What Microsoft DBA certificate should I acquire? I am  thinking about getting Microsoft DBA certification, but trying to find out which exactly certificate should I study for gets a little confusing.
My company uses on premises SQL Server 2017 but seems like Azure Database becomes pretty popular. So is on premises going away?
Is &quot;MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration&quot; would be the one I need?
If I get &quot;MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration&quot; will I be able to administer Azure DB? How different is that?
Thank you
The MCSA certifications are being retired very soon.

This certification retires on January 31, 2021. You will no longer be able to earn this certification after this date.

I would not recommend starting to pursue any of them right now.
The &quot;replacement&quot; exam is Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate.
Notice that the exam related to this cert covers on prem and cloud based offerings:

Candidates for this exam are database administrators and data management specialists that manage on-premises and cloud relational databases built on top of Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Azure data services.


Acquiring Microsoft certifications won't give you the same benefits as practical experience.  However, they can be useful for exposing you to the breadth of features and offerings available as part of the Microsoft Data Platform.  And once you're aware of these things, you can dig into the ones that are most valuable to you and your current / potential employers.
There are other valid reasons for pursuing certifications as well: for example, if your employer is trying to maintain or upgrade their Microsoft Partner status