The Azure Role Microsoft Forgot to Certify: Why There's No Exam for Workbooks, KQL, Power BI, and AI

I spend 60% of my time as an "Azure Administrator" doing work that no Azure certification teaches.

Not infrastructure deployment. Not identity management. Not networking.

Building reports. Writing queries. Creating dashboards. Answering business questions with data.

Yet when I look at Microsoft's Azure certification paths, this role doesn't exist.

The Azure Certification Path (What Exists Today)

Microsoft offers certifications for:

Infrastructure & Operations:
- AZ-104: Azure Administrator Associate
- AZ-305: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- AZ-500: Azure Security Engineer Associate

Development:
- AZ-204: Azure Developer Associate
- AZ-400: DevOps Engineer Expert

Data & AI:
- DP-900: Azure Data Fundamentals
- DP-203: Azure Data Engineer Associate
- AI-102: Azure AI Engineer Associate
- PL-300: Power BI Data Analyst Associate

The problem: None of these certifications cover the role most Azure admins actually perform.

The Role That Doesn't Have a Certification

If you're an Azure Administrator in an enterprise, here's what you actually do:

Monday Morning: Finance Calls

"Azure spend is up $47,000 this month. Explain why."

Tools I use:
- Azure Workbooks (not covered in any Azure cert)
- KQL queries joining cost data across 44 subscriptions (AZ-104 barely mentions KQL)
- Power BI dashboard showing cost by business unit (not mentioned in AZ-104)

Which certification teaches this?
- AZ-104? Teaches you how to set cost alerts. Doesn't teach you how to build cost reports.
- PL-300 (Power BI)? Teaches Power BI, but doesn't cover Azure-specific data sources like Resource Graph or Cost Management.
- DP-203 (Data Engineer)? Way too advanced. I don't need to build data pipelines. I need to query Azure data.

Answer: None of them.

Tuesday: Security Compliance Report

"SOC2 audit needs a report showing all resources without required tags."

Tools I use:
- Azure Resource Graph (mentioned in AZ-104, but not taught in depth)
- KQL query scanning 31,000 resources (no certification teaches KQL for Resource Graph)
- Azure Workbook displaying compliance status (no certification teaches Workbook design)

Which certification teaches this?
- AZ-104? Mentions Resource Graph exists. Doesn't teach you how to write queries.
- AZ-500 (Security)? Focuses on security configuration, not compliance reporting.
- DP-203 (Data Engineer)? Teaches data engineering, not operational queries.

Answer: None of them.

Wednesday: Application Performance Dashboard

"Build a dashboard showing which VMs we can safely shut down overnight to save costs."

Tools I use:
- Azure Monitor Logs (AZ-104 teaches basic alerts only)
- KQL queries analyzing 30 days of CPU/memory metrics (not taught)
- Azure Workbook with interactive filters (not taught)
- Azure Advisor recommendations integrated into Workbook (integration not taught)

Which certification teaches this?
- AZ-104? Teaches you how to configure Azure Monitor. Doesn't teach you how to analyze the data.
- AZ-305 (Architect)? Focuses on solution design, not operational reporting.

Answer: None of them.

Thursday: Executive Dashboard

"Leadership wants one dashboard showing everything wrong with our Azure environment."

Tools I use:
- Power BI connecting to multiple Azure data sources (not covered in any Azure cert)
- KQL queries from Resource Graph, Log Analytics, and Cost Management (not taught together)
- DAX measures for custom calculations (PL-300 teaches this, but not for Azure data)
- Azure AI to generate natural language insights (no cert teaches AI in operational workflows)

Which certification teaches this?
- AZ-104? Doesn't mention Power BI.
- PL-300 (Power BI)? Doesn't cover Azure-specific data sources or KQL.
- AI-102? Focuses on building AI solutions, not using AI for operations.

Answer: None of them.

Friday: Vulnerability Remediation Report

"Security scan found 285 VMs with high-severity vulnerabilities. Which patches fix which issues?"

