This DP-203 practice question tests your understanding of develop data processing. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Refer to the exhibit. You created an external table in Azure Synapse Analytics serverless SQL pool to query Parquet files. Queries return no rows even though the files exist. What is the most likely issue?
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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The LOCATION path in the external table is relative to the data source, but the data source points to the wrong container or folder
The most likely issue is that the LOCATION path in the external table is relative to the data source. In the exhibit, the external data source points to the root container 'sales', and the external table LOCATION is 'parquet/sales/'. The combined path becomes 'sales/parquet/sales/', which is likely incorrect. The correct data source should point to the container containing the 'parquet' folder, or the LOCATION should be adjusted. Option A is incorrect because CREDENTIAL is already defined. Option B is incorrect because FILE_FORMAT is specified and valid for Parquet. Option C is incorrect because DATA_COMPRESSION is supported for Parquet.
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 CREDENTIAL is missing
Why it's wrong here
Credential is defined.
✗
The FILE_FORMAT is incorrectly specified
Why it's wrong here
It is correct.
✗
The DATA_COMPRESSION is not supported for Parquet
Why it's wrong here
Snappy compression is supported.
✓
The LOCATION path in the external table is relative to the data source, but the data source points to the wrong container or folder
Why this is correct
The data source points to 'sales' container, table location adds 'parquet/sales', likely the files are not there.
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
Model
You Manage
Provider Manages
Examples
IaaS
OS, runtime, apps, data
Hardware, hypervisor, networking
EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine
PaaS
Apps and data
OS, runtime, middleware, hardware
Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service
SaaS
Data and settings only
Everything else
Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday
FaaS / Serverless
Function code only
Infra, scaling, runtime
Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run
CaaS
Containers and apps
Kubernetes, OS, hardware
EKS, AKS, GKE
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-203 question in full detail.
Identify which DP-203 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Develop data processing — This question tests Develop data processing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The LOCATION path in the external table is relative to the data source, but the data source points to the wrong container or folder — The most likely issue is that the LOCATION path in the external table is relative to the data source. In the exhibit, the external data source points to the root container 'sales', and the external table LOCATION is 'parquet/sales/'. The combined path becomes 'sales/parquet/sales/', which is likely incorrect. The correct data source should point to the container containing the 'parquet' folder, or the LOCATION should be adjusted. Option A is incorrect because CREDENTIAL is already defined. Option B is incorrect because FILE_FORMAT is specified and valid for Parquet. Option C is incorrect because DATA_COMPRESSION is supported for Parquet.
What should I do if I get this DP-203 question wrong?
Identify which DP-203 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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Question Discussion
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