Microsoft Certification Guide 2026: New Exams, Retirements, AI Skills, and Career Impact

khushitaneja
21 hours ago
7 min read

Microsoft certifications continue to be one of the strongest career signals in enterprise technology. In 2026, however, the certification ecosystem is not static. Microsoft is retiring older exams, introducing new credentials focused on modern workloads, expanding applied skills, and aligning certifications more closely with real job roles across cloud, data, security, business applications, and workplace tools.

This guide covers the entire Microsoft stack. It explains which certifications are still valuable, which ones are being retired, what is replacing them, and how professionals should plan certifications in 2026 to improve career growth and compensation.

Microsoft Certification Guide 2026: New Exams, Retirements, AI Skills, and Career Impact

Why Microsoft certifications still matter in 2026

Microsoft technologies sit at the center of enterprise IT. Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, security platforms, and data services are deeply embedded in business operations worldwide. Certifications remain relevant because they:

Validate role specific skills used in real projects
Help recruiters shortlist faster in competitive markets
Support internal promotions and client facing credibility
Stay current through structured renewal instead of one time exams

Microsoft has also shifted its certification strategy to focus less on theoretical fundamentals and more on job aligned roles and hands on skills.

Complete Microsoft Certification Map 2026

Full Microsoft stack coverage including cloud, data, business apps, security, AI, Copilot, and workplace

Stack	Area	Certification Name	Exam Code	Level	Status
Azure	Cloud Basics	Microsoft Azure Fundamentals	AZ-900	Fundamentals	Active
Azure	Administration	Azure Administrator Associate	AZ-104	Associate	Active
Azure	Architecture	Azure Solutions Architect Expert	AZ-305	Expert	Active
Azure	Development	Azure Developer Associate	AZ-204	Associate	Active
Azure	Security	Azure Security Engineer Associate	AZ-500	Associate	Active
Azure	Networking	Azure Network Engineer Associate	AZ-700	Associate	Active
Azure	DevOps	Azure DevOps Engineer Expert	AZ-400	Expert	Active
Azure	Virtual Desktop	Azure Virtual Desktop Administrator Associate	AZ-140	Associate	Active
Data	Data Basics	Azure Data Fundamentals	DP-900	Fundamentals	Active
Data	Analytics Platform	Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate	DP-600	Associate	Active
Data	Data Engineering	Fabric Data Engineer Associate	DP-700	Associate	Active
Data	Data Science	Azure Data Scientist Associate	DP-100	Associate	Active
Data	BI & Reporting	Power BI Data Analyst Associate	PL-300	Associate	Active
Power Platform	Platform Basics	Power Platform Fundamentals	PL-900	Fundamentals	Active
Power Platform	Functional Consulting	Power Platform Functional Consultant	PL-200	Associate	Active
Power Platform	App Development	Power Platform Developer Associate	PL-400	Associate	Active
Power Platform	RPA	Power Automate RPA Developer Associate	PL-500	Associate	Active
Power Platform	Architecture	Power Platform Solution Architect Expert	PL-600	Expert	Active
Dynamics 365	Sales	Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant	MB-210	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Customer Service	Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant	MB-230	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Field Service	Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant	MB-240	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Marketing	Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant	MB-220	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Finance	Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant	MB-310	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Supply Chain	Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant	MB-330	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Business Central	Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant	MB-800	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Customer Insights	Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Data Specialist	MB-260	Associate	Active
Dynamics 365	Architecture	Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Expert	MB-700	Expert	Active
Microsoft 365	Security Basics	Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals	SC-900	Fundamentals	Active
Microsoft 365	Administration	Microsoft 365 Administrator	MS-102	Associate	Active
Security	Identity	Identity and Access Administrator	SC-300	Associate	Active
Security	SecOps	Security Operations Analyst	SC-200	Associate	Active
Security	Architecture	Cybersecurity Architect Expert	SC-100	Expert	Active
AI	AI Basics	Azure AI Fundamentals	AI-900	Fundamentals	Active
AI	AI Engineering	Azure AI Engineer Associate	AI-102	Associate	Active
Copilot	Copilot & Agents	Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals	AB-900	Fundamentals	Active
Legacy	Microsoft 365 Fundamentals	Microsoft 365 Fundamentals	MS-900	Fundamentals	Retires March 31, 2026
Legacy	Dynamics Fundamentals	Dynamics 365 Fundamentals CRM	MB-910	Fundamentals	Retired
Legacy	Dynamics Fundamentals	Dynamics 365 Fundamentals ERP	MB-920	Fundamentals	Retired
Legacy	Data Engineering	Azure Data Engineer Associate	DP-203	Associate	Retired
Legacy	Compliance	Information Protection and Compliance Administrator	SC-400

Major changes in Microsoft certifications you must know

Before choosing any certification path, it is important to understand what has changed recently.

Certification retirements that impact planning

Microsoft has officially announced the retirement of several widely used exams. These are not rumors and should be considered when planning certification paths.

