1 – Prepare to maintain SQL databases on Azure

• Describe Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform roles
• Understand SQL Server in an Azure virtual machine
• Design Azure SQL Database for cloud-native applications
• Explore Azure SQL Database Managed Instance

2 – Deploy IaaS solutions with Azure SQL

• Explain IaaS options to deploy SQL Server in Azure
• Understand hybrid scenarios
• Explore performance and security
• Explain high availability and disaster recovery options

3 – Deploy PaaS solutions with Azure SQL

• Explain PaaS options for deploying SQL Server in Azure
• Explore single SQL database
• Deploy SQL database elastic pool
• Understand SQL database hyperscale
• Examine SQL managed instance
• Describe SQL Edge

4 – Evaluate strategies for migrating to Azure SQL

• Understand compatibility level
• Understand Azure preview features
• Describe Azure database migration options

5 – Migrate SQL Server workloads to Azure SQL Database

• Choose the right Azure SQL Database feature
• Use Azure SQL migration extension to migrate to Azure SQL Database
• Explore Data Migration Assistant to migrate to Azure SQL Database
• Migrate to Azure SQL Database using BACPAC
• Use an online method to migrate to Azure SQL Database
• Move data to Azure SQL Database

6 – Migrate SQL Server workloads to Azure SQL Managed Instance

• Evaluate migration scenarios
• Use Log Replay Service (LRS) to migrate
• Migrate using Managed Instance link
• Move data to SQL Managed Instance

7 – Configure database authentication and authorization

• Describe Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID
• Describe authentication and identities
• Describe Security Principals
• Describe database and object permissions
• Identify authentication and authorization failures

8 – Protect data in-transit and at rest

• Explore Transparent Data Encryption
• Configure server and database firewall rules
• Explain object encryption and secure enclaves
• Enable encrypted connections
• Describe SQL injection
• Understand Azure Key Vault

9 – Implement compliance controls for sensitive data

• Explore data classification
• Explore server and database audit
• Implement Dynamic Data Masking
• Implement Row Level security
• Understand Microsoft Defender for SQL
• Explore Azure SQL Database Ledger
• Implement Azure Purview

10 – Describe performance monitoring

• Describe performance monitoring tools
• Describe critical performance metrics
• Establish baseline metrics
• Explore extended events
• Describe Azure SQL Insights
• Explore Query Performance Insight

11 – Configure SQL Server resources for optimal performance

• Explain how to optimize Azure storage for SQL Server virtual machines
• Describe virtual machine resizing
• Optimize database storage
• Control SQL Server resources

12 – Configure databases for optimal performance

• Explore database maintenance checks
• Describe database scoped configuration options
• Describe automatic tuning
• Describe intelligent query processing

13 – Explore query performance optimization

• Understand query plans
• Explain estimated and actual query plans
• Describe dynamic management views and functions
• Explore Query Store
• Identify problematic query plans
• Describe blocking and locking

14 – Evaluate performance improvements

• Describe wait statistics
• Tune and maintain indexes
• Understand query hints

15 – Explore performance-based design

• Describe normalization
• Choose appropriate data types
• Design indexes

16 – Automate deployment of database resources

• Describe deployment models in Azure
• Automate deployment by using Azure Resource Manager templates and Bicep
• Automate deployment by using PowerShell
• Automate deployment by using Azure CLI

17 – Create and manage SQL Agent jobs

• Create a SQL Server maintenance plan
• Describe task status notifications

18 – Manage Azure PaaS tasks using automation

• Explore Elastic jobs
• Understand Azure Automation
• Build an automation runbook
• Automate database workflows by using Logic Apps
• Monitor automated tasks

19 – Describe high availability and disaster recovery strategies

• Describe recovery time objective and recovery point objective
• Explore high availability and disaster recovery options
• Describe Azure high availability and disaster recovery features for Azure Virtual Machines
• Describe high availability and disaster recovery options for PaaS deployments
• Explore an IaaS high availability and disaster recovery solution
• Describe hybrid solutions

20 – Explore IaaS and PaaS solutions for high availability and disaster recovery

• Describe failover clusters in Windows Server
• Configure Always-on availability groups
• Describe temporal tables in Azure SQL Database
• Describe active geo-replication for Azure SQL Database
• Explore auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance

21 – Back up and restore databases

• Back up and restore SQL Server running on Azure virtual machines
• Back up a SQL Server virtual machine
• Back up and restore a database using Azure SQL Database