DP-900 Practice Test 25 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are designing a solution to store large binary files (videos) for a media company. The solution must support tiered storage to optimize costs based on access frequency. Which Azure storage option should you use?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Azure Blob Storage. Azure Blob Storage offers tiered storage (Hot, Cool, Archive) ideal for optimizing costs based on access frequency. Option A is incorrect because Azure Cosmos DB is a NoSQL database service, not designed for storing large binary files with tiered storage. Option B is incorrect because Azure Files provides fully managed file shares in the cloud, but does not support access tiers for cost optimization like Blob Storage does. Option D is incorrect because Azure Disk Storage provides block-level storage volumes for Azure VMs, not suitable for object storage with tiering.

Answer

Azure Cosmos DB

Answer

Azure Files

Answer

Azure Disk Storage

Question 2

You are storing log files from multiple applications in Azure Blob Storage. Each log file is a text file with timestamp data. You need to query logs for a specific date range using SQL. Which Azure service can query these files directly?

Accepted Answer

Azure Synapse Serverless SQL. Azure Synapse Serverless SQL can query text files in Azure Blob Storage using OPENROWSET with the CSV or text file format, allowing SQL queries over log files. Option A (Azure Stream Analytics) is for real-time streaming, not ad-hoc SQL batch queries. Option B (Azure Data Lake Storage) is a storage service, not a query engine. Option D (Azure Analysis Services) is for semantic models and OLAP, not direct file querying.

Answer

Azure Stream Analytics

Answer

Azure Data Lake Storage

Answer

Azure Analysis Services

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. You have a CSV file stored in Azure Blob Storage. You want to query this file using Azure Synapse Serverless SQL. Which OPENROWSET option should you use?

Accepted Answer

FORMAT = 'CSV'. FORMAT = 'CSV'. In Azure Synapse Serverless SQL, the OPENROWSET function with BULK option allows querying files directly. When a CSV file is stored in Azure Blob Storage, you must specify FORMAT = 'CSV' to indicate the file format. Option A (FORMAT = 'JSON') is for JSON files, Option B (FORMAT = 'PARQUET') is for Parquet files, and Option D (FORMAT = 'DELTA') is for Delta Lake tables. Therefore, only FORMAT = 'CSV' correctly handles the CSV file.

Answer

FORMAT = 'JSON'

Answer

FORMAT = 'PARQUET'

Answer

FORMAT = 'DELTA'

Question 4

A company uses the above ARM template snippet to deploy an Azure SQL Database. The deployment fails with an error about invalid SKU. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The capacity value must be a multiple of 4. The deployment would not fail because of a capacity multiple requirement. 'GP_Gen5_2' is a valid vCore SKU for the GeneralPurpose tier with 2 vCores, and Azure SQL Database supports 2 vCores in the GeneralPurpose tier. Therefore none of the listed options is correct; the question is invalid as written.

Answer

The SKU name 'GP_Gen5_2' is not valid for the 'GeneralPurpose' tier

Answer

The 'tier' property should be 'Standard' instead of 'GeneralPurpose'

Answer

The location 'eastus' does not support GeneralPurpose tier

Question 5

Which THREE of the following are features of Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2?

Accepted Answer

Integration with Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID). Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) combines Blob Storage with a hierarchical namespace, enabling high-performance analytics. Option A is correct: it integrates with Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID) for fine-grained access control. Option C is correct: it supports POSIX-compliant access control lists (ACLs) for Unix-like permissions. Option D is correct: it allows atomic rename of directories, which is efficient for big data workloads. Option B is wrong: Geo-redundant storage (GRS) is a replication option available for storage accounts, but it is not a feature specific to ADLS Gen2. Option E is wrong: fixed-size block storage is a characteristic of Azure Blob Storage, not ADLS Gen2, which uses a hierarchical namespace with variable-size files.

Answer

Geo-redundant storage (GRS)

Answer

Fixed-size block storage

Question 6

A company is designing a solution to store time-series data from millions of IoT devices. Which TWO Azure services are most suitable for this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Azure Data Explorer. Azure Data Explorer (option A) is optimized for time-series analytics and ingesting high volumes of data from IoT devices. Azure Cosmos DB (option C) provides a flexible schema and low latency suitable for time-series data storage. Azure Blob Storage (option B) is for unstructured blob data, not optimized for time-series queries. Azure Redis Cache (option D) is a caching layer, not a primary storage solution. Azure SQL Database (option E) is relational and less efficient for high-velocity time-series data.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage

Answer

Azure Redis Cache

Answer

Azure SQL Database

Question 7

A company uses Azure Cosmos DB with the SQL API. They need to implement a data partitioning strategy to optimize query performance and avoid hot partitions. Which THREE practices should they follow?

Accepted Answer

Use a synthetic partition key if natural keys are not suitable. To optimize query performance and avoid hot partitions in Azure Cosmos DB SQL API, the best practices are:
- Use a synthetic partition key if natural keys are not suitable (B) – this allows combining multiple properties or appending a suffix to achieve better distribution when natural keys have low cardinality or cause skew.
- Avoid monotonically increasing partition key values (C) – such as timestamps or sequential IDs cause writes to concentrate on a single partition, creating a hot partition.
- Choose a partition key with high cardinality (E) – high cardinality ensures the data is spread evenly across partitions, reducing the chance of throttling and improving query performance.

Option A (using the same partition key for all items) is incorrect because it would put all data in one partition, defeating the purpose of partitioning. Option D (keeping partition key values as small as possible) is not a primary consideration; the size of the partition key value has minimal impact compared to cardinality and distribution.

