Study guide for Exam AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
Purpose of this document
This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.
| Useful links | Description |
|---|---|
| Review the skills measured as of January 22, 2024 | This list represents the skills measured AFTER the date provided. Study this list if you plan to take the exam AFTER that date. |
| Review the skills measured prior to January 22, 2024 | Study this list of skills if you take your exam PRIOR to the date provided. |
| Change log | You can go directly to the change log if you want to see the changes that will be made on the date provided. |
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Updates to the exam
Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. While Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.
Note
The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.
Note
Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.
Skills measured as of January 22, 2024
Audience profile
As a Microsoft Azure solutions architect, you have subject matter expertise in designing cloud and hybrid solutions that run on Azure, including:
Compute
Network
Storage
Monitoring
Security
Your responsibilities for this role include advising stakeholders and translating business requirements into designs for Azure solutions that align with the Azure Well-Architected Framework and Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure. In this role, you implement solutions on Azure by partnering with various other job roles, including:
Developers
Administrators
Security engineers
Data engineers
As a candidate for this exam, you should have advanced experience and knowledge of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platforms, and governance. You should manage how decisions in each area affect an overall solution. In addition, you should have experience with:
Azure administration
Azure development
DevOps processes
Skills at a glance
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25–30%)
Design data storage solutions (20–25%)
Design business continuity solutions (15–20%)
Design infrastructure solutions (30–35%)
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25–30%)
Design solutions for logging and monitoring
Recommend a logging solution
Recommend a solution for routing logs
Recommend a monitoring solution
Design authentication and authorization solutions
Recommend an authentication solution
Recommend an identity management solution
Recommend a solution for authorizing access to Azure resources
Recommend a solution to manage secrets, certificates, and keys
Design governance
Recommend a structure for management groups, subscriptions, and resource groups, and a strategy for resource tagging
Recommend a solution for managing compliance
Recommend a solution for identity governance
Design data storage solutions (20–25%)
Design data storage solutions for relational data
Recommend a solution for storing relational data
Recommend a database service tier and compute tier
Recommend a solution for database scalability
Recommend a solution for data protection
Design data storage solutions for semi-structured and unstructured data
Recommend a solution for storing semi-structured data
Recommend a solution for storing unstructured data
Recommend a data storage solution to balance features, performance, and costs
Recommend a data solution for protection and durability
Design data integration
Recommend a solution for data integration
Recommend a solution for data analysis
Design business continuity solutions (15–20%)
Design solutions for backup and disaster recovery
Recommend a recovery solution for Azure and hybrid workloads that meets recovery objectives
Recommend a backup and recovery solution for compute
Recommend a backup and recovery solution for databases
Recommend a backup and recovery solution for unstructured data
Design for high availability
Recommend a high availability solution for compute
Recommend a high availability solution for relational data
Recommend a high availability solution for semi-structured and unstructured data
Design infrastructure solutions (30–35%)
Design compute solutions
Specify components of a compute solution based on workload requirements
Recommend a virtual machine-based solution
Recommend a container-based solution
Recommend a serverless-based solution
Recommend a compute solution for batch processing
Design an application architecture
Recommend a messaging architecture
Recommend an event-driven architecture
Recommend a solution for API integration
Recommend a caching solution for applications
Recommend an application configuration management solution
Recommend an automated deployment solution for applications
Design migrations
Evaluate a migration solution that leverages the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure
Evaluate on-premises servers, data, and applications for migration
Recommend a solution for migrating workloads to infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS)
Recommend a solution for migrating databases
Recommend a solution for migrating unstructured data
Design network solutions
Recommend a connectivity solution that connects Azure resources to the internet
Recommend a connectivity solution that connects Azure resources to on-premises networks
Recommend a solution to optimize network performance
Recommend a solution to optimize network security
Recommend a load-balancing and routing solution
Study resources
We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you take the exam. We offer self-study options and classroom training as well as links to documentation, community sites, and videos.
| Study resources | Links to learning and documentation |
|---|---|
| Get trained | Choose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an instructor-led course |
| Find documentation | Azure documentation Architect infrastructure operations in Azure Azure Architecture Center Browse Azure Architectures |
| Ask a question | Microsoft Q&A | Microsoft Docs |
| Get community support | Azure Community Support |
| Follow Microsoft Learn | Microsoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community |
| Find a video | Exam Readiness Zone Azure Fridays Browse other Microsoft Learn shows |
Change log
Key to understanding the table: The topic groups (also known as functional groups) are in bold typeface followed by the objectives within each group. The table is a comparison between the two versions of the exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent of the changes.
