DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are valid ways to authenticate to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 from Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume storage account keys (Option A) are universally supported across all Azure Synapse components, but serverless SQL pool explicitly does not support key-based authentication, requiring token-based methods instead.
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
✓
Managed identity of the Synapse workspace
Managed identity of the Synapse workspace (Option B) is correct because Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool can use the workspace's system-assigned managed identity to authenticate to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 without storing any credentials. This is enabled by granting the managed identity the appropriate RBAC role (e.g., Storage Blob Data Contributor) on the storage account, and then using the `IDENTITY='Managed Identity'` parameter in the `OPENROWSET` or `CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT` statements. It provides a secure, credential-free authentication method that is fully supported by serverless 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.
- ✗
Storage account key
Why it's wrong here
Serverless SQL pool does not support storage account key authentication.
- ✓
Managed identity of the Synapse workspace
Why this is correct
Serverless SQL pool can use the workspace's managed identity to access storage.
- ✗
Service principal with certificate
Why it's wrong here
Service principal authentication is not directly supported in serverless SQL pool; it is used in Spark.
- ✓
Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) pass-through authentication
Why this is correct
Serverless SQL pool supports pass-through authentication using the caller's Microsoft Entra identity.
- ✓
Shared access signature (SAS) token
Why this is correct
SAS token authentication is supported for serverless SQL pool via external data sources.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
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