In this course, the student will learn about the data engineering patterns and practices as it pertains to working with batch and real-time analytical solutions using Azure data platform technologies. Students will begin by understanding the core compute and storage technologies that are used to build an analytical solution. They will then explore how to design analytical serving layers and focus on data engineering considerations for working with source files. The students will learn how to interactively explore data stored in files in a data lake. They will learn the various ingestion techniques that can be used to load data using the Apache Spark capability found in Azure Synapse Analytics or Azure Databricks, or how to ingest using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse pipelines. The students will also learn the various ways they can transform the data using the same technologies that are used to ingest data. The student will spend time on the course learning how to monitor and analyze the performance of the analytical systems so that they can optimize the performance of data loads, or queries that are issued against the systems. They will understand the importance of implementing security to ensure that the data is protected at rest or in transit. The student will then show how the data in an analytical system can be used to create dashboards or build predictive models in Azure Synapse Analytics.
The primary audience for this course is data professionals, data architects, and business intelligence professionals who want to learn about data engineering and building analytical solutions using data platform technologies that exist on Microsoft Azure. The secondary audience for this course is data analysts and data scientists who work with analytical solutions built on Microsoft Azure.
Successful students start this course with knowledge of cloud computing and core data concepts and professional experience with data solutions.
Recommended prerequisites:
Module 1: Explore compute and storage options for data engineering workloads
This module provides an overview of the Azure compute and storage technology options that are available to data engineers building analytical workloads. This module teaches ways to structure the data lake and optimize the files for exploration, streaming, and batch workloads. The student will learn how to organize the data lake into levels of data refinement as they transform files through batch and stream processing. Then they will learn how to create indexes on their datasets, such as CSV, JSON, and Parquet files, and use them for potential query and workload acceleration.
Lab 1: Explore compute and storage options for data engineering workloads
After completing module 1, students will be able to:
Module 2: Design and implement the serving layer
This module teaches how to design and implement data stores in a modern data warehouse to optimize analytical workloads. The student will learn how to design a multidimensional schema to store fact and dimension data. Then the student will learn how to populate slowly changing dimensions through incremental data loading from Azure Data Factory.
Lab 2: Designing and Implementing the Serving Layer
After completing module 2, students will be able to:
Module 3: Data engineering considerations for source files
This module explores data engineering considerations that are common when loading data into a modern data warehouse analytical from files stored in an Azure Data Lake, and understanding the security consideration associated with storing files stored in the data lake.
Lab 3: Data engineering considerations
After completing module 3, students will be able to:
Module 4: Run interactive queries using Azure Synapse Analytics serverless SQL pools
In this module, students will learn how to work with files stored in the data lake and external file sources, through T-SQL statements executed by a serverless SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics. Students will query Parquet files stored in a data lake, as well as CSV files stored in an external data store. Next, they will create Azure Active Directory security groups and enforce access to files in the data lake through Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Access Control Lists (ACLs).
Lab 4: Run interactive queries using serverless SQL pools
After completing module 4, students will be able to:
Module 5: Explore, transform, and load data into the Data Warehouse using Apache Spark
This module teaches how to explore data stored in a data lake, transform the data, and load data into a relational data store. The student will explore Parquet and JSON files and use techniques to query and transform JSON files with hierarchical structures. Then the student will use Apache Spark to load data into the data warehouse and join Parquet data in the data lake with data in the dedicated SQL pool.
Lab 5: Explore, transform, and load data into the Data Warehouse using Apache Spark
After completing module 5, students will be able to:
Module 6: Data exploration and transformation in Azure Databricks
This module teaches how to use various Apache Spark DataFrame methods to explore and transform data in Azure Databricks. The student will learn how to perform standard DataFrame methods to explore and transform data. They will also learn how to perform more advanced tasks, such as removing duplicate data, manipulating date/time values, renaming columns, and aggregating data.
Lab 6: Data Exploration and Transformation in Azure Databricks
After completing module 6, students will be able to:
Module 7: Ingest and load data into the data warehouse
This module teaches students how to ingest data into the data warehouse through T-SQL scripts and Synapse Analytics integration pipelines. The student will learn how to load data into Synapse dedicated SQL pools with PolyBase and COPY using T-SQL. The student will also learn how to use workload management along with a Copy activity in an Azure Synapse pipeline for petabyte-scale data ingestion.
Lab 7: Ingest and load Data into the Data Warehouse
After completing module 7, students will be able to:
Module 8: Transform data with Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines
This module teaches students how to build data integration pipelines to ingest from multiple data sources, transform data using mapping data flowss, and perform data movement into one or more data sinks.
