MS-102 and MD-102 are two of Microsoft’s most commonly confused certifications, partly because their exam codes look almost identical. MS-102 (Microsoft 365 Administrator) validates your ability to manage an entire Microsoft 365 tenant, covering identity with Microsoft Entra ID, security with Microsoft Defender XDR, and compliance with Microsoft Purview. MD-102 (Endpoint Administrator) validates your ability

PL-600 (Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect Expert) retires on June 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time, and Microsoft has not announced a direct, one-to-one replacement. Instead, Microsoft recommends AB-100 (Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Expert) as the next step for solutions architects currently holding or pursuing PL-600. This is not a simple swap.

AZ-700 and AZ-305 sit at the same Expert-adjacent level in Microsoft’s Azure certification stack, but they ask you to go in different directions. AZ-700 (Azure Network Engineer Associate) is implementation-level: it validates deep, hands-on networking expertise across VNets, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, DNS, and network security. AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert) is architecture-level: it validates the

SC-300 (Identity) vs SC-401 (Information Security, replaced SC-400 in 2025). Complete 2026 comparison of cost, salary, and which to take first.

DP-600 (Fabric Analytics Engineer) vs DP-700 (Fabric Data Engineer). Complete 2026 comparison of domains, skills, salary, and which to take first.