Retired or retiring certifications include:

Microsoft 365 Fundamentals MS-900 is scheduled to retire on March 31, 2026
Dynamics 365 Fundamentals CRM MB-910 retired on December 31, 2025
Dynamics 365 Fundamentals ERP MB-920 retired on December 31, 2025
Azure Data Engineer Associate DP-203 retired in March 2025
Information Protection and Compliance Administrator SC-400 retired in May 2025

Fundamentals certifications do not expire once earned, but new candidates can no longer take retired exams. Microsoft is intentionally reducing overlap and redirecting learners toward newer paths.

What is replacing older fundamentals

Microsoft is not removing fundamentals without alternatives. Instead, the company is reshaping entry points around modern workloads and governance focused roles.

One of the most important additions is:

Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals AB-900

This certification introduces core concepts around Microsoft 365 Copilot, agents, permissions, security, and administration. It effectively replaces the older Microsoft 365 fundamentals path with a more current focus.

This shift signals Microsoft’s direction for future certification design.

Certification renewal in 2026

Most associate, expert, and specialty certifications require renewal every year. Key points professionals should know:

Renewal assessments are free
Renewals are completed online via Microsoft Learn
Assessments focus on recent platform updates
Fundamentals certifications do not expire

This system allows professionals to stay certified without retaking full exams and ensures skills remain relevant.

Microsoft Applied Skills certifications

A major development across the Microsoft stack is Applied Skills.

Applied Skills are task based credentials that validate the ability to perform specific real world activities such as configuring Fabric workloads, preparing environments for Copilot, or building solutions in Power Platform.

They are not replacements for role based certifications but strong complements, especially for professionals with limited project exposure or those switching domains.

Azure certifications that still drive high career value

Azure Fundamentals

Azure Fundamentals remains a popular entry point for cloud careers. It introduces cloud concepts, Azure services, pricing models, and governance basics. It is suitable for beginners, functional consultants, and non technical roles entering cloud environments.

Azure Administrator Associate

This certification continues to be one of the most widely recognized Azure credentials. It validates skills in:

Managing Azure resources
Virtual networks and compute
Storage and identity
Monitoring and backups

It is often a requirement for cloud operations, implementation, and support roles.

Azure Solutions Architect Expert

This is one of the most career influential certifications in the Azure ecosystem. It focuses on designing secure, scalable, and cost effective cloud architectures. Architects often influence infrastructure budgets and long term platform decisions, which makes this certification highly valued.

Azure Security Engineer Associate

Security focused Azure certifications remain critical as organizations prioritize identity, access control, threat protection, and compliance.

Data and analytics certifications in 2026

Microsoft has clearly shifted its data strategy toward Microsoft Fabric, and certifications reflect this change.

Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate DP-600

This certification validates skills in building analytics solutions using Microsoft Fabric, including Power BI, data modeling, and analytics workflows.

Fabric Data Engineer Associate DP-700

This credential focuses on data ingestion, transformation, pipelines, and engineering workloads inside Fabric.

These certifications effectively replace older Azure data paths like DP-203 and align better with modern analytics platforms used by enterprises.

Power Platform certifications and career relevance

Power Platform certifications remain among the strongest career accelerators because they map directly to business automation and app modernization.

Power Platform Fundamentals

This certification introduces Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Dataverse. It is suitable for business users, analysts, and early career professionals.

Power Platform Developer Associate

This credential validates the ability to build advanced applications, integrations, and automation using Power Platform tools. It is widely recognized across Microsoft partners and enterprise teams.

Power Platform Solution Architect Expert

This certification focuses on designing end to end Power Platform solutions that integrate with Dynamics 365, Azure, and Microsoft 365. It is especially valuable for senior consultants and architects.

Dynamics 365 certifications in 2026

While Dynamics 365 fundamentals exams have retired, role based certifications remain highly relevant.

Examples include:

Customer Service Functional Consultant
Sales Functional Consultant
Finance and Operations roles
Business Central consultant paths

These certifications continue to be used by Microsoft partners and enterprise clients to validate functional and implementation expertise.

Microsoft 365 and workplace certifications

With the retirement of MS-900, Microsoft 365 certification paths are evolving.

Key focus areas now include:

Copilot administration and governance
Security and compliance readiness
Identity and access management
Collaboration and productivity tools

Certifications related to Microsoft 365 administration and security remain relevant for enterprise IT roles.

Artificial intelligence related certifications without hype

Microsoft’s approach to artificial intelligence certifications is pragmatic rather than theoretical.

Current focus areas include:

Azure AI Fundamentals AI-900
Copilot and agent administration fundamentals AB-900
Applied Skills for Copilot readiness, governance, and agent creation

These certifications emphasize responsible usage, security, compliance, and integration rather than generic AI theory.

What certifications are considered outdated or risky to start now?

Professionals should avoid starting certification paths that are already retired or close to retirement unless they can complete them before official deadlines.