| Skill area prior to January 22, 2024 | Skill area as of January 22, 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Audience profile | Minor | |
| Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions | Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions | No change |
| Design solutions for logging and monitoring | Design solutions for logging and monitoring | No change |
| Design authentication and authorization solutions | Design authentication and authorization solutions | No change |
| Design governance | Design governance | No change |
| Design data storage solutions | Design data storage solutions | No change |
| Design data storage solutions for relational data | Design data storage solutions for relational data | No change |
| Design data storage solutions for semi-structured and unstructured data | Design data storage solutions for semi-structured and unstructured data | No change |
| Design data integration | Design data integration | No change |
| Design business continuity solutions | Design business continuity solutions | No change |
| Design solutions for backup and disaster recovery | Design solutions for backup and disaster recovery | No change |
| Design for high availability | Design for high availability | No change |
| Design infrastructure solutions | Design infrastructure solutions | No change |
| Design compute solutions | Design compute solutions | No change |
| Design an application architecture | Design an application architecture | No change |
| Design migrations | Design migrations | No change |
| Design network solutions | Design network solutions | No change |
Skills measured prior to January 22, 2024
Audience profile
Candidates for this exam are Azure solutions architects who have subject matter expertise in designing cloud and hybrid solutions that run on Azure, including compute, network, storage, monitoring, and security.
Responsibilities for this role include advising stakeholders and translating business requirements into designs for Azure solutions that align with the Azure Well-Architected Framework.
An Azure solutions architect partners with developers, administrators, security engineers, data engineers, and other job roles responsible for implementing solutions in Azure.
A candidate for this certification should have advanced experience and knowledge of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platforms, and governance. A professional in this role should manage how decisions in each area affect an overall solution. In addition, they should have experience in Azure administration, Azure development, and DevOps processes.
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25–30%)
Design data storage solutions (20–25%)
Design business continuity solutions (15–20%)
Design infrastructure solutions (30–35%)
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25–30%)
Design solutions for logging and monitoring
Recommend a logging solution
Recommend a solution for routing logs
Recommend a monitoring solution
Design authentication and authorization solutions
Recommend an authentication solution
Recommend an identity management solution
Recommend a solution for authorizing access to Azure resources
Recommend a solution to manage secrets, certificates, and keys
Design governance
Recommend a structure for management groups, subscriptions, and resource groups, and a strategy for resource tagging
Recommend a solution for managing compliance
Recommend a solution for identity governance
Design data storage solutions (20–25%)
Design data storage solutions for relational data
Recommend a solution for storing relational data
Recommend a database service tier and compute tier
Recommend a solution for database scalability
Recommend a solution for data protection
Design data storage solutions for semi-structured and unstructured data
Recommend a solution for storing semi-structured data
Recommend a solution for storing unstructured data
Recommend a data storage solution to balance features, performance, and costs
Recommend a data solution for protection and durability
Design data integration
Recommend a solution for data integration
Recommend a solution for data analysis
Design business continuity solutions (15–20%)
Design solutions for backup and disaster recovery
Recommend a recovery solution for Azure and hybrid workloads that meets recovery objectives
Recommend a backup and recovery solution for compute
Recommend a backup and recovery solution for databases
Recommend a backup and recovery solution for unstructured data
Design for high availability
Recommend a high availability solution for compute
Recommend a high availability solution for relational data
Recommend a high availability solution for semi-structured and unstructured data
Design infrastructure solutions (30–35%)
Design compute solutions
Specify components of a compute solution based on workload requirements
Recommend a virtual machine-based solution
Recommend a container-based solution
Recommend a serverless-based solution
Recommend a compute solution for batch processing
Design an application architecture
Recommend a messaging architecture
Recommend an event-driven architecture
Recommend a solution for API integration
Recommend a caching solution for applications
Recommend an application configuration management solution
Recommend an automated deployment solution for applications
Design migrations
Evaluate a migration solution that leverages the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure
Evaluate on-premises servers, data, and applications for migration
Recommend a solution for migrating workloads to infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS)
Recommend a solution for migrating databases
Recommend a solution for migrating unstructured data
Design network solutions
Recommend a connectivity solution that connects Azure resources to the internet
Recommend a connectivity solution that connects Azure resources to on-premises networks
Recommend a solution to optimize network performance
Recommend a solution to optimize network security
Recommend a load-balancing and routing solution