Mr.

K Talks Tech - YouTube

Roadmap to become an Azure Data Engineer

for absolute beginners in 2024!

A Complete Guide
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Stage 1: Python and SQL

WHY PYTHON?

Python is crucial for data engineers because it offers a versatile and readable programming
language with extensive libraries, facilitating efficient data manipulation and analysis in various
data engineering tasks.

Steps:

1. Watch the awesome video below to receive a basic introduction to Python and become
familiar with its syntax and concepts in 1 Hour.

Programming with Mosh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqtD5dpn9C8

2. Practice as much as possible using W3 Schools

W3 School link: https://www.w3schools.com/python/

Practice is the Key- if you are an absolute beginner spend 15 days to learn Python.

WHY SQL?

SQL is important for data engineers because it helps them easily organize, retrieve, and work with
information stored in databases.

Steps:

1. Watch the video below to receive a fundamental introduction to SQL, spending 3 hours
to become familiar with its syntax and concepts.

Programming with Mosh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S_tz1z_5bA

2. Practice as much as possible using W3 Schools.

W3 School link: https://www.w3schools.com/sql/

Practice is the Key- if you are absolute beginner spend 15 days to learn SQL.
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Stage 2: Data Warehouse Concepts

WHY DATA WAREHOUSE?

Understanding data warehouse concepts is important for data engineers because it helps them
create organized repositories of information, like a well-structured library, making it easier to find
and use data for analysis, just as a librarian organizes books for easy access.

Best Book to learn Data Warehouse concepts: Kimball Group

https://www.kimballgroup.com/data-warehouse-business-intelligence-resources/books/

Download the third edition using the below link for free:

Books/Kimball_The-Data-Warehouse-Toolkit-3rd-Edition.pdf at master · ms2ag16/Books · GitHub

Okay, I hear you 😊 If you are an absolute beginner, I understand this might be a little
overwhelming for you. To overcome this, I have taken a simple approach by noting down some
of the most important topics in data warehousing, which are more than enough to get started as
a data engineer. The topics are as follows:

TOPICS

1. What is a Data Warehouse? What Is a Data Warehouse? - YouTube

2. OLAP vs OLTP: Explain By Example: OLTP vs OLAP - YouTube
3. What is Normalization? Normalization Techniques
4. What is a Fact Table? What is STAR schema | Star vs
5. What is a Dimension Table? Snowflake Schema | Fact vs
Dimension Table - YouTube
6. Data Modelling: Star Schema vs Snowflake Schema
7. Slowly Changing Dimensions (SCD)- Type 1 and Type 2:
What is SCD / Slowly Changing Dimension | Data Engineering Tutorial | Data Engineering
Concepts - YouTube
8. What is a Data Mart? Data Mart vs Datawarehouse
How Data Mart actually works? We are here to show you! - YouTube
9. What is Extract Transform Load (ETL)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5HUv8RvuL4&t=3s (understand the ETL part)
10. What is a Data Lake? DataLake vs Data Warehouse vs Database
KNOW the difference between Data Base // Data Warehouse // Data Lake (Easy
Explanation👌) - YouTube
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

After watching all the above videos, you will get to know all the foundational concepts of data
warehousing. Focus on the second month of this challenge completely for learning the data
warehousing concepts. If you are familiar with any of the above-mentioned topics already, try to
use the time to learn additional topics from the Kimball book.

Stage 3: AZ-900 - Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification

Why AZ-900?

Completing AZ-900 is important because it provides a foundational understanding of Microsoft

Azure, essential for anyone looking to build a career in cloud computing.

Certification Info:

Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn

How to Prepare?

There are lots of free resources available on the Internet for AZ-900. If you are a video person like
me, who likes to learn things by watching videos, you can watch any ONE (based on your
preference) of the below videos to prepare for the exam.

1. FreeCodeCamp.org: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKEFWyqJ5XA
2. Adam Marczak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPEsD6n9A_I&list=PLGjZwEtPN7j-
Q59JYso3L4_yoCjj2syrM
3. Edureka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK3U7xSt31M

Test your Learnings!

