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AZ-304 Study Guide: Microsoft Azure Architect Design

Thomas Maurer
Updated
10–16 minutes
17 comments on AZ-304 Study Guide: Microsoft Azure Architect Design
AZ-304 Study Guide Azure Architect Design Exam Study Guide

To get the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification, there are two new exams which you need to pass, the AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and the AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design exam. In this blog post, I am going to share my AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification Exam Study Guide with you. To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.

NOTE: Before starting with this exam, check out the new AZ-305 exam and my AZ-305 Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Certification Exam Study Guide.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

Here is my AZ-304 Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies Certification Exam Study Guide

It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.

Exam AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design

Candidates for this exam are Azure Solutions Architects who advise stakeholders and translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions.

Candidates should have advanced experience and knowledge of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platform, budgeting, and governance. This role requires managing how decisions in each area affects an overall solution.

Candidates must have expert-level skills in Azure administration and have experience with Azure development processes and DevOps processes.

The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:

  • Design Monitoring (10-15%)
  • Design Identity and Security (25-30%)
  • Design Data Storage (15-20%)
  • Design Business Continuity (10-15%)
  • Design Infrastructure (25-30%)

You can find more information on the exam website.

Free Online Microsoft Learn AZ-304 Exam Study Guide resources

Microsoft Learn provides you with free online training and learning paths for different Microsoft technologies. They not just offer reading material, but also control questions and free online labs. Here are some relevant Microsoft Learn modules and learning paths for the AZ-304 Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification Exam. Microsoft Learn is an important part of my AZ-304 exam study guide.

Microsoft Docs AZ-304 study guide resources

One thing I always used to prepare for my Microsoft exams is Microsoft Docs. Here are the relevant Microsoft Docs which I used to prepare and study for the AZ-304 exam.

Design Monitoring (10-15%)

Design for cost optimization

Design a solution for logging and monitoring

Design Identity and Security (25-30%)

Design authentication

Design authorization

Design governance

Design security for applications

Design Data Storage (15-20%)

Choose the right data store

Design a solution for databases

Design data integration

Select an appropriate storage account

Design Business Continuity (10-15%)

Design a solution for backup and recovery

Design for high availability

Design Infrastructure (25-30%)

Design a compute solution

Design a network solution

Design an application architecture

Design migrations

Tips and Resources

I hope this AZ-304 Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification Exam Study Guide helps you pass the exam and get the Azure Solutions Architect certification. I also recommend that you open a free Azure account if you don’t have one yet. You can create your free Azure account here. Also, check out my blog posts about Microsoft Azure Certification:

I hope you enjoyed my AZ-304 Study Guide and it helps you as exam prep. Did I miss any link, or do you have any recommended AZ-304 Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification Exam Study resources? Let me know in the comments.

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Thomas Maurer
Thomas is the EMEA Global Black Belt (GBB) for Sovereign Cloud at Microsoft, helping organizations across the region harness Microsoft’s sovereign, hybrid, multicloud, and edge solutions. He works directly with C-level leaders and technical teams to remove roadblocks, accelerate digital transformation, and shape long-term cloud strategies that meet business and regulatory needs. With over 15 years of experience in cloud and datacenter, including his previous role as Principal Program Manager and Chief Evangelist for Azure Hybrid, he combines deep technical expertise with a passion for customer success. He specializes in creating scalable architectures, solution accelerators, and thought leadership that drive adoption and innovation on Azure. Thomas is a passionate community advocate and frequently speaks at industry events such as Microsoft Ignite and Microsoft TechDays. He shares his expertise through his Cloud and Datacenter Blog at www.thomasmaurer.ch and on LinkedIn and X.com www.twitter.com/thomasmaurer.

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17 responses

  1. ARVIND BR Avatar
    ARVIND BR

    Thank you Thomas!

    Reply
  2. David Avatar
    David

    That’s awesome!

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thanks David! :)

      Reply
  3. Chiugo Josephat Okpala Avatar
    Chiugo Josephat Okpala

    Great Stuff Thomas.
    Always comprehensive guide :)

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thanks, you’re welcome :)

      Reply
  4. Alexandre Avatar
    Alexandre

    Dear Thomas,

    I would like to know when do you intend to publish a study guide for AZ-500?

    I look forward to hearing from u asap.

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Yes, but that will take a moment :)

      Reply
  5. NILESH Avatar
    NILESH

    Hi.

    I already passed the AZ-300 last month.

    If I give AZ-304(earlier was 301) exam & passed then can considered as part of Azure Architect Expert completion?

    Thanks
    Nilesh

    Reply
  6. Craig Avatar
    Craig

    Hi. Has any of this information changed now that the beta test has released? Do you know when practice questions might be available from Microsoft or others?

    Reply
  7. Jack Smith Avatar
    Jack Smith

    Great Guide to get the information needed for this exam. thank you :)

    One point to note that “azure blueprints” is in preview, so unlikely to be in the exam AFAIK.
    On portal.azure.com > Blueprints> it states:
    “Welcome to Azure Blueprints PREVIEW”

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thank you :)
      Well if it is in the skills measured list, I would definitely have a look at it :)

      Reply
  8. Tony Avatar
    Tony

    Hi Thomas,

    thanks a lot for your effort. This page is very helpful and saves me a lot of time. Time i can invest in learning.

    BR Tony

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thanks Tony :)

      Reply
  9. Monika Mahendru Avatar
    Monika Mahendru

    Thanks Thomas!!

    You are a life saver :-)

    Monika

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thank you :) I am happy to help!

      Reply
  10. Shweta Avatar
    Shweta

    Hi Thomas,

    Happy New Year!

    I am working as a Solution Architect and planning to give AZ 300 exam. Would like to know if i can give
    AZ-304 first followed by AZ-303. What do you suggest?

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Happy New Year to you too!
      First, to achieve the certification, you don’t have to do the exams in a specific order. I think it personally comes down to personal preference. I think the 303 is more technical (if I remember correctly), while the 304 is more higher-level architecture. I think I would have a look at the skill outline and start with the one you think is easier.

      Reply

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