Question 256 of 760
DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
You are optimizing an Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool. A fact table named Sales is partitioned by date and has a hash-distributed column ProductKey. You notice that queries filtering on OrderDate are performing poorly. You need to improve query performance for date range filters. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse indexing strategies from traditional SQL Server with Synapse dedicated SQL pool limitations, assuming non-clustered indexes are available, or they think partitioning must match the distribution column, when in fact they serve different purposes.
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
✓
Ensure the table is partitioned on the same column used in WHERE clause (OrderDate) and enable partition elimination.
Partitioning the Sales table on OrderDate enables partition elimination, which allows the query optimizer to scan only the relevant partitions when filtering by date ranges. This reduces I/O and improves performance significantly, as the fact table is already hash-distributed on ProductKey, and partitioning on a different column used in WHERE clauses is a best practice in Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pools.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Ensure the table is partitioned on the same column used in WHERE clause (OrderDate) and enable partition elimination.
Why this is correct
Partition elimination reduces the data scanned by skipping partitions not matching the filter.
- ✗
Create a non-clustered index on OrderDate.
Why it's wrong here
Indexes help but are less effective than partition elimination for large date ranges.
- ✗
Add ProductKey as a distribution column alongside the existing hash.
Why it's wrong here
Multiple distribution columns are not supported; distribution is single-column.
- ✗
Change the distribution to round-robin to spread data evenly.
Why it's wrong here
Round-robin distribution does not support partition elimination effectively.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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