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AZ-204 Exam Preparation Guide

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Exam Structure

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Key Skills Measured

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Develop Azure compute solutions (25-30%)

• Implement containerized solutions
• Implement Azure App Service Web Apps
• Implement Azure Functions

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Develop for Azure storage (15-20%)

• Develop solutions that use Azure Cosmos DB
• Develop solutions that use Azure Blob Storage

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Implement Azure security (20-25%)

• Implement user authentication and authorization
• Implement secure Azure solutions

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Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (15-20%)

• Integrate caching and content delivery
• Instrument solutions for monitoring and logging

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Connect to and consume Azure services (15-20%)

• Implement API Management
• Develop event-based solutions
• Develop message-based solutions

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Study Approach

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Recommended Study Path

1. Foundation - Understand Azure fundamentals and core services
2. Deep Dive - Study each exam topic area in detail
3. Hands-On - Build projects using Azure services
4. Practice - Complete practice exams and scenario questions
5. Review - Focus on weak areas identified in practice

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Essential Tools & Resources

# Create resources
az group create --name myRG --location eastus
az appservice plan create --name myPlan --resource-group myRG --sku S1
az webapp create --name myApp --resource-group myRG --plan myPlan

# Configure settings
az webapp config appsettings set --name myApp --settings KEY=value

# Monitor and troubleshoot
az webapp log tail --name myApp --resource-group myRG

// Azure Storage Blob SDK
var blobClient = new BlobServiceClient(connectionString);
var container = blobClient.GetBlobContainerClient("container");
await container.CreateIfNotExistsAsync();

// Azure Cosmos DB SDK
var cosmosClient = new CosmosClient(endpoint, key);
var database = cosmosClient.GetDatabase("myDb");
var container = database.GetContainer("myContainer");

// Application Insights
var telemetry = new TelemetryClient();
telemetry.TrackEvent("OrderPlaced");

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Exam Tips

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Common Exam Topics

• Service tier selection - Know which tier enables specific features (e.g., Standard minimum for deployment slots)
• Authentication patterns - OAuth flows, managed identities, Easy Auth
• Scaling strategies - Manual vs autoscale, vertical vs horizontal
• Data consistency - Cosmos DB consistency levels and their tradeoffs
• Security best practices - Key Vault, managed identities, RBAC
• Integration patterns - Queue vs Event Grid vs Service Bus
• Performance optimization - Caching, CDN, connection pooling

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Do’s and Don’ts

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Exam Format

• Duration: 120 minutes
• Questions: 40-60 questions
• Format: Multiple choice, multiple answer, drag-and-drop, case studies
• Passing Score: 700/1000
• Valid for: 1 year (renewals available)

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Next Steps

1. Compute Services - Start with App Service and Functions
2. Storage Solutions - Master Cosmos DB and Blob Storage
3. Security & Identity - Understand authentication patterns
4. Cloud Integration - Learn messaging and event patterns
5. Monitoring & Logging - Implement observability