Tools I use:
- Azure Resource Graph to query VM inventory (mentioned in AZ-104, not taught)
- KQL to join vulnerability scan results with Update Manager compliance (not taught)
- Azure Workbook showing patch status by application owner (not taught)
- Azure OpenAI to summarize findings for non-technical leadership (not taught anywhere)

Which certification teaches this?
- AZ-500 (Security)? Teaches security configuration, not vulnerability reporting.
- AZ-104? Mentions Update Manager. Doesn't teach data analysis.

Answer: None of them.

The Pattern: Infrastructure Configuration ≠ Operational Reporting

Every Azure certification focuses on:
- How to configure Azure services
- How to deploy infrastructure
- How to secure environments
- How to architect solutions

None of them focus on:
- How to query Azure data at scale
- How to build operational dashboards
- How to create business reports
- How to leverage AI for operational insights

Yet this is what Azure administrators spend most of their time doing.

The Certification That Should Exist

Microsoft should create: AZ-XXX: Azure Operations and Analytics Associate

Target audience:
- Azure Administrators who need to report on infrastructure
- Cloud FinOps practitioners building cost dashboards
- Cloud NOC teams creating operational Workbooks
- Security teams building compliance reports

Prerequisites:
- AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) OR
- 6+ months Azure administration experience

Exam domains:

1. Azure Workbooks (25%)

Skills measured:
- Design interactive dashboards for operations, cost, security
- Combine data from Azure Monitor, Resource Graph, Log Analytics
- Create Workbooks for specific audiences (NOC, FinOps, executives)
- Implement parameters and filters for user interaction
- Share and deploy Workbooks across environments

Sample task:

Build an Azure Workbook showing all VMs without backup configured, grouped by subscription and application owner, with drill-down to VM details.

Current certification coverage: Zero

2. KQL for Azure Operations (30%)

Skills measured:
- Query Azure Resource Graph for inventory and compliance
- Query Azure Monitor Logs for performance analysis
- Join data across Resource Graph, Logs, and Cost Management
- Optimize queries for large-scale environments (10K+ resources)
- Build reusable query functions and parameters

Sample task:

Write a KQL query that shows all storage accounts without lifecycle management policies, joins with cost data to show monthly spend, and filters to accounts costing more than $100/month.

Current certification coverage:
- AZ-104: One or two sample queries
- DP-203: Advanced KQL, but focused on data engineering not operations

3. Power BI Integration with Azure (25%)

Skills measured:
- Connect Power BI to Azure Resource Graph
- Import Azure Cost Management data
- Create measures with DAX for Azure-specific calculations
- Design executive dashboards for cost, compliance, performance
- Implement chargeback models with tags and cost allocation

Sample task:

Build a Power BI dashboard showing Azure costs by business unit, with drill-down to subscription and resource group, including month-over-month variance and forecast.

Current certification coverage:
- PL-300: Power BI skills, but doesn't cover Azure data sources
- AZ-104: Power BI never mentioned

4. AI for Azure Operations (20%)

Skills measured:
- Use Copilot for Azure for optimization recommendations
- Leverage Azure Monitor's AI-powered anomaly detection
- Build automation scripts with Azure OpenAI
- Implement AI-driven cost forecasting
- Create natural language reports from Azure data

Sample task:

Use Azure OpenAI to generate a KQL query that identifies underutilized VMs, then create a natural language summary of findings for non-technical stakeholders.

Current certification coverage:
- AI-102: Building AI solutions, not using AI for operations
- No Azure cert covers AI in administrative workflows

Why Each Existing Certification Doesn't Cover This

Let me be specific about why existing certs fall short:

AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate)

What it covers well:
- VM deployment and configuration ✅
- Virtual networking and NSGs ✅
- Azure AD and RBAC ✅
- Backup and disaster recovery ✅
- Basic Azure Monitor alerts ✅

What it misses completely:
- Azure Workbooks design and implementation ❌
- KQL query writing beyond basic examples ❌
- Power BI integration ❌
- AI tools for operations ❌
- Operational reporting at scale ❌

