DP-203 Design and implement data storage Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are best practices for designing tables in a dedicated SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often assume clustered columnstore indexes are unsuitable for large tables due to memory constraints, but they are actually the default and recommended index type for fact tables in Synapse dedicated SQL pools.
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
✓
Avoid data skew by choosing a good distribution key.
A good distribution key minimizes data skew, ensuring that data is evenly distributed across all distributions. This prevents performance bottlenecks where some distributions handle a disproportionate amount of data or queries, which is critical for parallel processing in a dedicated SQL pool.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Avoid using clustered columnstore indexes on large tables.
Why it's wrong here
Clustered columnstore indexes are recommended for large tables.
- ✓
Avoid data skew by choosing a good distribution key.
Why this is correct
Data skew can degrade performance.
- ✗
Use round-robin distribution for all large fact tables.
Why it's wrong here
Round-robin is for staging tables, not for large fact tables.
- ✓
Use replicated tables for small dimension tables (less than 1 GB).
Why this is correct
Replicated tables eliminate data movement for joins.
- ✓
Use hash distribution on a column with high cardinality for large fact tables.
Why this is correct
Hash distribution on high-cardinality columns ensures even distribution.
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