AZ-204 Practice Question: Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```json
{
"type": "Microsoft.DataFactory/factories/pipelines",
"properties": {
"activities": [
{
"name": "CopyData",
"type": "Copy",
"inputs": [
{
"referenceName": "BlobInput",
"type": "DatasetReference"
}
],
"outputs": [
{
"referenceName": "SqlOutput",
"type": "DatasetReference"
}
],
"typeProperties": {
"source": {
"type": "BlobSource"
},
"sink": {
"type": "SqlSink"
}
}
}
]
}
}
```Refer to the exhibit. A developer is creating an Azure Data Factory pipeline to copy data from Azure Blob Storage to Azure SQL Database. The pipeline fails with a timeout error when copying large files. Which action should the developer take to resolve the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse increasing throughput (DIU) with increasing timeout, not realizing that the error is caused by a fixed time limit per request, not by insufficient parallelism or compute resources.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the timeout value in the copy activity settings
The copy activity in Azure Data Factory has a default timeout of 7 days, but when copying large files, the activity may fail due to the default timeout for the underlying HTTP request to Blob Storage (which is 7 minutes for a single block). Increasing the timeout value in the copy activity settings allows more time for the entire file transfer to complete, especially for large files that require multiple retries or slower network conditions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Change the source type to DelimitedTextSource
Why it's wrong here
Changing the source type to DelimitedTextSource in an Azure Data Factory copy activity defines how the data is parsed and interpreted, such as specifying delimiters or header rows. This configuration is crucial for correctly reading the data's structure but has no direct impact on the execution time or the timeout limit of the activity itself. A timeout indicates the operation exceeded its allowed duration, not that the data format was misunderstood.
- ✗
Enable Data Integration Units (DIU) to increase throughput
Why it's wrong here
Enabling Data Integration Units (DIU) in Azure Data Factory increases the compute power and parallelism available for data movement activities, thereby boosting throughput and potentially reducing overall execution time for large datasets. However, DIUs primarily optimize for faster completion by distributing the workload, not by extending the maximum allowed duration for an operation. If a specific step within the copy activity, such as establishing a connection or processing a single large file, exceeds the default timeout, increasing DIUs alone will not prevent the timeout error.
- ✓
Increase the timeout value in the copy activity settings
Why this is correct
Increasing the timeout value directly addresses the problem of an activity failing because it exceeds its maximum allowed execution duration. For Azure Data Factory copy activities, this setting dictates how long the activity will attempt to run before being terminated. When dealing with large files, slow source/sink systems, or network latency, extending this timeout provides the necessary window for the entire data transfer operation to complete successfully, preventing premature termination errors.
- ✗
Use a staging copy with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
Why it's wrong here
Using a staging copy with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 involves temporarily storing data in an intermediate location before moving it to the final destination. This technique is often employed to improve performance for specific connectors (like Azure Synapse Analytics), enable certain data transformations, or handle specific file formats. While staging can optimize certain aspects of data movement, it does not directly address or extend the timeout limit configured for the copy activity itself, which governs the maximum allowed duration for the entire operation.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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