DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
You are designing a data pipeline in Azure Data Factory (ADF) that copies data from an on-premises SQL Server database to Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool. The pipeline must run daily and handle incremental loads efficiently. Which sink dataset type and copy method should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the built-in Upsert option works for all Azure SQL targets, but it is not supported for Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool, requiring a custom staging-and-merge pattern 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
✓
Use Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool as the sink dataset and use Stored Procedure with staging table and PolyBase.
It uses a staging table and PolyBase to efficiently load incremental data into Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool. PolyBase provides high-throughput parallel loading, and the stored procedure handles the merge logic (upsert) to manage incremental changes. This approach is recommended for large-scale, daily incremental loads to Synapse.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool as the sink dataset and use the Copy activity with PolyBase enabled.
Why it's wrong here
PolyBase alone does not handle incremental upserts; a stored procedure with merge logic is needed.
- ✗
Use Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool as the sink dataset and enable the built-in Upsert option.
Why it's wrong here
The built-in Upsert option is not available for dedicated SQL pool in ADF copy activity.
- ✗
Use Azure Blob Storage as the sink dataset, then use PolyBase to load into the dedicated SQL pool.
Why it's wrong here
This adds an unnecessary intermediate step and does not provide built-in incremental loading.
- ✓
Use Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool as the sink dataset and use Stored Procedure with staging table and PolyBase.
Why this is correct
This combination enables high-throughput ingestion and supports incremental loading via merge logic in the stored procedure.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Azure Data Engineering
Key term
Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service that lets you create, schedule, and orchestrate data pipelines to move and transform data from various sources to destinations.
Key term
Azure Synapse Analytics
Azure Synapse Analytics is a cloud-based data integration, warehousing, and analytics service that brings together big data and data warehouse capabilities under one platform.
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