DP-203 certification: retired on 31 March 2025 — what it means now
The DP-203 certification is retired. Microsoft retired Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate, its DP-203 exam and the renewal assessment on 31 March 2025, so DP-203 can no longer be taken or renewed. Microsoft names no direct successor on the DP-203 pages; an earned certification stays on your transcript.
- Status
- Retired on 31 March 2025 — exam can no longer be takenMicrosoft Learn certification page and DP-203 study guide, checked 8 October 2026
- Certification
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (retired)Microsoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Renewal
- Renewal assessment retired — no longer possibleMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Replacement
- None named by Microsoft on the DP-203 pagesCertification page and study guide name no successor, checked 8 October 2026
- Exam time (when live)
- 100 minutesMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Passing score (when live)
- 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000Microsoft DP-203 study guide and exam scoring page, checked 8 October 2026
- Level
- IntermediateMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026
- Skills measured (final version)
- Data storage 15–20% · Data processing 40–45% · Secure, monitor and optimize 30–35%Microsoft DP-203 study guide, skills as of 24 October 2024, checked 8 October 2026
- Price and number of questions
- Not published by Microsoft on the retired pagesCertification page and study guide state neither, checked 8 October 2026
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Why you can trust these DP-203 questions
Is DP-203 retired?
Yes. Microsoft’s certification page for Azure Data Engineer Associate shows a retirement date of 31 March 2025 and states that the certification and the renewal assessment are retired. The DP-203 study guide adds the exact time: the exam was retired on 31 March 2025 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time.
Microsoft’s general rule for retirements applies: after the retirement date you cannot take the exam or earn the associated certification. That has been the case for DP-203 for more than eighteen months.
Microsoft does not name a successor on the DP-203 certification page or in the study guide. The retirement notice links to an announcement that could not be retrieved for this page, so we do not claim one.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Data Engineer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
What is the DP-203 certification?
DP-203 was the exam behind Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate, an intermediate-level certification for integrating, transforming and consolidating data from structured, unstructured and streaming systems into schemas for analytics.
Microsoft expected solid knowledge of SQL, Python and Scala, an understanding of parallel processing and data architecture patterns, and proficiency with Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Event Hubs, Azure Data Lake Storage and Azure Databricks. The architecture patterns named were modern data warehouse, big data and lakehouse.
The role Microsoft described went beyond building pipelines. An Azure data engineer was expected to help stakeholders explore the data, keep pipelines and data stores secure and compliant, make their operation high-performing, efficient and reliable, and identify and troubleshoot operational and data quality issues.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Data Engineer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
I have DP-203 — is it still valid?
It stays on your record, but it can no longer be kept current. Microsoft states that an earned certification stays on the transcript in your Microsoft Learn profile. Role-based certifications, however, expire after one year, and with the renewal assessment retired since 31 March 2025, Azure Data Engineer Associate cannot be extended.
Microsoft’s renewal FAQ says that an expired certification can only be earned again by passing the required exam — and DP-203 can no longer be taken. In practice, a DP-203 earned before the retirement documents what you passed and when; it is no longer an active certification you can renew.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Renew your Microsoft Certification FAQ. Checked 8 October 2026.
How much did the DP-203 certification cost?
The retired certification page no longer shows a price, and this page does not repeat a historical figure from memory or from third-party sites. Microsoft’s page is the source we use, and it states none today.
For Microsoft exams that are still live, the certification pages state that the price is based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Data Engineer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
What was the DP-203 exam format and passing score?
The certification page still shows the exam time: 100 minutes. The exam was proctored and offered in English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil) and Italian. Microsoft did not publish a question count.
The DP-203 passing score was 700: the study guide states that a score of 700 or greater was required to pass, on Microsoft’s scale of 1 to 1,000. Microsoft notes that as a scaled score it may not equal 70% of the points.
Those scoring rules have not changed with the retirement. They apply to every live Microsoft technical exam, including the data engineering exam Microsoft lists today: answer every question, because there is no penalty for guessing, and do not read a practice percentage as a predicted score.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Exam scoring and score reports. Checked 8 October 2026.
