DP-203 Develop data processing Practice Question
You have a production pipeline in Azure Data Factory that copies data from an on-premises SQL Server to Azure Blob Storage using a self-hosted integration runtime. The pipeline fails intermittently with a 'Connection closed' error. The data volume is 50 GB per run. What should you first troubleshoot to resolve this issue?
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
✓
Increase the memory and CPU resources on the self-hosted integration runtime machine and check network stability.
A 'Connection closed' error during large data transfers (50 GB) often occurs due to resource exhaustion or network instability on the self-hosted integration runtime (IR) machine. Insufficient memory or CPU on the IR node or unreliable network connectivity can cause the connection to drop. This is the first thing to troubleshoot. Option B (increasing connection timeout) might help if the error is due to timeouts, but 'Connection closed' typically indicates an abrupt termination, not a timeout. Option C (staged copy) can improve reliability by using Azure Blob as an intermediate store, but it adds complexity and is not the first step. Option D (disabling fault tolerance) would make the pipeline less resilient and is not recommended; fault tolerance helps handle transient errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Increase the memory and CPU resources on the self-hosted integration runtime machine and check network stability.
Why this is correct
The self-hosted IR needs sufficient resources for large data transfers; 'Connection closed' often indicates resource exhaustion or network interruptions.
- ✗
Increase the 'connection timeout' setting in the linked service to 30 minutes.
Why it's wrong here
This addresses only idle connections, not active transfer failures due to resource limitations.
- ✗
Change the copy activity to use staged copy with Azure Blob Storage as an intermediate store.
Why it's wrong here
Staging can help with specific scenarios, but it adds latency and does not address the root cause of connection drops.
- ✗
Disable fault tolerance in the copy activity to improve performance.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling fault tolerance would cause the entire run to fail on any error, making the problem worse.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DP-203 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DP-203 exam.