Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
DP-203 Practice Question: Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing
You have an Azure Data Factory pipeline that copies data from an on-premises SQL Server to Azure Blob Storage. The pipeline runs successfully but you notice that the data transfer is taking longer than expected. You need to improve the transfer performance without increasing the cost significantly. Which configuration change should you make?
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
✓
Enable staged copy with an Azure Blob Storage staging location.
Enabling staged copy with an Azure Blob Storage staging location improves performance by allowing parallel uploads and retries. Option B is wrong because PolyBase is used for loading data into Azure Synapse Analytics or SQL Data Warehouse, not Blob Storage. Option C is wrong because increasing concurrent connections on SQL Server may not address the bottleneck and could impact source performance. Option D is wrong because increasing Data Integration Units (DIU) would increase cost without necessarily improving performance if the bottleneck is elsewhere (e.g., network or source).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable staged copy with an Azure Blob Storage staging location.
Why this is correct
Enabling staged copy with an Azure Blob Storage staging location allows data to be buffered, enabling parallel uploads and retries, which improves transfer performance.
- ✗
Use PolyBase to load the data into Blob Storage.
Why it's wrong here
PolyBase is designed for loading data into Azure Synapse Analytics or SQL Data Warehouse, not for copying data to Blob Storage.
- ✗
Increase the number of concurrent connections on the SQL Server.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing concurrent connections on the SQL Server might not resolve the bottleneck and could affect source system performance.
- ✗
Increase the Data Integration Units (DIU) for the copy activity.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing Data Integration Units (DIU) would increase cost, and the performance gain may be limited if the bottleneck is not compute-related.
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 |
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DP-203 question from scratch — 760 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.