The az 104 career path branches toward specialist Azure certifications once you pass: options include SQL solutions administration, hybrid Windows Server infrastructure, virtual desktop administration, data engineering, data science, AI solutions, networking, DevOps, and Cosmos DB, plus Microsoft productivity-suite security. Which one to take next depends on which of the five AZ-104 domains matched your day-to-day work most closely.
Passing AZ-104 answers the immediate question of certification, but many candidates then ask what to take after az 104. Because AZ-104 covers broad Azure administration across five domains, identities and governance, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring, it is a reasonable launch point toward several more specialized certifications, and the right next step depends on which part of the job you actually do day to day.
Certifications that build on AZ-104
Microsoft positions several role-based certifications as natural next steps for someone who already administers Azure. These include:
- Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions (DP-300), for administrators focused on database infrastructure rather than general compute and storage.
- Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure (AZ-800) and Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services (AZ-801), for administrators working across on-premises and Azure hybrid environments.
- Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AZ-140), for administrators who manage virtual desktop infrastructure on Azure.
- Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions (AZ-700), for administrators whose work leans heavily on the virtual networking domain from AZ-104.
- Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions (AZ-400), for administrators moving toward deployment automation and DevOps practices.
- Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure (DP-203) and Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure (DP-100), for administrators shifting toward data platforms.
- Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution (AI-102), for administrators moving into AI workloads on Azure.
- Designing and Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB (DP-420), for administrators specializing in Cosmos DB.
- Administering Information Security in Microsoft's productivity suite (SC-401), for administrators whose organization pulls them toward Microsoft productivity-suite security responsibilities alongside Azure.
- Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer (MS-721), for administrators moving toward Microsoft Teams and collaboration infrastructure.
How to choose your next certification
Rather than picking a certification at random, look back at the exam objectives page and notice which domain felt most natural, and which felt like the least familiar territory you had to force yourself through. If virtual networking was the domain you enjoyed and understood fastest, AZ-700 is a direct continuation. If storage and compute administration felt closest to your actual job, DP-300 or the Windows Server hybrid path may fit better than a more specialized option like AI-102.
If you are not ready to specialize yet
Not everyone needs to move to a specialist certification immediately after AZ-104. Some administrators spend time deepening their day-to-day Azure work first, letting real project experience point toward the right specialization rather than choosing one from a list right after the exam. There is no formal requirement, described on Microsoft's AZ-104 certification page, that pushes you toward any of these next certifications on a particular timeline.
Keeping AZ-104 current while you specialize
Whichever path you choose next, remember that AZ-104 itself has a renewal cycle; see the validity and renewal page for how that works. Letting AZ-104 lapse while focused on a specialist certification would mean losing the foundational credential the specialist path builds on, so keep both on your radar rather than treating AZ-104 as a one-time milestone. If you decide to revisit any of the AZ-104 domains before moving on, the study plan and sample questions are still useful even after you have passed.
However you sequence it, the underlying pattern holds: AZ-104 proves broad Azure administration skill, and each specialist certification narrows that skill toward one domain in much greater depth, so treat your AZ-104 experience as the map for choosing where to go deeper next.
Exam facts on this page come from Microsoft’s own pages (official exam page). Prices, versions and policies change — confirm there before you book.