DP-420 Exam Domains
DP-420 is scored across three domains. These pages follow the official study guide exactly, with the same domain titles, weightings, objectives, and skills, and link each objective to the Microsoft Learn training and documentation that teach it.
Domain titles, weightings, objectives, and skills are quoted from the official study guide. Training links come from Microsoft Learn, and each objective also links to the Azure Cosmos DB documentation for its skills.
Microsoft Learn: Study guide for Exam DP-420 · skills measured as of October 6, 2026.
Design and develop database solutions
Throughput, consistency, and SDK clients; point reads, queries, patch, batch, bulk, TTL, and optimistic concurrency; data modeling and partition keys; the change feed; and Agent Kit. 48 practice questions.
40–45% Domain 2Secure, optimize, and deploy database solutions
Microsoft Entra authentication and data plane roles, network security and data masking, backup and multi-region configurations, indexing and query tuning, diagnostics, and fleets. 36 practice questions.
30–35% Domain 3Implement AI and analytics capabilities in database solutions
Vector, full text, and hybrid search for AI retrieval and RAG, agent memory stores, and operational analytics with Microsoft Fabric. 28 practice questions.
20–25%Where to spend your time
Domain 1 is the largest at 40–45%, and its SDK, modeling, and partitioning skills also make Domains 2 and 3 easier, so start there. Domain 2 at 30–35% rewards hands-on time with indexing policies, query metrics, and multi-region settings. Domain 3 at 20–25% is the newest material: vector, full text, and hybrid search, agent memory, and Microsoft Fabric.