Question 703 of 760
DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
You are using Azure Synapse Analytics serverless SQL pool to query Parquet files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. The query returns fewer rows than expected. What should you check first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often jump to schema or permission issues first, but the most frequent cause of missing rows in serverless SQL pool queries is an overly restrictive file path or pattern in the OPENROWSET query.
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 the file path and pattern in the OPENROWSET query.
When using OPENROWSET in Azure Synapse serverless SQL pool to query Parquet files, the most common reason for fewer rows than expected is an incorrect file path or pattern. If the path or pattern is too restrictive (e.g., missing a wildcard or pointing to a subfolder instead of the root), the query will only read a subset of the files, resulting in fewer rows. This is the first thing to verify before investigating schema or permissions issues.
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 external table has the correct schema definition.
Why it's wrong here
Serverless SQL can infer schema from Parquet files.
- ✗
Check that the Azure AD identity has read permissions on the storage account.
Why it's wrong here
Permission issues cause errors, not silent missing rows.
- ✗
Check the compression codec used in the Parquet files.
Why it's wrong here
Compression does not affect row counts.
- ✓
Verify the file path and pattern in the OPENROWSET query.
Why this is correct
Incorrect file path or pattern can cause missing files or partitions.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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