Microsoft recently made a change to the certification path to earn your Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. Gone is the requirement to pass two exams, instead the content has been collated and a single new exam is now required. Here is what Microsoft have to say:

This new exam combines the skills covered in AZ-100 and AZ-101 (which retired on May 1, 2019), with the majority of the new exam coming from AZ-100. Candidates for this exam are Azure Administrators who manage cloud services that span storage, security, networking, and compute cloud capabilities. Candidates have a deep understanding of each service across the full IT lifecycle, and take requests for infrastructure services, applications, and environments. They make recommendations on services to use for optimal performance and scale, as well as provision, size, monitor, and adjust resources as appropriate. Candidates for this exam should have proficiency in using PowerShell, the Command Line Interface, Azure Portal, ARM templates, operating systems, virtualization, cloud infrastructure, storage structures, and networking.

Below I’ve put together a collection of links relevant to the sections highlighted as being part of the skills measured for this exam. As always, these are only guide links, sometimes you need to explore a topic much more deeply if you are not familiar with it. Hopefully these study materials will help guide you to successfully passing AZ-103!

If you spot something, or have a better link for a topic, get in touch! I will update this post regularly as I work my way towards taking this exam and appreciate any feedback.

A good place to start is Microsoft Learn. there are several interactive learning paths that are free that you can work through at your own pace. I find this a great way to study and gain greater understanding of the services by actually using them.

Manage Azure Subscriptions and Resources

Manage Azure subscriptions

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/billing/billing-add-change-azure-subscription-administrator
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/billing/billing-getting-started
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/tutorials/create-and-manage

Analyze resource utilization and consumption

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/diagnostic-logs-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/alerts-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/data-platform-metrics
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/action-groups
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management/overview-cost-mgt
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/log-query/get-started-queries
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/learn/tutorial-response

Manage resource groups

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-lock-resources
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/tutorials/create-and-manage
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-using-tags
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-move-resources

Managed role based access control (RBAC)

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/role-based-access-control/custom-roles
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/role-based-access-control/role-assignments-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/role-based-access-control/troubleshooting

Implement and Manage Storage

Create and configure storage accounts

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-network-security
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-quickstart-create-account
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-dotnet-shared-access-signature-part-1
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vs-azure-tools-storage-manage-with-storage-explorer
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-account-manage
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/activity-log-collect
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-redundancy

Import and export data to Azure

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-import-export-service
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-import-export-data-to-blobs
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databox/data-box-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cdn/cdn-overview

Configure Azure files

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-how-to-create-file-share
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-sync-files-deployment-guide
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-sync-files-troubleshoot

Implement Azure backup

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-configure-reports
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/tutorial-backup-windows-server-to-azure
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-recovery-services-vault-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/tutorial-restore-disk

Deploy and Manage Virtual Machines (VMs)

Create and configure a VM for Windows and Linux

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/linux/tutorial-availability-sets
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/tutorial-manage-vm
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machine-scale-sets/virtual-machine-scale-sets-deploy-app

Manage Azure VM

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/attach-managed-disk-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/multiple-nics
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/extensions/dsc-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/troubleshooting/redeploy-to-new-node-windows

Automate deployment of VMs

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-authoring-templates
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/prepare-for-upload-vhd-image

Manage VM backups

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-vms-first-look-arm
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-arm-restore-vms
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/azure-to-azure-quickstart

Configure and Manage Virtual Networks

Create connectivity between virtual networks

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-peering-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/vpn-gateway-howto-vnet-vnet-resource-manager-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/manage-route-table
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/vpn-gateway-about-vpngateways

Implement and manage virtual networking

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-networks-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/quick-create-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/tutorial-filter-network-traffic
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/tutorial-create-route-table-portal

Configure name resolution

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/dns/dns-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/dns/private-dns-getstarted-cli

Create and configure a Network Security Group (NSG)

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/security-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-vnet-plan-design-arm
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/diagnose-network-traffic-filter-problem

Implement Azure load balancer

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-balancer/tutorial-load-balancer-basic-internal-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-balancer/tutorial-load-balancer-standard-manage-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-balancer/load-balancer-troubleshoot

Monitor and troubleshoot virtual networking

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/networking/network-monitoring-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/network-watcher-monitoring-overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-troubleshoot-connectivity-problem-between-vms

Integrate on premises network with Azure virtual network

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/vpn-gateway-tutorial-create-gateway-powershell
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/vpn-gateway-tutorial-vpnconnection-powershell
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/expressroute/expressroute-about-virtual-network-gateways
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/vpn-gateway-troubleshoot

Manage Identities

Manage Azure Active Directory (AD)

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/add-custom-domain
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/devices/overview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/authentication/quickstart-sspr

Implement and manage hybrid identities

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/how-to-connect-install-express
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/how-to-connect-pta-quick-start
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/how-to-connect-install-custom
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/how-to-connect-preview
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/plan-connect-user-signin

Manage Azure AD objects (users, groups, and devices)

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/add-users-azure-active-directory
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/active-directory-groups-create-azure-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/active-directory-groups-create-azure-portal
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/b2b/user-properties

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• https://docs.microsoft.com/bs-latn-ba/azure/active-directory/authentication/howto-mfa-userstates
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/authentication/howto-mfa-mfasettings