Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate Quick Facts (2025)

Exam Domain Breakdown

Domain 1: Plan and implement data platform resources (22% of the exam)

Plan and deploy Azure SQL solutions

• Deploy database offerings on selected platforms
• Understand automated deployment
• Apply patches and updates for hybrid and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) deployment
• Deploy hybrid SQL Server solutions
• Recommend an appropriate database offering based on specific requirements
• Evaluate the security aspects of the possible database offering
• Recommend a table partitioning solution
• Recommend a database sharding solution

Summary: In this section, you will deepen your hands-on decision-making skills for Azure SQL deployments. You’ll become familiar with the different hosting platforms available, learning how to choose offerings that align with workload requirements while ensuring performance and maintainability. Key areas also include automation, patching, and hybrid implementations that provide flexibility across on-premises and cloud solutions.

Beyond deployments, the section covers advanced practices like sharding and partitioning strategies. By studying these methods, you will learn how to manage workloads that require horizontal scaling or improved query performance. The emphasis is on designing solutions that balance scale, security, and manageability while always connecting decisions to tangible business and technical outcomes.

Configure resources for scale and performance

• Configure Azure SQL Database for scale and performance
• Configure Azure SQL Managed Instance for scale and performance
• Configure SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines for scale and performance
• Configure table partitioning
• Configure data compression

Summary: Here you will gain the ability to fine-tune databases for scalability and responsiveness within different Azure database services. You’ll cover vertical and horizontal scaling strategies, performance tuning for Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance, and SQL Server VMs, and how these approaches impact workloads of various sizes.

You’ll also explore advanced features like table partitioning and data compression, which help maximize query performance and storage efficiency. The focus is on building practical skills to ensure databases respond fluently to fluctuating demand while conserving resources. By mastering these skills, you reinforce your capacity to deliver optimal cost-to-performance ratios for any deployment.

Plan and implement a migration strategy

• Evaluate requirements for the migration
• Evaluate offline or online migration strategies
• Implement an online migration strategy
• Implement an offline migration strategy
• Perform post migration validations
• Troubleshoot a migration
• Set up SQL Data Sync for Azure
• Implement a migration to Azure
• Implement a migration between Azure SQL services
• Implement Azure SQL Managed Instance database copy and move

Summary: This section focuses on how to successfully plan and execute migrations. You’ll learn to assess business and technical requirements, compare strategies for downtime minimization, and apply the most suitable migration methodology to fit specific needs. By practicing online versus offline approaches and performing post-migration validations, you learn how to keep systems stable and reliable through the process.

It also covers advanced migration techniques, including cross-service migrations and setting up SQL Data Sync. You’ll discover how to troubleshoot issues during migration and ensure smooth data movement through tools and features native to Azure. The overall emphasis is ensuring business continuity while modernizing environments.

Domain 2: Implement a secure environment (17% of the exam)

Configure database authentication and authorization

• Configure authentication by using Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID
• Create users from Microsoft Entra identities
• Configure security principals
• Configure database and object-level permissions using graphical tools
• Apply the principle of least privilege for all securables
• Troubleshoot authentication and authorization issues
• Manage authentication and authorization by using T-SQL

Summary: In this section, you’ll dive into user authentication and authorization models for Azure environments. Understanding how Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID integrate with database services is key to managing access efficiently. You’ll also learn to apply security principles such as least privilege across roles and keys to configuring permissions both visually and programmatically.

The section prepares you to secure databases responsibly, build principles into every access decision, and troubleshoot inconsistencies. By gaining this knowledge, you’ll be able to help organizations protect sensitive workloads, aligning with best practices for compliance, scalability, and data confidentiality.

Implement security for data at rest and data in transit

• Implement transparent data encryption (TDE)
• Implement object-level encryption
• Configure server- and database-level firewall rules
• Implement Always Encrypted
• Implement Always Encrypted with VBS enclaves
• Configure secure access
• Configure Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Summary: Here, the focus is on cryptographic protections and secure access strategies. You’ll learn how to implement transparent data encryption and object-level approaches for sensitive columns and records, providing clients with strong trust in data storage practices.

The section also addresses encryption for communications and query patterns, including Always Encrypted technologies, firewall rules, and TLS enforcement. By mastering these capabilities, you position yourself to safeguard in-transit and at-rest data, eliminating risks while ensuring full compliance with enterprise standards.

Implement compliance controls for sensitive data

• Apply a data classification strategy
• Configure server and database audits
• Implement data change tracking
• Implement dynamic data masking
• Manage database resources by using Microsoft Purview
• Implement database ledger in Azure SQL
• Implement row-level security
• Configure Microsoft Defender for Azure SQL

Summary: This section emphasizes designing databases with compliance baked into daily operations. You’ll learn to classify sensitive data, mask it where necessary, and enable auditing features to reliably support proof of regulatory adherence.

You’ll also practice advanced compliance controls such as ledger functionality, row-level security, and Purview integration for governance. Combined with threat-protection services like Defender for Azure SQL, the outcome is a holistic view of compliance for regulated industries and enterprises managing sensitive workloads.

Domain 3: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources (22% of the exam)

Monitor resource activity and performance

• Prepare an operational performance baseline
• Determine sources for performance metrics
• Interpret performance metrics
• Configure and monitor activity and performance
• Monitor by using SQL Insights
• Monitor by using database watcher
• Monitor by using Extended Events

Summary: This section focuses on building capacity to monitor Azure SQL workloads effectively. You will develop the skill to establish baselines for performance metrics, interpret telemetry, and leverage a variety of tools like SQL Insights and Extended Events. Monitoring is proactive, helping ensure smooth and responsive service behavior.

