Azure Data Engineer Course in India: Which Exam Counts Now

An Azure data engineer course in 2026 should prepare you for the Fabric Data Engineer Associate exam, DP-700, or the Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate exam, DP-750. DP-203, the Azure Data Engineer Associate exam, was retired on 31 March 2025, so there is no longer an exam to book.

Microsoft's page for the old credential states: "This certification and the renewal assessment are retired." That means an expired DP-203 cannot be renewed either. In our judgement DP-700 covers the nearest ground to DP-203. The old exam covered Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Stream Analytics, Event Hubs, Data Lake Storage and Databricks, while DP-700 moves that work onto Microsoft Fabric.

Microsoft Fabric is Microsoft's single analytics platform. DP-700 tests three areas: ingesting and transforming data, implementing and managing an analytics solution, and monitoring and optimising it. You are expected to be skilled in SQL (Structured Query Language), PySpark (Python for Apache Spark, a large-scale data-processing engine) and KQL (Kusto Query Language). DP exam codes are Microsoft's data-platform exams.

Choose the platform your target employers run. DP-700 covers Microsoft Fabric. DP-750 covers Azure Databricks, a Spark-based data platform, with Unity Catalog, which controls who can access which data. They are separate certifications, and neither is a renamed DP-203.

Both exams are proctored (supervised) and can be retaken 24 hours after a failed first attempt, per the same Microsoft pages. A "pipeline" is an automated job that moves and prepares data.

As of 10 October 2026, Microsoft will update the English-language versions of DP-700 and DP-750 on 19 October 2026. Check the DP-700 study guide or the DP-750 study guide for what changes.

Our recommendation: if you cannot say which platform your first employer will use, start with DP-700. Read ten job descriptions for roles you want. If most name Databricks, go to DP-750, which expects hands-on experience of Unity Catalog and Git, so it suits people who already work with data.

Four of eight Indian course pages name DP-203, the retired exam, as the certificate you will earn. Two name DP-700, and three name no exam code. Online Coaching 4u publishes this page and does not teach courses, so it is not among the eight providers compared.

The table covers eight course pages reviewed on 10 October 2026, taken from a search for Azure data engineer courses in India. It is a sample, not a market count.

Counts: DP-203 appears on 4 of 8 pages, DP-700 on 2 of 8 (Technogeeks names both), and neither on 3 of 8.

At least four of the eight pages (Besant, Quality Thought, Technogeeks and VCTC) promise "100%" placement support. Three of them quote a placement rate of 93% to 95%. A percentage means little without a denominator, so ask how the provider counts it.

Three of the eight pages publish a fee, and those run from ₹7,900 to ₹60,000 as of 10 October 2026. That gap is about 7.6 times (₹60,000 ÷ ₹7,900). The Microsoft exam fee is paid separately.

Technogeeks lists a ₹5,000 booking amount without a total. A booking amount is not a fee, so ask for the total. Only Isha pairs a fee with hours, which gives ₹7,900 ÷ 30 hours, about ₹263 an hour.

Microsoft sets exam prices by country where the exam is proctored. The India price reported for Associate-level exams such as AZ-104 and AZ-800 was ₹4,865 in July 2025. DP-700 is an Associate-level exam, so budget about ₹4,865 and confirm the exact amount on the booking page.

Our model: Total = course fee + exam fee + one retake, assuming ₹4,865 for each exam attempt and a retake charged at the full fee.

Ask each provider whether its fee already includes GST.

Run eight tests and get the answers in writing. A course that passes all eight has told you what you are buying. A fail on test 1, 2, 6 or 8 is a reason to walk away.

On test 6, our guide to checking a coaching refund policy lists what the written terms should cover. An institute's own completion certificate shows you attended its course. A Microsoft certification is earned only by passing the proctored exam.

Learn SQL first, then Python, then pay for the course. Microsoft expects SQL, PySpark and KQL for DP-700, and SQL and Python plus Git for DP-750. Both assume you are comfortable with at least SQL.

Some courses start from zero, so beginning without it is possible. In our view, arriving with SQL joins and basic Python means your course hours go on building pipelines instead of basics. Spend a few weeks on SQL queries, joins and aggregations using free practice data. Then write one small Python script that cleans a CSV (comma-separated values) file. If both feel manageable, a course will move at a pace you can follow.

We are a pre-enquiry directory, so you compare providers first and contact them second. Our online certification directory lists professional-certification training providers, including one for Azure Data Engineering, so you can start a shortlist and send an enquiry or callback request. Browsing, comparing, enquiring and reviewing cost students nothing, and you pay the provider directly.

We check that an institute exists on trusted online sources before listing it. A Verified badge means the institute shared its details and we verified them. It confirms details, not course quality (what Verified means). Promoted placements are labelled as promoted.

When providers reply, run the eight tests above and put their quotes side by side in our coaching fee comparison calculator.