- A
The storage account is configured with geo-redundant storage (GRS) and data is being replicated to the secondary region.
Why wrong: ADLS Gen2 does not support GRS; replication is managed at the storage account level and would not cause ingress spikes without corresponding egress.
- B
A Spark job is reading large amounts of data in parallel.
Why wrong: Reading data increases egress, not ingress.
- C
An Azure Data Factory pipeline is writing intermediate results to the storage account.
Writes increase ingress, and if the pipeline is using staging or intermediate storage, it may not log each write as a separate storage event.
- D
An Azure Function is triggered by blob creation events and writes logs to the same account.
Why wrong: Blob creation events would appear in audit logs, contradicting the observation.
Quick Answer
The answer is an Azure Data Factory pipeline writing intermediate results to the storage account. This is the most likely cause of an ingress spike in ADLS Gen2 because Data Factory often stages temporary data during transformations, writing large volumes of intermediate files into the account without triggering blob-level events like BlobCreated, which explains the absence of new storage events in the audit log. Meanwhile, egress remains stable since these intermediate results are not being read externally until the pipeline completes. On the Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Associate DP-203 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Azure Data Factory interacts with storage metrics versus audit logs—a common trap is assuming all writes generate events, but Data Factory’s internal operations often bypass event grid notifications. For a memory tip, think “Data Factory writes are silent writers”: they spike ingress without audit events, unlike user uploads or application writes that log BlobCreated.
DP-203 Practice Question: Monitor and optimize data storage and processing
This DP-203 practice question tests your understanding of monitor and optimize data storage and processing. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are monitoring an Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 account using Metrics and Audit logs. You notice that the 'Ingress' metric shows a sudden spike but the 'Egress' metric remains stable. There are no new storage events in the audit log. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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
An Azure Data Factory pipeline is writing intermediate results to the storage account.
Option C is correct because an Azure Data Factory pipeline writing intermediate results to the storage account would cause a spike in 'Ingress' (data written into the account) without a corresponding increase in 'Egress' (data read from the account). The absence of new storage events in the audit log suggests the writes are not triggering blob-level events (e.g., BlobCreated events), which is consistent with Data Factory writing intermediate files using the Azure Blob Storage REST API or SDK without enabling event grid notifications for those specific operations.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The storage account is configured with geo-redundant storage (GRS) and data is being replicated to the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
ADLS Gen2 does not support GRS; replication is managed at the storage account level and would not cause ingress spikes without corresponding egress.
- ✗
A Spark job is reading large amounts of data in parallel.
Why it's wrong here
Reading data increases egress, not ingress.
- ✓
An Azure Data Factory pipeline is writing intermediate results to the storage account.
Why this is correct
Writes increase ingress, and if the pipeline is using staging or intermediate storage, it may not log each write as a separate storage event.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
An Azure Function is triggered by blob creation events and writes logs to the same account.
Why it's wrong here
Blob creation events would appear in audit logs, contradicting the observation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'Ingress' with 'Egress' or assume any write operation must generate a storage event, but Azure Storage events are opt-in and not all write operations (e.g., Data Factory intermediate writes) are configured to emit them.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure Storage metrics capture 'Ingress' as the number of bytes written to the account via REST API calls (e.g., PutBlob, AppendBlock), while 'Egress' tracks bytes read (e.g., GetBlob). Data Factory's Copy activity often writes intermediate staging or temporary files using the Azure Blob Storage SDK with the x-ms-version header, which may not generate BlobCreated events unless explicitly configured with an event subscription. In real-world scenarios, this pattern is common when using PolyBase or COPY INTO statements that write staging data without triggering downstream event-driven pipelines.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Monitor and optimize data storage and processing — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-203 question test?
Monitor and optimize data storage and processing — This question tests Monitor and optimize data storage and processing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An Azure Data Factory pipeline is writing intermediate results to the storage account. — Option C is correct because an Azure Data Factory pipeline writing intermediate results to the storage account would cause a spike in 'Ingress' (data written into the account) without a corresponding increase in 'Egress' (data read from the account). The absence of new storage events in the audit log suggests the writes are not triggering blob-level events (e.g., BlobCreated events), which is consistent with Data Factory writing intermediate files using the Azure Blob Storage REST API or SDK without enabling event grid notifications for those specific operations.
What should I do if I get this DP-203 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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