DP-203 Design and implement data storage Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. CREATE EXTERNAL DATA SOURCE myDataSource WITH ( LOCATION = 'abfss://container@storageaccount.dfs.core.windows.net', CREDENTIAL = myCredential ); CREATE EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT myFileFormat WITH ( FORMAT_TYPE = PARQUET, DATA_COMPRESSION = 'org.apache.hadoop.io.compress.SnappyCodec' ); CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE myExternalTable ( ProductID int, ProductName varchar(100), Price decimal(10,2) ) WITH ( LOCATION = 'sales/products/', DATA_SOURCE = myDataSource, FILE_FORMAT = myFileFormat );
You execute the above T-SQL in a serverless SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics. The external table creation succeeds, but when you query the table, it returns zero rows. The folder 'sales/products/' exists in the container and contains multiple .parquet files. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume the LOCATION must include the full container path, but it is relative to the external data source's root, so a mismatch in the relative subfolder (e.g., missing a slash or using an absolute path) leads to zero rows without an error.
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
✓
The LOCATION path in the external table does not match the actual file path.
The external table's LOCATION parameter specifies a path relative to the external data source's root. Even though the folder 'sales/products/' exists, the LOCATION must exactly match the subfolder path within the container. A mismatch (e.g., missing a trailing slash, case sensitivity, or an extra prefix) causes the serverless SQL pool to scan no files, returning zero rows.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The file format is incorrect; should be DELIMITEDTEXT instead of PARQUET.
Why it's wrong here
The files are parquet, so format is correct.
- ✓
The LOCATION path in the external table does not match the actual file path.
Why this is correct
If the files are in a subfolder or the path is incorrect, no files are read.
- ✗
The external data source location uses the wrong endpoint; should use .blob.core.windows.net instead.
Why it's wrong here
abfss is correct for Data Lake Storage Gen2.
- ✗
The credential used in the external data source does not have read permissions.
Why it's wrong here
Permission issues would cause an error, not zero rows.
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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