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Microsoft AZ-305 Study Guide

Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305

Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) is the expert level exam for people who design cloud and hybrid solutions on Azure. It covers designing identity, governance and monitoring, data storage, business continuity, and infrastructure including compute, applications, migration and networking. It suits architects who already have Azure administration experience and need to choose and justify the right service for a business requirement.

  • Exam code AZ-305
  • Expert level
  • 4 exam domains

This guide is free, with no sign-up. It explains every Microsoft AZ-305 exam topic in plain English, one chapter at a time. Read them in order or jump straight to the topic you need.

  • 4chapters
  • 25topics
  • 9diagrams and exhibits
  • 2 h 5 minfast track
Start with Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions
  • Every topic follows the same simple pattern: what it is, how it works, common mistakes
  • Diagrams and real command output where a picture explains it best
  • Exam tips and worked subnetting and IPv6 practice, with answers

How the exam is weighted

Each domain is worth roughly this share of the exam. The exam provider publishes a range for each domain, so the bar marks the middle of it. Spend your study time in proportion, and select a domain to open its chapter.

Chapters

Open a chapter to see its topics and how long each takes.

1Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions6 topics · 29 min fast trackLogging and monitoring design, authentication and authorization, Key Vault and governance.
  1. 1Logging, Log Routing and Monitoring Solutions5 min
  2. 2Authentication and Identity Management Solutions5 min
  3. 3Authorizing Access to Azure and On Premises Resources5 min
  4. 4Secrets, Certificates and Keys with Key Vault5 min
  5. 5Management Groups, Subscriptions and Tagging5 min
  6. 6Compliance and Identity Governance4 min
Read the chapter overview →
2Design data storage solutions5 topics · 24 min fast trackRelational databases, Cosmos DB and storage accounts, durability and protection, and data integration and analysis.
  1. 1Relational Data Storage and Service Tiers5 min
  2. 2Database Scalability and Data Protection5 min
  3. 3Semi Structured Data and Cosmos DB5 min
  4. 4Unstructured Data and Storage Accounts5 min
  5. 5Data Integration and Analysis4 min
Read the chapter overview →
3Design business continuity solutions4 topics · 21 min fast trackRecovery objectives, Site Recovery, Azure Backup and high availability for compute, data and storage.
  1. 1Recovery Objectives and Azure Site Recovery5 min
  2. 2Backup Solutions for Compute, Databases and Unstructured Data5 min
  3. 3High Availability for Compute6 min
  4. 4High Availability for Relational and Unstructured Data5 min
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4Design infrastructure solutions10 topics · 51 min fast trackCompute, application architecture, migration and network design, the largest domain at 30 to 35 percent.
  1. 1Virtual Machine and Container Compute Solutions5 min
  2. 2Serverless and Batch Compute5 min
  3. 3Messaging and Event Driven Architecture5 min
  4. 4API Integration, Caching and Configuration6 min
  5. 5Automated Deployment of Applications4 min
  6. 6Migration Planning and the Cloud Adoption Framework4 min
  7. 7Migrating Workloads, Databases and Data5 min
  8. 8Connectivity to the Internet and On Premises6 min
  9. 9Network Performance and Security6 min
  10. 10Load Balancing and Routing5 min
Read the chapter overview →

Ready for more practice?

The full Microsoft AZ-305 question bank has 755 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.

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