DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
CREATE EXTERNAL DATA SOURCE myDataSource
WITH (
LOCATION = 'https://mystorageaccount.dfs.core.windows.net/mycontainer'
);
CREATE EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT myFileFormat
WITH (
FORMAT_TYPE = PARQUET,
DATA_COMPRESSION = 'org.apache.hadoop.io.compress.SnappyCodec'
);
CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE dbo.Sales (
SaleID int,
ProductName varchar(100),
SaleDate date,
Amount decimal(10,2)
)
WITH (
LOCATION = 'sales/',
DATA_SOURCE = myDataSource,
FILE_FORMAT = myFileFormat
);Refer to the exhibit. You have created an external table in Azure Synapse Analytics serverless SQL pool to query Parquet files stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. When you query the external table, you get an error that the external table is not accessible. What should you check first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'external table not accessible' with file path or format issues, but the error message specifically points to a permissions/authorization problem, not a configuration or syntax error.
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
✓
Verify that the serverless SQL pool has been granted the 'Storage Blob Data Reader' role on the storage account.
The error 'external table is not accessible' in Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool typically indicates an authorization failure when the SQL pool attempts to read the underlying Parquet files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. Serverless SQL pool uses its own service identity to access storage, and it must be granted the 'Storage Blob Data Reader' role on the storage account at the storage account scope to have read permissions. Without this role assignment, the SQL pool cannot authenticate to the storage, resulting in the access error.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check that the external table's LOCATION path is relative to the container and does not start with a slash.
Why it's wrong here
The LOCATION path 'sales/' is correct as a relative path.
- ✓
Verify that the serverless SQL pool has been granted the 'Storage Blob Data Reader' role on the storage account.
Why this is correct
The serverless SQL pool needs read permissions on the storage account to access the data.
- ✗
Ensure that the external file format is correctly referencing the Parquet format.
Why it's wrong here
The file format definition is correct.
- ✗
Confirm that the Snappy compression codec is supported by the serverless SQL pool.
Why it's wrong here
Snappy is supported for Parquet files.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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