What was on the DP-203 exam?
The final skills outline, dated 24 October 2024, had three areas. Data processing carried the largest share, followed by security, monitoring and optimisation:
- Design and implement data storage — 15–20%
- Develop data processing — 40–45%
- Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing — 30–35%
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam DP-203. Checked 8 October 2026.
DP-203 prerequisites
Microsoft listed no required certification for DP-203. The prerequisites were knowledge and experience: SQL, Python and Scala, parallel processing, data architecture patterns and the Azure data services named above.
For anyone planning today, the question is moot — the exam cannot be booked. The experience profile still describes what Microsoft considers core data engineering skills.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Data Engineer Associate certification. Checked 8 October 2026.
DP-203 vs DP-700: what Microsoft lists for data engineers now
Microsoft does not describe DP-700 as the DP-203 replacement on any page checked for this article, so this page does not either. What Microsoft Learn currently lists for the Data Engineer role at Intermediate level is Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate, earned with exam DP-700.
The difference is the platform. DP-203 was built around Azure services such as Data Factory, Synapse Analytics and Databricks. DP-700 is built around Microsoft Fabric: implementing and managing an analytics solution, ingesting and transforming data, and monitoring and optimising it, using SQL, PySpark and KQL.
DP-700 is live: Microsoft gives 100 minutes, offers it in ten languages and renews it through the free annual assessment.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Fabric Data Engineer Associate certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
DP-203 study materials and training
Microsoft keeps the DP-203 study guide online with its retirement notice, and the certification page states that no training is available for the exam. The guide remains useful as a record of what the certification you hold covered.
For a live data engineering exam, start from that exam’s own study guide on Microsoft Learn.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam DP-203. Checked 8 October 2026.
DP-203 practice questions
Certsqill’s DP-203 practice questions explain every option and follow Microsoft’s official weighting. Keep the retirement in mind before you spend study time: practice for DP-203 can no longer lead to the DP-203 certification.
DP-203 questions people ask
Is DP-203 retired?
Yes. Microsoft retired DP-203, the Azure Data Engineer Associate certification and its renewal assessment on 31 March 2025. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
Can I still take the DP-203 exam?
No. After the retirement date the exam cannot be taken and the certification cannot be earned. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
What replaced DP-203?
Microsoft names no successor on the DP-203 pages. Microsoft Learn currently lists Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700) for the Data Engineer role, checked 8 October 2026.
Is my DP-203 certification still valid?
It stays on your transcript, but role-based certifications expire after a year and the renewal assessment is retired, so it cannot be extended. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
What was the DP-203 passing score?
700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000, a scaled score rather than a percentage. Source: Microsoft DP-203 study guide, checked 8 October 2026.
How long was the DP-203 exam?
100 minutes. Microsoft did not publish a question count. Source: Microsoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026.
What did DP-203 cover?
Data storage 15–20%, data processing 40–45%, and securing, monitoring and optimising 30–35%. Source: Microsoft DP-203 study guide, checked 8 October 2026.
DP-203 vs DP-700 — what is the difference?
DP-203 covered Azure data services such as Data Factory, Synapse and Databricks; DP-700 covers Microsoft Fabric with SQL, PySpark and KQL. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 8 October 2026.
Who was DP-203 for?
Data engineers integrating, transforming and consolidating structured, unstructured and streaming data for analytics on Azure, with SQL, Python and Scala. Source: Microsoft Learn certification page, checked 8 October 2026.
Looking for an Azure data engineer certification today?
Most searches for the Azure data engineer certification still lead to DP-203, but the Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer Associate certification cannot be earned any more. Microsoft’s page shows the retirement date of 31 March 2025 and the warning: “This certification and the renewal assessment are retired.”
What Microsoft Learn lists today for the Data Engineer role at Intermediate level is Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate, earned with exam DP-700. Microsoft does not call it the DP-203 successor on the pages we checked, so we describe it only as the current Microsoft Azure data engineer certification option on Microsoft Learn, not as an official replacement.
