DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
Exhibit
{
"name": "List all external tables in a serverless SQL pool",
"query": "SELECT name, location FROM sys.external_tables WHERE type = 'HADOOP'"
}Refer to the exhibit. You are querying the sys.external_tables view in an Azure Synapse Analytics serverless SQL pool. The query returns no rows, but you believe that external tables have been created. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume any external data access creates a catalog entry, but the exam tests the specific difference between DDL-based external tables and ad-hoc OPENROWSET queries in serverless SQL pool.
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
✓
The external tables were created using OPENROWSET, not CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE, so they do not appear in sys.external_tables.
The user believes external tables have been created, but if they were created using CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE, they would appear in sys.external_tables. Since no rows are returned, it indicates that the external tables were not created via CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE; instead, the user likely used OPENROWSET to query data directly, which does not create a catalog entry. Therefore, the correct answer is C.
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 external tables are using PolyBase, which is not supported in serverless SQL pool.
Why it's wrong here
PolyBase is not required for external tables in serverless SQL pool.
- ✗
Serverless SQL pool does not support external tables; you must use a dedicated SQL pool.
Why it's wrong here
Serverless SQL pool does support external tables.
- ✓
The external tables were created using OPENROWSET, not CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE, so they do not appear in sys.external_tables.
Why this is correct
OPENROWSET queries do not create external table metadata; they are ad-hoc queries.
- ✗
The user does not have permission to view the sys.external_tables view.
Why it's wrong here
Permission issues would typically result in an error, not an empty result set.
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 |
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