AZ-900, AI-901, SC-900 or AZ-104: pick by where your work sits
Choose AZ-900 for a broad Azure base, AI-901 for AI services in Azure, SC-900 for security, compliance and identity across Microsoft, and AZ-104 if you already administer Azure daily. Microsoft retired MS-900 on 31 March 2026 and replaced AI-900 with AI-901.
Four short exams in a row look like progress. A year later the CV shows four Fundamentals and no experience.
Where AZ-900 sits
Microsoft groups its credentials into Fundamentals, role-based Associate and Expert levels, and Specialty credentials. AZ-900 is the Azure entry point. Above it, Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) is the usual next step for technical roles.
Four goals are common: a first, structured step into cloud work, an understanding of Azure decisions in a business role, an employer or partner programme that asks for it, and a base before AZ-104. AZ-900 serves all four. It is weakest for someone who already administers Azure every day.
Match the exam to your work
| Your situation | Sensible choice |
|---|---|
| You need a broad base in Azure: services, identity, cost and governance | AZ-900 |
| Your work centres on AI services in Azure | Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) |
| Your work centres on security, compliance and identity across Microsoft | SC-900 |
| You already administer Azure daily | Go straight to AZ-104 |
| Your employer runs mainly on AWS | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner instead |
Retired and replaced
Microsoft retired Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900) on 31 March 2026 and replaced AI-900 with AI-901. If a course or an advert still mentions those, it is out of date. Exam codes change, so check Microsoft Learn for the current code before you plan.
What next, by goal
| Goal | Next step |
|---|---|
| Administering Azure | AZ-104 |
| Building applications on Azure | Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) |
| Security in Microsoft environments | SC-900, then a role-based security credential |
| AI work on Azure | AI-901, then a role-based AI credential |
| Data work on Azure | Azure Data Fundamentals (DP-900), then a data credential |
| Business, sales or finance roles | Experience and cost management practice first |
Three questions before you pay
- Will an employer, partner programme or promotion decision turn on this credential within a year?
- Is my real gap understanding or doing? Understanding gaps (what a service is for, who secures it, how it is billed) fit AZ-900. Doing gaps fit hands-on work and AZ-104.
- Could the hours do more elsewhere? Following a monthly Azure cost review at work can teach as much as an exam.
When to stop
For business roles, AZ-900 is often enough, and experience with real cloud costs adds more. For technical roles, one role-based credential plus a year of hands-on work outweighs several Fundamentals exams. A holder who passes AZ-900, then SC-900, then AI-901, then DP-900 because each is short has four Fundamentals and no experience. Stop when the next credential would not change an employer's decision.
The other cloud
Azure and AWS teach the same ideas in different vocabularies. If your employer runs mainly on AWS, start there. A second platform can wait until your job spans both.
Questions readers ask
Which Microsoft Fundamentals exam should I take first?
What happened to MS-900 and AI-900?
Should I skip AZ-900 and take AZ-104?
This article is independent and is not endorsed by Microsoft. Facts change: confirm them on the official page before you act.