DP-203 Design and implement data storage Practice Question
A data engineering team uses Azure Data Factory to load data from Azure SQL Database to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. They notice that the pipeline runs fail intermittently due to transient errors. They need to implement a retry policy with exponential backoff. What is the most efficient way to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overcomplicate the solution by choosing a custom loop or validation activity, overlooking that Azure Data Factory's native 'Retry' property with exponential backoff is the simplest and most efficient built-in mechanism for handling transient errors.
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
✓
Configure the 'Retry' property on the copy activity with a count and exponential backoff interval
Azure Data Factory natively supports configuring a 'Retry' property on activities, including Copy activities, with an exponential backoff interval. This built-in mechanism automatically retries the activity upon transient failures without requiring custom logic, making it the most efficient and maintainable approach for handling intermittent errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a 'Validation' activity before the copy to check source availability
Why it's wrong here
Does not handle transient errors during copy.
- ✗
Create a custom .NET activity to handle retries
Why it's wrong here
Overly complex; built-in retry is sufficient.
- ✗
Add a 'Until' loop with a wait activity in the pipeline
Why it's wrong here
Possible but less efficient than built-in retry.
- ✓
Configure the 'Retry' property on the copy activity with a count and exponential backoff interval
Why this is correct
Built-in retry with exponential backoff.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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