DP-750 Prerequisites and Skills Check

The short version

As far as we could confirm, Microsoft does not list a required certification for DP-750, and you can book it without any other exam. It does expect practical experience: SQL, Python, Git, and Azure Databricks itself. Check the exam page when you book, because it is the authority on requirements.

Required versus recommended

Required. We found no formal prerequisite exam or credential in the study guide. Confirm on Microsoft’s DP-750 certification page when you book.

Recommended. Microsoft’s audience profile describes the candidate you should resemble:

Experience integrating and modeling data, building and deploying pipelines, and maintaining workloads in Azure Databricks.
Applied data quality and governance practices in Unity Catalog.
Ability to ingest and transform data with SQL and Python.
Experience with software development lifecycle practices, including Git.
Familiarity with Microsoft Entra, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Monitor.

Microsoft also notes that you work with administrators, architects, data scientists, and analysts. Communication and requirements thinking show up in the scenarios.

What to know before you start

You do not need to master everything on day one, but these basics speed up studying a lot:

SQL: SELECT with joins and aggregates, INSERT, MERGE, and creating tables and views.
Python and PySpark: reading DataFrame code such as filter, select, join, groupBy, and writes.
Azure basics: subscriptions, storage accounts, and how Microsoft Entra users, groups, and service principals work.
Data concepts: batch versus streaming, tables and files, a medallion-style layering of raw to refined data.
Git: branches, commits, pull requests, and merge conflicts.

Skills self-check

Answer yes or no. If most answers are yes, you are in good shape to start the study plan. If many are no, add a foundations phase first.

Can I write a query with a join, a GROUP BY, and a filter without looking anything up?
Can I read a PySpark transformation and say what the output columns will be?
Do I know the difference between a managed and an external table?
Have I created a catalog, schema, and table in Unity Catalog?
Can I grant a group read access to a schema and explain what it covers?
Have I run a job with more than one task and fixed a failed run?
Can I explain when I would stream data instead of loading it in batches?
Have I used Git branches and resolved a merge conflict?
Do I know what a service principal is and why a job might use one?
Have I opened the Spark UI and found the slowest stage?

If you are missing something

Weak SQL or Python: spend two to three weeks on exercises before the study plan. Writing code teaches more than watching it.
No Databricks experience: use Microsoft’s free learning paths for this exam, listed on the exam page, and work in a workspace while you do. Plan for the 8-week schedule.
No Azure background: learn the basics of identity and storage first, since several security and ingestion topics assume them.

Do I need an earlier certification?

Microsoft does not state one for this exam in the material we could read. An Azure fundamentals or data fundamentals exam can help with vocabulary, but it is optional, and we do not present it as a requirement.

More guides for DP-750

Next step

When the self-check looks good, move on to the study plan. To see the real topic list first, read the domains explained page, and for a taste of the question style, the DP-750 practice tests are one option.

Try the DP-750 practice exams