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New Microsoft Certified: SQL AI Developer Associate Certification

LibertyMunson's avatar
LibertyMunson
Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
Mar 12, 2026

Prove your AI skills across SQL platforms with the new Exam DP-800 (beta).

AI is transforming how data-driven applications are built, and SQL professionals are at the center of this new era. Whether you're a database developer, administrator, analyst, or architect, your SQL expertise is more critical than ever. With the rise of AI, quality data and secure, optimized queries are foundational to building intelligent, scalable solutions.

We’re introducing the Microsoft Certified: SQL AI Developer Associate Certification to help you validate your ability to integrate AI capabilities directly into SQL-based solutions without needing to move your data, learn entirely new platforms, or move away from the T-SQL skills you already use every day. To earn this new Certification, you need to pass Exam DP‑800: Developing AI‑Enabled Database Solutions, currently in beta.

Is this the right Certification for you?

The Microsoft Certified: SQL AI Developer Associate Certification is designed for SQL professionals who build and maintain SQL-based applications and who want to integrate AI capabilities directly into their data solutions. As you collaborate closely with application developers, database administrators, architects, AI engineers, and DevSecOps teams, skills validated by this certification support the delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performance AI‑enabled applications.

This Certification demonstrates your ability to:

  • Design and build database solutions using structured and semi-structured data.
  • Use AI-assisted tools to accelerate SQL development and database management.
  • Secure, optimize, and deploy enterprise-grade SQL solutions.
  • Implement vectors, embeddings, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) patterns within SQL database architectures.

As a candidate for this Certification, you should have experience writing T-SQL, developing databases on Microsoft SQL platforms, and working with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) workflows in GitHub. We also recommend familiarity with AI concepts, such as embeddings, vectors, and models, in addition to AI-assisted development tools.

Skills measured by the exam include:

  • Applying advanced T-SQL techniques for AI-ready database solutions.
  • Building vector and semantic search experiences directly in SQL.
  • Implementing RAG workflows to ground large language model (LLM) outputs and reduce hallucinations.
  • Integrating LLMs into SQL-based applications without migrating data.
  • Designing secure, compliant, and scalable AI-enabled data solutions.
  • Exposing SQL data through APIs by using Data API builder.
  • Building and monitoring data APIs by using Data API builder and event-driven change patterns.

These capabilities power use cases like semantic and hybrid search, chatbots, personalized recommendations, fraud detection, and predictive analytics.

Ready to prove your skills? The first 300 candidates can save 80%

Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam DP-800 (beta) on or before April 3, 2026, can get 80% off.

To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use code DP800Belzoni. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before April 3, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China.

 

The first 300 people who take Exam DP-800 (beta) on or before April 3, 2026, can get 80% off. Use code DP800Belzoni to get the discount.

How to prepare

Get ready to take Exam DP-800 (beta):

Ready to get started?

Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates taking Exam DP-800 (beta) on or before April 3, 2026.

Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live.

Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in May 2026.

Additional information

You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Learn what to expect in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare.

For more cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills?

Get involved: Help shape future Microsoft Credentials. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments.

Explore Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.

 

Explore Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.

 

Updated Mar 12, 2026
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8 Comments

  • jonadv's avatar
    jonadv
    Copper Contributor
    Mar 27, 2026

    Currently I am studying to take th DP-800. Is it required to know the T-SQL syntax by memory or is the exam adjusted to actual modern AI-development where you tell the llm 'wirte me a view for table Products with x y z etc' and let it write the syntax for you? 

    For example during one of the applied skills tests (for another but related learning path) an assignment was "In DatabaseProjectdb1, create a stored procedure named usp_ProductCategory in SalesLT. The stored procedure must return the ProductID, Name and ProductNumber from SalesLT.Product, and then return Name from SalesLT.ProductCategory. Alias the Product.Name column as ProductName and alias the ProductCategory.Name column as ProductCategory." 

    I would be able to do that but even for such a simple thing writing the T-SQL code all by myself is very time consuming. In my day to day tasks I would always start with an llm written code and go from there. Then considering the more advanced functions like JSON_xxx, Row level security or Dynamic data masking: should I be spending time on remembering the syntax by heart or would it be sufficient to know what it can do and what is necessary to implement it ?

    • Julian_Sharp's avatar
      Julian_Sharp
      Learn Expert
      Mar 27, 2026

      I cannot answer for DP-800 but in general, Applied Skills require you to complete activities e.g. by writing/completing code or T-SQL statements. 

      In developer exams you will not be ask to write code, you will be provided by a code block and then asked either to select the missing line, explain what a line does, to select from drop-downs to complete the missing methods or classes. You will need to understand syntax so that you can answer the question but you will also have access to Microsoft Learn to help you. 

      Looking at the study guide Study Guide for Exam DP-800: Developing AI-Enabled Database Solutions | Microsoft Learn besides the Implement programmability objects objective, there is a whole other objective, Write advanced T-SQL code, so I would expect items about detailed T-SQL code and T-SQL constructs.

       

  • SevnSins's avatar
    SevnSins
    Copper Contributor
    Mar 12, 2026

    As a #datanerd and #SQL professional, this is definitely on my to-do list.  Might not make the deadline for the discount, but thank you for sharing.

  • oldfield620's avatar
    oldfield620
    Copper Contributor
    Mar 12, 2026

    My Ms windows 11 pro proxy has stopped working for no reason and it's preventing the ms store, edge browser and steam store to stop working and I can't download the Sql server application onto my personal laptop machine?!