By mastering the metric-driven approach, you can spot issues early and keep workloads optimized. You’ll gain confidence in adjusting resources and making quick, informed decisions for resolving bottlenecks to maintain continuous availability.

Monitor and optimize query performance

• Configure Query Store
• Monitor by using Query Store
• Identify sessions that cause blocking
• Identify performance issues using dynamic management views (DMVs)
• Identify and implement index changes for queries
• Recommend query construct modifications based on resource usage
• Assess the use of query hints for query performance
• Review execution plans
• Monitor by using Intelligent Insights

Summary: This part covers using the Query Store and Intelligent Insights to identify bottlenecks and remediate query inefficiencies. You’ll also learn to manage index strategies, assess queries against performance baselines, and interpret execution plans effectively.

Practical knowledge here empowers you to apply impactful optimizations, aligning queries with resource requirements for maximum throughput. You gain a clear method to align business performance goals with database architecture outcomes.

Configure database solutions for optimal performance

• Implement index maintenance tasks
• Implement statistics maintenance tasks
• Implement database integrity checks
• Configure database automatic tuning
• Configure server settings for performance
• Configure Resource Governor for performance
• Implement database-scoped configuration
• Configure compute and storage resources for scaling
• Configure intelligent query processing (IQP)

Summary: This section is about planning and maintaining ongoing operations for scalable, high-performing databases. Tasks like index and statistics maintenance ensure query execution remains efficient over time.

Additionally, you’ll work with advanced features such as automatic tuning, Resource Governor, and intelligent query processing to deliver peak results. You’ll learn to balance configuration across compute and storage tiers to ensure systems deliver reliable performance, regardless of evolving workloads.

Domain 4: Configure and manage automation of tasks (17% of the exam)

Create and manage SQL Server Agent jobs

• Manage schedules for regular maintenance jobs
• Configure job alerts and notifications
• Troubleshoot SQL Server Agent jobs

Summary: This section highlights automation for recurring database maintenance. Using SQL Server Agent, you’ll learn to schedule tasks, set up timely alerts, and resolve issues to keep environments self-sufficient.

These automations reduce repetitive overhead while ensuring consistency. Gaining practical skills here enables organizations to save time, prevent errors, and maintain productivity by automating essential workloads securely.

Automate deployment of database resources

• Automate deployment by using Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and Bicep templates
• Automate deployment by using PowerShell
• Automate deployment by using Azure CLI
• Monitor and troubleshoot deployments

Summary: You will explore deployment automation with templates, scripts, and command-line tools. Mastering these gives you the capability to deploy consistent infrastructure configurations quickly.

Automation strengthens operational efficiency, enabling smooth scaling and repeatability. You’ll also learn diagnostic practices to troubleshoot deployments successfully, ensuring resilient and reliable rollouts.

Create and manage database tasks in Azure

• Create and configure elastic jobs
• Create and configure database tasks by using automation
• Configure alerts and notifications on database tasks
• Troubleshoot automated database tasks

Summary: This part examines how to automate database workloads specific to Azure’s elastic and multi-tenant features. By incorporating automation into resource scaling and maintenance, you’ll gain full control of operational throughput.

Configuring alerts and troubleshooting features reinforces your ability to keep automated processes highly reliable. This knowledge prepares you to develop resilient workflows tailored to modern cloud-native needs.

Domain 5: Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) environment (22% of the exam)

Recommend an HA/DR strategy for database solutions

• Recommend HA/DR strategy based on Recovery Point Objective/Recovery Time Objective (RPO/RTO) requirements
• Evaluate HA/DR for hybrid deployments
• Evaluate Azure-specific HA/DR solutions
• Recommend a testing procedure for an HA/DR solution

Summary: This section emphasizes comparing HA/DR strategies based on recovery objectives. You’ll evaluate hybrid and Azure-specific HA/DR solutions and select appropriate testing procedures to validate effectiveness.

Acquiring expertise here ensures businesses stay resilient and maintain service continuity in all circumstances. Strategies are built to balance downtime tolerance and cost efficiency.

Plan and perform backup and restore of a database

• Recommend a database backup and restore strategy
• Perform a database backup by using database tools
• Perform a database restore by using database tools
• Perform a database restore to a point in time
• Configure long-term backup retention
• Backup and restore a database by using T-SQL
• Backup and restore to and from cloud storage

Summary: This section provides insight into the essential practices of safeguarding data through backup and restore operations. You’ll gain the practical ability to execute restores at different intervals and configure long-term strategies.

You’ll also apply T-SQL and Azure tooling methods to perform controlled database recoveries across various scenarios. These techniques instill confidence in delivering reliable and predictable recovery options for businesses.

Configure HA/DR for database solutions

• Configure active geo-replication
• Configure an Always On availability group on Azure virtual machines
• Configure failover groups
• Configure quorum options for a Windows Server Failover Cluster
• Configure Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines
• Configure log shipping
• Monitor an HA/DR solution
• Troubleshoot an HA/DR solution

Summary: This section explores implementation of resilient databases using technologies like geo-replication, Always On groups, and quorum-based clustering. By working with different high availability constructs, you’ll develop broad versatility in applying Azure features.

Monitoring and troubleshooting HA/DR systems is emphasized, ensuring you not only deploy robust setups but also sustain their operation well into production. By mastering these solutions, you become trusted to implement mission-critical environments.