Answer

Use the same partition key for all items

Answer

Keep partition key values as small as possible

Question 8

A logistics company stores shipping waybill data as JSON documents. Each document contains fields like 'shipmentId', 'destination', and 'items', but the number of items and the fields within each item can vary between shipments. Which category best describes this type of data?

Accepted Answer

Semi-structured data. JSON documents with varying fields and nested structures like 'items' that differ between shipments are a classic example of semi-structured data. Unlike structured data with a fixed schema, semi-structured data uses tags or markers (like JSON key-value pairs) to separate data elements, allowing for flexibility in the number and type of fields per record. This aligns with the DP-900 definition of semi-structured data, which includes formats such as JSON, XML, and Parquet.

Answer

Operational data

Answer

Unstructured data

Answer

Structured data

Question 9

A social media application stores user profiles as JSON documents. Each user profile can have different attributes (e.g., some have 'education', others have 'work experience'). The application needs to query profiles by any attribute with low latency. Which Azure data store is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB (SQL API). Azure Cosmos DB with the SQL API is the correct choice because it natively supports schema-agnostic JSON documents, allowing each user profile to have varying attributes without requiring a fixed schema. Its indexing policies enable low-latency queries on any attribute, and it provides single-digit millisecond response times for point reads and queries, which is essential for a social media application.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage

Answer

Azure Table Storage

Answer

Azure SQL Database

Question 10

A social media startup needs to store user sessions as key-value pairs. Each session has a unique session ID, and the data needs to be globally distributed across multiple Azure regions to support low-latency reads for users worldwide. The development team expects heavy write throughput and needs flexible schema. Which Azure data store should they choose?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB. Azure Cosmos DB is the correct choice because it provides globally distributed, multi-region writes and reads with turnkey global distribution, supports flexible schema via its document model, and offers multiple consistency levels to balance performance and data integrity. It is designed for high-throughput, low-latency workloads like user sessions, with session IDs serving as natural partition keys for efficient key-value lookups.

Answer

Azure Table Storage

Answer

Azure Blob Storage

Answer

Azure Cache for Redis

Question 11

A company is migrating a 1.5 TB on-premises SQL Server database to Azure. The database relies on SQL Server Agent jobs for daily ETL processes and uses linked servers to query data from another on-premises SQL Server database. The company wants a fully managed PaaS service that requires minimal application changes. Which Azure SQL service should they choose?

Accepted Answer

Azure SQL Managed Instance. Azure SQL Managed Instance is the correct choice because it provides near 100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server, including support for SQL Server Agent jobs and linked servers, while being a fully managed PaaS service. This minimizes application changes, as the migration can leverage the existing database code and features without significant rework.

Answer

Azure SQL Database

Answer

SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines

Answer

Azure Synapse Analytics

Question 12

A healthcare application stores patient medical records as JSON documents. Each document contains a variable set of fields depending on the patient's conditions. The application needs to query records by any field and support high write throughput. Which Azure data store is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB with SQL API. Azure Cosmos DB with SQL API is the most appropriate choice because it natively supports storing and querying JSON documents with variable schemas, enabling efficient queries on any field. Its multi-model architecture and configurable indexing policies allow high write throughput while maintaining low-latency queries, which is critical for healthcare applications with dynamic patient records.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage

Answer

Azure Synapse Analytics

Answer

Azure Table Storage

Question 13

A company is migrating an on-premises SQL Server database to Azure. The database is 800 GB, uses SQL Server Agent jobs for scheduled tasks, and needs to link to another on-premises SQL Server instance via linked servers. The company wants a fully managed service with minimal application changes. Which Azure SQL service should they choose?

Accepted Answer

Azure SQL Managed Instance. Azure SQL Managed Instance is correct because it provides near 100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server, including support for SQL Server Agent jobs and linked servers, while being a fully managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering. This allows the company to migrate the 800 GB database with minimal application changes, as it preserves the existing instance-level features without requiring a rearchitecture.

Answer

Azure SQL Database elastic pool

Answer

Azure SQL Database single database

Answer

Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool

Question 14

A company is migrating a 500 GB on-premises SQL Server database to Azure. The database uses SQL Server Agent for scheduled maintenance jobs and requires the ability to run cross-database queries within the same logical server. The company wants a PaaS service that minimizes management overhead for patching and backups while preserving these SQL Server features. Which Azure SQL service should they choose?

Accepted Answer

Azure SQL Managed Instance. Azure SQL Managed Instance is the correct choice because it provides near 100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server, including SQL Server Agent and cross-database queries within the same instance. As a PaaS service, it handles patching and backups automatically, minimizing management overhead while preserving these required features.

Answer

Azure SQL Database

Answer

SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine

Answer

Azure Database for MySQL

Question 15

A medical imaging company stores high-resolution MRI scans in Azure Blob Storage. The scans are accessed frequently for the first 6 months after being generated, then rarely after that, but must be available immediately when accessed for comparisons. The company wants to minimize storage costs. Which Azure Blob Storage access tier should they use for scans older than 6 months?

Accepted Answer

Cool access tier. The Cool access tier is ideal for data that is infrequently accessed but must be available immediately when needed. It offers lower storage costs than the Hot tier while maintaining low-latency retrieval, matching the requirement for scans older than 6 months that are rarely accessed but require instant availability.

Answer

Hot access tier

Answer

Archive access tier

Answer

Premium access tier