Hands-on Workbook labs: 0
KQL query challenges: 0
Power BI integration: Not mentioned
AI operations: Not mentioned

Gap: 80% of what I do daily as an "Azure Administrator"

AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert)

What it covers well:
- Solution design and architecture ✅
- Cost optimization strategies ✅
- Governance and compliance design ✅

What it misses:
- Actually building the cost reports ❌
- Actually writing the compliance queries ❌
- Operational dashboard implementation ❌

Gap: Focuses on design, not implementation of reporting

AZ-500 (Azure Security Engineer Associate)

What it covers well:
- Security configuration ✅
- Microsoft Defender setup ✅
- Sentinel deployment ✅

What it misses:
- Building security compliance dashboards ❌
- KQL for security reporting ❌
- Executive security scorecards ❌

Gap: Configures security, doesn't report on it

PL-300 (Power BI Data Analyst Associate)

What it covers well:
- Power BI dashboard design ✅
- DAX measures and calculations ✅
- Data modeling ✅

What it misses:
- Azure Resource Graph as a data source ❌
- Azure Cost Management integration ❌
- KQL for Azure Monitor data ❌
- Azure-specific use cases ❌

Gap: Generic Power BI, not Azure-specific

DP-203 (Azure Data Engineer Associate)

What it covers well:
- Data pipeline design ✅
- Advanced KQL ✅
- Data Lake and Synapse ✅

What it misses:
- Way too advanced for operational queries ❌
- Focused on data engineering, not operations ❌

Gap: I don't need to build data pipelines. I need to query Azure data.

AI-102 (Azure AI Engineer Associate)

What it covers well:
- Building AI solutions ✅
- Cognitive Services ✅
- Azure OpenAI deployment ✅

What it misses:
- Using AI for operational automation ❌
- AI in administrative workflows ❌
- Copilot for Azure ❌

Gap: Building AI solutions ≠ using AI as an admin

The Exact Skills Missing from All Certifications

Here's what no Azure certification currently teaches:

Azure Workbooks (100% Gap)

Skills needed:
- Workbook JSON structure and authoring
- Data source integration (Monitor, Resource Graph, Logs)
- Parameter design for user interaction
- Conditional formatting and visualizations
- Workbook sharing and deployment strategies

Current coverage across ALL Azure certs: Zero hands-on labs

Real-world usage: I've built 12 production Workbooks used daily by 50+ people

KQL for Operations (90% Gap)

Skills needed:
- Resource Graph schema and relationships
- Join strategies across data sources
- Performance optimization for 10K+ resource queries
- Time-series analysis for metrics
- Building reusable query functions

Current coverage:
- AZ-104: Maybe 2 sample queries
- DP-203: Advanced KQL, but data engineering focus

Real-world usage: I write 10-20 KQL queries per week

Power BI + Azure Integration (85% Gap)

Skills needed:
- Connecting to Resource Graph API
- Azure Cost Management connector
- KQL queries as Power BI data sources
- DAX for Azure-specific calculations (cost per tag, etc.)
- Refresh strategies for Azure data

Current coverage:
- PL-300: Generic Power BI
- AZ-104/305: Never mentioned

Real-world usage: Every Azure FinOps initiative requires Power BI

AI in Operations (100% Gap)

Skills needed:
- Copilot for Azure usage patterns
- Azure OpenAI for automation scripts
- AI-powered anomaly detection in Monitor
- Natural language reporting from Azure data
- AI-driven cost forecasting

Current coverage: Zero across all Azure operational certs

Real-world usage: I use Azure OpenAI weekly for query generation and report writing

Real-World Impact of This Gap

For New Azure Admins

You pass AZ-104. You get hired. Day 1:

Manager: "Build a dashboard showing our Azure costs by application."

You: "AZ-104 didn't teach me Power BI, KQL, or how to query cost data."

Manager: "Figure it out."

Result: 3-6 months of trial and error learning tools the certification should have taught.

For Employers

Job posting: "Azure Administrator - Must have AZ-104 and ability to build operational dashboards and cost reports."

Reality: AZ-104 teaches neither.

