Certification Guide

Data Engineering Certifications Compared: AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Databricks and Snowflake, and Which One Fits India

Each data engineering exam's format, length and listed price, taken from the vendor's own page on 15 October 2026, and which one to take first, based on 1,470 Indian data-engineer postings.

By Durgesh Yadav — Senior Data Engineer @ 7-Eleven · Updated 15 Oct 2026. Preparation guidance, not a hiring guarantee.

Which data engineer certification is best for a job in India?

The one for the cloud your target employers run. Across 1,470 Indian data-engineer postings from 23 August to 27 September 2026, Azure was named in 35.7%, AWS in 29.0% and Google Cloud (GCP) in 16.1%, so Microsoft's DP-700 or the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate covers the most postings. Add Databricks (19.1%) or Snowflake (16.5%) when the postings you read name them.

See the Data Engineering cohort Practise SQL and PySpark

Guide

What To Learn And How To Practice

How do the AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Databricks and Snowflake exams compare?

Six exams from five vendors cover the clouds and platforms Indian data-engineer postings name most. All are proctored. AWS, Google Cloud, Databricks and Snowflake list online and test-centre delivery; Microsoft books through Pearson VUE. The table is taken from each vendor's exam page on 15 October 2026. Prices change and some vary by country, so check the vendor page on the day you book.

Data engineering certifications, from each vendor's exam page on 15 October 2026
Vendor	Exam	Format and length	Listed price	Who it suits
AWS	AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01)	65 questions, multiple choice or multiple response; 130 minutes	150 USD; AWS notes extra costs such as foreign exchange	AWS employers; AWS recommends 2-3 years of data engineering
Microsoft	DP-700: Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate	Proctored, may include interactive components; 100 minutes	₹4865 INR in India, $165 USD in the United States	Azure and Microsoft-stack employers; expects SQL, PySpark and KQL
Google Cloud	Professional Data Engineer	40-50 multiple choice and multiple select questions; 2 hours	$200 (plus tax where applicable)	Google Cloud employers; Google recommends 3+ years in industry
Databricks	Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate	45 scored multiple-choice questions; 90 minutes	$200	Spark and lakehouse teams; no prerequisites
Snowflake (Core)	SnowPro Core Certification (COF-C03)	100 multiple-select and multiple-choice questions; 115 minutes	$175 USD; India Registration fee: $140 USD	Anyone in Snowflake; 6 or more months of use suggested
Snowflake (Advanced)	SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer (DEA-C02)	65 multiple-select, multiple-choice and interactive questions; 115 minutes	$375 USD; India Registration fee: $300 USD	Working Snowflake engineers; SnowPro Core required first

What does each data engineering exam actually test?

Each vendor publishes how its exam splits across topics, and that split tells you where to spend study time. Read the exam guide before any course. AWS's DEA-C01 and Snowflake's DEA-C02 are different exams that happen to share a prefix.

AWS DEA-C01: ingestion and transformation (34% of scored content), data store management (26%), operations and support (22%), security and governance (18%); 50 of the 65 questions are scored, and the pass mark is 720 on a scale of 100 to 1,000

Microsoft DP-700: implement and manage an analytics solution, ingest and transform data, and monitor and optimize an analytics solution, each 30 to 35% of the exam

Google Cloud: design data processing systems, ingest and process data, store it, prepare and use it for analysis, and maintain and automate workloads

Databricks: transformation and modeling (22%), ingestion and loading (21%), Lakeflow Jobs (16%), governance and security (15%), CI/CD (10%), troubleshooting and optimization (10%), the platform itself (6%)

SnowPro Core: AI Data Cloud features and architecture (31%), performance, querying and transformation (21%), account management and governance (20%), loading, unloading and connectivity (18%), collaboration (10%); pass mark 750 of 1000

SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer: data movement (28%), transformation (25%), performance optimization (19%), storage and data protection (14%), governance (14%)

Which data engineer certification is best for India?

The exam for the cloud in the postings you are applying to, because that is what the certificate proves to a recruiter. In PrepNPlaced's India Tech Hiring Report, the 1,470 data-engineer postings collected 23 August to 27 September 2026 named Azure in 35.7%, AWS in 29.0% and Google Cloud (GCP) in 16.1%. Databricks was named in 19.1% and Snowflake in 16.5%. One posting can name several, so the shares overlap. Azure leads. Microsoft retired its older Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203) on 31 March 2025, so on the Microsoft side the exam to book now is DP-700 (Fabric Data Engineer Associate). AWS is close behind. Databricks and Snowflake are platform exams, stronger as a second certificate than a first.