Lab 8: Transform Data with Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Pipelines
After completing module 8, students will be able to:
Module 9: Orchestrate data movement and transformation in Azure Synapse Pipelines
In this module, you will learn how to create linked services, and orchestrate data movement and transformation using notebooks in Azure Synapse Pipelines.
Lab 9: Orchestrate data movement and transformation in Azure Synapse Pipelines
After completing module 9, students will be able to:
Module 10: Optimize query performance with dedicated SQL pools in Azure Synapse
In this module, students will learn strategies to optimize data storage and processing when using dedicated SQL pools in Azure Synapse Analytics. The student will know how to use developer features, such as windowing and HyperLogLog functions, use data loading best practices, and optimize and improve query performance.
Lab 10: Optimize Query Performance with Dedicated SQL Pools in Azure Synapse
After completing module 10, students will be able to:
Module 11: Analyze and Optimize Data Warehouse Storage
In this module, students will learn how to analyze and then optimize the data storage of the Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools. The student will know techniques to understand table space usage and column store storage details. Next, the student will know how to compare storage requirements between identical tables that use different data types. Finally, the student will observe the impact materialized views have when executed in place of complex queries and learn how to avoid extensive logging by optimizing delete operations.
Lab 11: Analyze and Optimize Data Warehouse Storage
After completing module 11, students will be able to:
Module 12: Support Hybrid Transactional Analytical Processing (HTAP) with Azure Synapse Link
In this module, students will learn how Azure Synapse Link enables seamless connectivity of an Azure Cosmos DB account to a Synapse workspace. The student will understand how to enable and configure the Synapse link, then how to query the Azure Cosmos DB analytical store using Apache Spark and SQL serverless.
Lab 12: Support Hybrid Transactional Analytical Processing (HTAP) with Azure Synapse Link
After completing module 12, students will be able to:
Module 13: End-to-end security with Azure Synapse Analytics
In this module, students will learn how to secure a Synapse Analytics workspace and its supporting infrastructure. The student will observe the SQL Active Directory Admin, manage IP firewall rules, manage secrets with Azure Key Vault and access those secrets through a Key Vault-linked service and pipeline activities. The student will understand how to implement column-level security, row-level security, and dynamic data masking when using dedicated SQL pools.
Lab 13: End-to-end security with Azure Synapse Analytics
After completing module 13, students will be able to:
Module 14: Real-time Stream Processing with Stream Analytics
In this module, students will learn how to process streaming data with Azure Stream Analytics. The student will ingest vehicle telemetry data into Event Hubs, then process that data in real-time, using various windowing functions in Azure Stream Analytics. They will output the data to Azure Synapse Analytics. Finally, the student will learn how to scale the Stream Analytics job to increase throughput.
Lab 14: Real-time Stream Processing with Stream Analytics
After completing module 14, students will be able to:
Module 15: Create a Stream Processing Solution with Event Hubs and Azure Databricks
In this module, students will learn how to ingest and process streaming data at scale with Event Hubs and Spark Structured Streaming in Azure Databricks. The student will learn the key features and uses of Structured Streaming. The student will implement sliding windows to aggregate over chunks of data and apply watermarking to remove stale data. Finally, the student will connect to Event Hubs to read and write streams.
Lab 15: Create a Stream Processing Solution with Event Hubs and Azure Databricks
After completing module 15, students will be able to:
Module 16: Build reports using Power BI integration with Azure Synpase Analytics
In this module, the student will learn how to integrate Power BI with their Synapse workspace to build reports in Power BI. The student will create a new data source and Power BI report in Synapse Studio. Then the student will learn how to improve query performance with materialized views and result-set caching. Finally, the student will explore the data lake with serverless SQL pools and create visualizations against that data in Power BI.
Lab 16: Build reports using Power BI integration with Azure Synpase Analytics
After completing module 16, students will be able to:
Module 17: Perform Integrated Machine Learning Processes in Azure Synapse Analytics
This module explores the integrated, end-to-end Azure Machine Learning and Azure Cognitive Services experience in Azure Synapse Analytics. You will learn how to connect an Azure Synapse Analytics workspace to an Azure Machine Learning workspace using a Linked Service and then trigger an Automated ML experiment that uses data from a Spark table. You will also learn how to use trained models from Azure Machine Learning or Azure Cognitive Services to enrich data in a SQL pool table and then serve prediction results using Power BI.
Lab 17: Perform Integrated Machine Learning Processes in Azure Synapse Analytics
After completing module 17, students will be able to:
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