Result: Either hire someone overqualified (data engineer) or accept a learning curve.

For Microsoft

Microsoft builds incredible reporting tools:
- Azure Workbooks
- Azure Resource Graph
- Azure Monitor
- Power BI
- Copilot for Azure
- Azure OpenAI

Microsoft certifies Azure professionals who don't know how to use them.

This is a missed opportunity.

What Should Change

Option 1: Expand AZ-104

Add these modules to Azure Administrator Associate:

New Module 1: Operational Reporting
- Azure Workbooks design (10% of exam)
- KQL for Resource Graph and Monitor (15% of exam)
- 3-5 hands-on Workbook labs

New Module 2: Business Intelligence
- Power BI basics for Azure data (5% of exam)
- Connecting to Cost Management and Resource Graph
- 1-2 hands-on dashboard labs

Problem: This makes AZ-104 too large

Option 2: Create New Certification (Better)

AZ-XXX: Azure Operations and Analytics Associate

Prerequisites: AZ-900 or AZ-104

Target: Azure admins who build reports and dashboards

Exam breakdown:
- 25% Azure Workbooks
- 30% KQL for operations
- 25% Power BI integration
- 20% AI in operations

Benefits:
- Focuses on specific skill gap
- Doesn't bloat existing certs
- Creates career path for reporting-focused admins

Option 3: Enhance Existing Certs

PL-300 (Power BI):
- Add Azure Resource Graph module
- Add Azure Cost Management connector
- Add Azure-specific dashboard examples

AZ-104 (Azure Admin):
- Double KQL coverage
- Add 2-3 Workbook labs
- Mention Power BI exists

Problem: Still fragmented across multiple certs

Until Microsoft Fixes This

If you're an Azure admin who needs these skills:

Learn Azure Workbooks

• Start: Azure Monitor Workbook gallery templates
• Practice: Clone existing Workbooks, modify them
• Build: One compliance dashboard (resources without tags)
• Time: 1-2 weeks to basic proficiency

Resources:
- Modernizing Azure Workbooks
- Azure Dashboards for Cloud NOC

Learn KQL

• Start: Azure Resource Graph queries for inventory
• Practice: Write queries for common admin tasks
• Build: Query library for reusable patterns
• Time: 2-3 weeks to operational proficiency

Resources:
- KQL Cheat Sheet
- Azure VM Inventory with KQL

Learn Power BI + Azure

• Start: Connect Power BI to Azure Cost Management
• Practice: Build one cost dashboard by subscription
• Build: Add Resource Graph data for inventory
• Time: 2-4 weeks for Azure integration

Resources:
- Azure Cost Reports for Business Reality
- Chris Bowman Dashboard Model

Learn AI for Operations

• Start: Use Copilot for Azure for optimization suggestions
• Practice: Azure OpenAI for KQL query generation
• Build: Automation script that summarizes Azure data
• Time: 1-2 weeks to experiment

Resources:
- AI for Azure Admins Gap

The Bottom Line

Microsoft has certifications for:
- Building infrastructure (AZ-104)
- Designing solutions (AZ-305)
- Securing environments (AZ-500)
- Building AI (AI-102)
- Analyzing data (DP-203)
- Creating BI reports (PL-300)

Microsoft has NO certification for:
- Building operational dashboards with Workbooks
- Writing KQL queries for Azure operations
- Creating Power BI reports from Azure data
- Using AI for administrative workflows

Yet this is what most Azure administrators actually do 60-80% of the time.

The role exists. The tools exist. The job postings exist.

Only the certification is missing.

---

Related Resources

Learn the skills Microsoft doesn't certify:
- KQL Mastery Hub - Production KQL queries
- Monitoring & Dashboards Hub - Workbook patterns
- FinOps Hub - Power BI cost reporting

Certification discussion:
- Why I'm Not Renewing Azure Certifications
- Azure Tool Selection for Noobs

---

Do you spend more time building reports than deploying infrastructure? Let me know in the comments what certifications you think would actually help Azure admins.

Updated December 7, 2025