Azure services company or GCC: DP-700, then Databricks if postings name Azure Databricks

AWS product company or startup: the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate

Google Cloud employer: Professional Data Engineer

Fresher with no cloud work yet: build one project on a cloud before booking any exam

How much does a data engineer certification cost, and how long does it last?

On 15 October 2026 the listed fees ran from AWS's 150 USD to Snowflake's $375 USD for an Advanced exam. Only Microsoft and Snowflake showed an India-specific figure: ₹4865 INR for DP-700, and India Registration fees of $140 USD for SnowPro Core and $300 USD for SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor page before you pay.

AWS: valid 3 years; once you hold one AWS certification, AWS gives 50% off your next AWS exam

Google Cloud: valid 2 years; renew with the standard exam, a 1-hour renewal exam at $100 (plus tax where applicable), or designated courses

Databricks: valid 2 years; recertify by taking the current exam

Microsoft: expires unless renewed; renewal is an online assessment on Microsoft Learn at no cost

Snowflake: each exam page lists continuing education options for renewal

How do I prepare for a data engineer certification?

Prepare from the exam guide outward, and build something on the platform before you book.

Read five postings from employers you want and note the cloud and platform each names.
Download that exam's guide and list every domain with its weight.
Build one small pipeline on that cloud: land raw files, transform them with SQL or PySpark, and load a table you can query.
Practise SQL and PySpark on PrepNPlaced's Coding Practice, where the PySpark Run button runs your code on a real Spark sandbox.
Use the vendor's practice material: AWS links an Official Practice Exam, Microsoft has a practice assessment and exam sandbox, and Snowflake links a SnowPro practice exam.
Book a date, and spend the final week on the heaviest-weighted domain.
Put the pipeline on your resume as a project, because interviewers ask about what you built.

Related Guides

Keep Preparing

Move between roadmaps, interview questions, and tools without losing your preparation thread.

Data Engineer Skills

The 18 skills Indian data-engineer postings name, with exact shares.

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AWS Data Engineer vs Solutions Architect

DEA-C01 and SAA-C03 compared domain by domain.

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Databricks vs Microsoft Fabric

The platforms behind the Databricks exam and DP-700.

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Databricks Interview Questions

Delta Lake, cluster tuning and the lakehouse round.

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Snowflake Interview Questions

Warehouses, micro-partitions and Time Travel.

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GCP Data Engineer Interview Questions

BigQuery and the Google Cloud data round.

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India Tech Hiring Report 2026

The 1,470 postings behind the cloud and platform shares.

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Data Engineering Cohort (live, weekend)

192 live hours across 8 modules, including AWS, Azure, Databricks and Snowflake, with 3 projects on GitHub.

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Data Careers Hub

Return to the parent resource hub for the full preparation path.

Open hub

FAQ

Common Questions

Is a certification enough to get a data engineer job in India?

No. A certificate tells a recruiter you studied one cloud or platform; the interview still tests SQL, Python or PySpark, and a pipeline you built. Use a certificate to match the cloud a posting names, and a project on GitHub to get through the technical rounds.

Which data engineer certification should a fresher take first?

One cloud exam, after you have built something on that cloud. AWS recommends 2-3 years of data engineering for its associate exam and Google 3+ years for Professional Data Engineer. SnowPro Core suggests 6 or more months of Snowflake use, and Databricks lists no prerequisites.

AWS or Azure: which certification is better for data engineering in India?

Azure was named in 35.7% of 1,470 Indian data-engineer postings and AWS in 29.0%, close enough that your target employers should decide. For Azure, book DP-700, because DP-203 retired on 31 March 2025. For AWS, book the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate.

Do data engineer certifications expire?

Yes. AWS's lasts 3 years, Google Cloud's and Databricks's 2 years, and Microsoft's expires unless you pass its renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn, which costs nothing. Snowflake lists continuing education options for renewal on each exam page.

What changes in DP-700 on 19 October 2026?

Microsoft's DP-700 page says the English version will be updated on 19 October 2026, and the study guide tables the skills measured before and after. The same three skill areas remain, each 30 to 35% of the exam. Sitting it after that date, study from the new list.

Does PrepNPlaced's Data Engineering cohort prepare you for a certification?

It teaches the platforms these exams cover, through projects rather than exam drills: Databricks in Module 2, Snowflake in Module 3, AWS in Module 5 and Azure in Module 6. Its page says it is not for anyone looking for a passive certificate without assignments or project work.

Next Step

Turn The Guide Into Practice

Use PrepNPlaced tools to turn this learning path into resume proof, targeted practice, and interview-ready explanations.

See the Data Engineering cohort