Once you are done learning the AZ-900 concepts, it’s now time to test your learnings. There is a
wonderful website called ExamTopics that will have DUMPS (real-time questions) for the
certifications. You can use this website to answer the questions and test your learnings.

Make sure you learn all the questions before you book the exam. One thing to be aware of is
that, for each question, there will be a discussion tab. Make sure you read the comments from
the discussion and validate the right answer for the question (mostly the highly voted one will be
the right answer). It is important to check the discussion because sometimes the answer given to
the question might be wrong, so please go through the discussion tab for all the questions.

https://www.examtopics.com/exams/microsoft/az-900/
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Book for the Exam.

Okay, once you have learned all the topics and practiced all the DUMPS questions, you can book
the exam using the link below (it’s an online-based exam).

Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals - Certifications | Microsoft Learn

Watch the below video to understand how to book exam:

How to schedule azure exam with Pearson VUE | AZ-900, AI-900, DP-900, SC-900 - YouTube

Stage 4: Azure Data Tools

Create a Free Azure Account

Okay, now you are going to learn about the different Azure Tools. So, before that, the first step
that you need to take is to create a new Azure subscription (if you haven’t already got one). You
can create a free account using the link below:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/free

After creating a free account, you can try creating different Azure tools by watching the video
series below to get a better understanding of how each of these tools works.

Azure Data Factory

Azure Data Factory (ADF) is a cloud-based Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) tool provided by
Microsoft Azure that helps organizations move and transform data from various sources to
destinations. Think of it as a data orchestration tool that allows you to create, schedule, and
manage ETL data pipelines.

Resources to learn ADF

1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG_BXEk3kXwTClTt3_28CMz2dZoaFhKD
2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMWaZteqtEaLTJffbbBzVOv9C0otal1FO
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Azure Synapse Analytics

Azure Synapse Analytics is a cloud-based analytics service by Microsoft Azure which offers big
data and data warehousing functionalities. The platform offers a unified experience for data
professionals, facilitating collaboration and efficient analysis through integrated workspaces and
notebooks.

Resources to learn Azure Synapse Analytics

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMWaZteqtEaIZxPCw_0AO1GsqESq3hZc6

Azure Databricks

Azure Databricks is a cloud-based big data analytics platform provided by Microsoft Azure in
collaboration with Databricks. It combines Apache Spark, a powerful open-source analytics
engine, with Azure's cloud services to provide a fast, easy, and collaborative environment for big
data and machine learning.

Resources to learn Azure Databricks

1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG_BXEk3kXznRvTJXwmazGCvTSxdCMsN
2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMWaZteqtEaKi4WAePWtCSQCfQpvBT2U1
3. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtlmylp_ZK5wF5EbBKRBBATCzS2xbs_53

Azure Data Lake

Azure Data Lake Storage is a cloud-based storage service provided by Microsoft Azure that is
specifically designed for big data analytics. It allows organizations to capture, store, process, and
analyze large amounts of data in a scalable and cost-effective way. Azure Data Lake Storage is
often used in conjunction with other Azure services, such as Azure Databricks and Azure Data
Factory, to build comprehensive big data and analytics solutions.

Watch the below two videos two understand more about Azure Data Lake:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTQ33RHdeG4&list=PLrG_BXEk3kXxv0IEASoJRTHuR
q_DUqrjR&index=6
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1FgexgPcqg&list=PLrG_BXEk3kXxv0IEASoJRTHuRq_
DUqrjR&index=7
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Microsoft Fabric

Microsoft Fabric is an all-in-one analytics solution for enterprises that covers everything from
data movement to data science, Real-Time Analytics, and business intelligence. It offers a
comprehensive suite of services, including data lake, data engineering, and data integration, all in
one place.

Watch the below YT playlist to understand more about Microsoft Fabric:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG_BXEk3kXybedCIBBI4lmaIbtbn7MdM

Spend the entire fourth month learning more about these 5 important Azure Data Engineering
tools. The video playlist provided above is really good for anyone to get familiar with these tools.

By the end of the fourth month in this 6 Months challenge, you will have a good knowledge of
Python and SQL, along with all the required foundational knowledge of how Azure works in
general, and most importantly, you will get an idea about the widely used Data Engineering tools
in Azure.

