New Certification for machine learning operations (MLOps) engineers
Do your co-workers rely on you to deploy, operationalize, and maintain machine learning and generative AI solutions in production? Are you working at the intersection of data science, DevOps, and generative AI? If so, the Microsoft Certified: Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) Engineer Associate Certification is designed for you. This Certification validates your ability to operationalize not only traditional machine learning but also generative AI solutions on Azure, reflecting how AI roles have evolved from model experimentation to enterprise-scale AI operations. To earn this Certification, you need to pass Exam AI-300: Operationalizing Machine Learning and Generative AI solutions, currently in beta. Key skills validated by this Certification To earn the MLOps engineer Certification, you must demonstrate your ability to: Design and implement secure, scalable MLOps infrastructure. Automate resource provisioning and deployments by using GitHub Actions, Bicep, and Azure CLI. Orchestrate training, manage model registration and versioning, and monitor production models. Deploy and operationalize generative AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry. Implement quality assurance, observability, and safety evaluations for generative AI systems. Optimize retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and fine-tuned models for performance, accuracy, and cost efficiency. This Certification replaces the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate Certification (Exam DP-100), which is retiring on June 1, 2026, and reflects the evolution of AI in the enterprise. Exam DP-100 focused on validating your ability to design and implement data science solutions, including data exploration, model training, evaluation, and deployment. Exam AI-300 expands the scope significantly. It retains training and evaluation but places much stronger emphasis on validating your knowledge and experience in automation, infrastructure as code (IaC), continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), lifecycle governance, observability, drift detection, cost control, and the operationalization of generative AI systems. For more details on the retirement of Exam DP-100, and the latest cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills? Skill area Exam AI-300 (new) Exam DP-100 (old) MLOps infrastructure Full CI/CD, IaC (Bicep, Azure CLI), GitHub Actions Basic workspace and compute setup Model lifecycle management Core focus, including registration, versioning, rollout/rollback, monitoring Full lifecycle from training to deployment GenAIOps infrastructure End-to-end lifecycle, including security, automation, and model management with Foundry Basic generative AI setup and experimentation QA and observability Generative AI evaluation, tracing, safety metrics, drift detection, cost monitoring Model evaluation and responsible AI principles Generative AI performance optimization RAG optimization, embedding model selection and tuning, advanced fine-tuning, synthetic data management Basic prompt engineering and fine-tuning Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AI-300 (beta) on or before April 2, 2026, can get 80% off market price. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use code AI300Meridian. 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 2, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. Get ready to take Exam AI-300 (beta): Review the Exam AI-300 (beta) exam page for details. The Exam AI-300 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Want even more in-depth instructor-led training? We’re creating new instructor-led training that will be released in late March 2026. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? You can take certification exams online, from home or the office. Learn what to expect in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. The rescore process starts on the day an exam goes live, and final scores for beta exams are released approximately 10 days after that. For details on the timing of beta exam rescoring and results, check out Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Ready to get started? Remember, only the first 300 candidates can get 80% off Exam AI-300 (beta) with code AI300Meridian on or before April 2, 2026. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in May 2026. Learn more about Microsoft Credentials. Related announcements We recently migrated our subject matter expert (SME) database to LinkedIn. To be notified of beta exam availability or opportunities to help with the development of exam, assessment, or learning content, sign up today for the Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials.New Microsoft Certified: SQL AI Developer Associate Certification
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. How to prepare Get ready to take Exam DP-800 (beta): Review the Exam DP-800 (beta) exam page for details. The Exam DP-800 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Work through the self-paced skilling Plan on Microsoft Learn: Become a SQL AI Developer: Prepare for Certification Exam DP-800. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? 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.
