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it
Manage Azure Identities and Governance
1. Manage Azure AD Objects
Create users and groups
Manage licenses in Azure AD
Create administrative units
Manage user and group properties
Manage device settings and device identity
Perform bulk updates
Manage guest accounts
Configure self-service password reset
2. Manage Access Control
Create custom role-based access control (RBAC) and Azure AD roles
Provide access to Azure resources by assigning roles at different scopes
Interpret access assignments
3. Manage Azure Subscriptions and Governance
Configure and manage Azure Policy
Configure resource locks
Apply and manage tags on resources
Manage resource groups
Manage subscriptions
Manage costs by using alerts, budgets, and recommendations
Configure management groups
Implement and Manage Storage
1. Configure Access to Storage
Configure network access to storage accounts
Create and configure storage accounts
Generate shared access signature tokens
Configure stored access policies
Manage access keys
Configure Azure AD authentication for a storage account.
Configure storage encryption
2. Manage Data in Azure Storage Accounts
Create import and export jobs
Manage data by using Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy
Implement Azure Storage redundancy
Configure object replication
3. Configure Azure Files and Azure Blob Storage
Create an Azure file share
Configure Azure Blob Storage
Configure storage tiers
Configure blob lifecycle management
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources
1. Automate Deployment of Resources by Using Templates
Modify an ARM template
Deploy a template
Save a deployment as an ARM template
Deploy virtual machine (VM) extensions
2. Create and Configure Virtual Machines
Create a VM
Manage images by using the Azure Compute Gallery
Configure Azure Disk Encryption
Move VMs from one resource group to another
Manage VM sizes
Add data disks
Configure VM network settings
Configure VM availability options
Deploy and configure VM scale sets
3. Create and Configure Containers
Configure sizing and scaling for Azure Container Instances
Configure container groups for Azure Container Instances
Create and configure Azure Container Apps
Configure storage for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Configure scaling for AKS
Configure network connections for AKS
Upgrade an AKS cluster
4. Create and Configure an Azure App Service
Create an App Service plan
Configure scaling settings in an App Service plan
Create an App Service
Secure an App Service
Configure custom domain names
Configure backup for an App Service
Configure networking settings
Configure deployment settings
Configure and Manage Virtual Networking
1. Configure Virtual Networks
Create and configure virtual networks and subnets
Create and configure virtual network peering
Configure private and public IP addresses
Configure user-defined network routes
Configure Azure DNS
2. Configure Secure Access to Virtual Networks
Create and configure network security groups (NSGs) and application security groups (ASGs)
Evaluate effective security rules
Implement Azure Bastion
Configure service endpoints
Configure private endpoints
3. Configure Load Balancing
Configure Azure Application Gateway
Configure an internal or public load balancer
Troubleshoot load balancing
4. Monitor Virtual Networking
Monitor on-premises connectivity
Configure and use Azure Monitor for networks
Use Azure Network Watcher
Troubleshoot external networking
Troubleshoot virtual network connectivity
Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources
1. Monitor Resources by Using Azure Monitor
Configure and interpret metrics
Configure Azure Monitor Logs
Query and analyze logs
Set up alerts and actions
Configure monitoring of VMs, storage accounts, and networks by using VM insights
2. Implement Backup and Recovery
Create an Azure Recovery Services vault
Create an Azure Backup vault
Create and configure a backup policy
Perform backup and restore operations by using Azure Backup
Configure Azure Site Recovery for Azure resources
Perform failover to a secondary region by using Azure Site Recovery
Configure and review backup reports
3. Configure Load Balancing
Configure Azure Application Gateway
Configure an internal or public load balancer
Troubleshoot load balancing
Configure custom domain names
Note: though these titles seem unhelpful at first sight, they’re here to give an overview of what Az-104 course should contain.