Stage 5: DP-203 Azure Data Engineer Associate

DP-203 is the Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Associate certification exam. This certification is
designed for individuals who want to demonstrate their skills as Azure Data Engineers,
specializing in implementing data solutions using Azure services.

Why should you get DP-203 Certification?

Career Advancement: Having a recognized certification like DP-203 can enhance your career
opportunities. Many employers look for certifications as a way to assess a candidate's expertise
and commitment to professional development.

Specialized Knowledge: The certification focuses specifically on data engineering tasks in the Azure
environment. By earning this certification, you showcase your proficiency in designing and
implementing data storage, data processing, and data security solutions using Azure services.

Azure Data Engineer Role: If you aspire to work in a role specifically related to data engineering in
the Azure ecosystem, this certification is tailored to address the skills and competencies relevant
to that position. It covers various aspects of Azure data services, including data storage, data
processing, and data security.
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Resources
Firstly, I would say that there are very limited resources available on the Internet that cover DP-
203 contents (Planning to create a playlist on my YouTube channel soon). I have consolidated
some good resources available and have mentioned them below:

Free Ones:

1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7ZG6NdDdT8NRHDU5shVgGjlua297bm-H
2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-oeM7CaGtVjRgNJ5oy9xbrpcOYr3RhZG

Paid One: (Optional)

The one below is an online course from Udemy. I have personally purchased this course and
found it pretty useful. So, considering the lack of free resources available on the Internet, if you
can spend some money, then buy this course to learn about DP-203 concepts, which will help
you clear the exam easily.

https://www.udemy.com/course/dp200exam/ (Look for offers before buying)

Test your Learnings.

Once you are done learning the DP-203 concepts, it’s now time to test your learnings using
ExamTopics Dumps. Link below:

https://www.examtopics.com/exams/microsoft/dp-203/

Book your exam:

Book the exam once you have gone through all the questions from Exam Topics.

Link to Book the exam:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/exams/dp-203/
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

Stage 6: Building Real-time Projects (Final)

This is the most important and final step to become an Azure Data Engineer. Doing it is the best
way to learn it. If you want to become a Data Engineer, start building Data Engineering projects.
I can totally understand if you are an absolute beginner; it might be challenging to grasp the
end-to-end functionality of a project. That’s the main issue I am trying to solve using my
YouTube channel. I want to help people, mostly beginners, by uploading real-time projects. This
will greatly help them understand how Data Engineering projects are built in real-time scenarios.

I have already uploaded two videos that cover the end-to-end functionality of an Azure Data
Engineering Project. Start building the project by watching the below two videos.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ41WqhHglk&t=88s
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SgHFXXdDBQ&t=1648s (CI/CD)

After watching and building the projects using the above video, you will have a clear
understanding of how different Azure data engineering resources are used in real-world projects.
This will also help you answer questions asked in interviews for the Azure Data Engineering role
easily.

There are also some Azure project videos available on YouTube uploaded by other YouTubers. I
would strongly recommend watching as many videos as possible and trying to implement them
in your subscription. This will help you get hands-on experience with different types of projects
and receive guidance from different Data Engineer experts. I have provided links to some of the
project videos available on YouTube.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaA9YNlg5hM
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMqnvXgPKlI&list=PLOlK8ytA0MghGmAAT8W2u7VY
mICdzeU5t
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTpAKIJH9BM&t=537s (Watch the Other Parts from
this YT channel)

If you complete all the 6 stages, then you can consider yourself an Intermediate Azure Data
Engineer. You can apply for any Junior to Intermediate level Azure Data Engineering role. The
only final thing you need to concentrate on is to build your resume/CV in a proper way by
including all the required technologies that you learned in the above 6 stages. If you are not a
beginner, it would not take a full 6 months to complete all the 6 stages; however, a beginner
would need at least 6 months to prepare.
 Mr. K Talks Tech - YouTube

I hope this is useful and if you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out through,

Email: mrktalkstech@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrk_talkstech/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzdOan4AmF65PmLLks8Lmww

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https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDP7gJCMY0KuGFXGd2f

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All the best, Happy learning, and Advance Happy New Year!! I hope the year 2024 is the best year
for you.