Two things on the Fabric certification page as of today are worth knowing if you plan to switch: it is offered in English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), German, French, Italian, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese (Brazil), and Microsoft notes that the English language version will be updated on 19 October 2026.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.
Azure DP-203 course, training and bootcamp offers: check what they lead to
You will still find an Azure data engineer course, an Azure DP-203 course or a DP-203 bootcamp advertised. Before you pay for any DP-203 training, remember what Microsoft states: the exam cannot be taken, the certification cannot be earned, and the certification page itself says “No training available for this exam.”
That does not make the knowledge worthless — the skills Microsoft described for the role, from pipeline design to data quality, still apply. It means an Azure DP-203 certification training programme cannot end in the Azure DP-203 certification. If a certificate at the end is the point, compare the course outline against a live exam’s study guide instead.
So when someone offers Azure data engineer training or an Azure DP-203 training plan today, ask one question: which live Microsoft exam does it prepare for? If the answer is DP-203, the DP-203 course is a history lesson, not exam preparation.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.
The DP-203 syllabus as a reference
The final DP-203 syllabus — Microsoft’s “skills measured” — is shown in full higher up this page. It is still the clearest record of what a Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer Associate DP-203 holder was tested on, which is useful when you describe the certification on a CV or in an interview.
Azure data engineer interview questions: what the certification signalled
If you hold the Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Associate certification and are preparing for interviews, the role description Microsoft published for it is a good map of what employers asked about: helping stakeholders explore data, building and maintaining secure and compliant pipelines, keeping them high-performing and reliable, and troubleshooting operational and data quality issues.
Typical Azure data engineer interview questions follow those same lines — design a pipeline for a given source, secure it, explain how you would monitor it, and how you would find a data quality problem. The certification shows you passed an exam; being able to talk through those scenarios with your own examples is what the interview tests.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.
Microsoft DP-203 exam questions and dumps
Searches for Microsoft DP-203 exam questions — or for a DP-203 dump — now point at an exam that cannot be booked. For a retired exam there is nothing to sit, so neither practice sets nor leaked material lead to the certification.
For live Microsoft exams, the rule on dumps is explicit. Microsoft defines a brain dump as a source containing fraudulently obtained exam content, states that using it to prepare for or during an exam “constitutes cheating”, and warns that candidates may be banned from the programme and have certifications and scores revoked.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Exam and assessment lab security policies. Checked 9 October 2026.
Can you still use a voucher for DP-203?
No voucher can book an exam that no longer exists. If you hold a Microsoft exam voucher, check its terms with whoever issued it before it lapses. For live exams, Microsoft’s instructions are to register through Pearson VUE as usual and select “Add Voucher or Promo Code” on the payment screen.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Redeem discounts and vouchers. Checked 9 October 2026.
Azure data engineer salary and whether DP-203 is still worth it
Microsoft does not publish salary data for this certification, so we do not state an Azure data engineer salary. Figures elsewhere come from surveys with their own samples.
Is it worth it to start DP-203 preparation today? Not for the certificate — it cannot be earned. If you already hold it, it is still worth listing with the year you passed; it documents real Azure data skills, even though it can no longer be renewed.
More DP-203 questions
Can I still get the Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer Associate certification?
No. Microsoft retired the certification, exam DP-203 and the renewal assessment on 31 March 2025. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 9 October 2026.
Is the Microsoft Certified Azure Data Engineer Associate exam DP-203 replaced by DP-700?
Microsoft does not name a successor on the DP-203 pages. Microsoft Learn currently lists Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700) for the Data Engineer role. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is there official DP-203 training?
No. The Azure Data Engineer Associate certification page states “No training available for this exam.” Checked 9 October 2026.
Is a DP-203 course still worth taking?
Only for the Azure skills. A DP-203 course cannot lead to the DP-203 certification, because the exam has been retired since 31 March 2025.
What is the Azure data engineer salary?
Microsoft publishes no salary data for this certification, so we do not state a figure.
