Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
DP-203 Practice Question: Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing
A company uses Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool. They notice that queries against a large fact table are slow. They have already created statistics on all columns used in WHERE clauses and JOIN predicates. What should they do next to improve query performance?
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
✓
Partition the table on a frequently filtered column.
Partitioning on a frequently filtered column enables partition elimination, reducing the amount of data scanned and improving query performance. Option A (result-set caching) caches query results for repeated queries, but this question is about slow queries on a large fact table, not repeated queries. Option B (increasing DWU) might improve performance by providing more resources, but it is a more costly approach and not the best first step; partitioning is a better design optimization. Option C (creating additional statistics on all columns) is unnecessary because they already have statistics on columns used in WHERE and JOIN; statistics on all columns would waste resources and not help.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable result-set caching.
Why it's wrong here
Result-set caching helps with repeated queries, not for improving the first execution.
- ✗
Increase the DWU setting for the dedicated SQL pool.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing DWU may improve performance but is a costlier option and not the first step.
- ✗
Create additional statistics on all columns.
Why it's wrong here
Statistics already exist on relevant columns; more statistics will not significantly help.
- ✓
Partition the table on a frequently filtered column.
Why this is correct
Partitioning enables partition elimination, reducing the amount of data scanned.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DP-203 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DP-203 exam.