DP-203 Practice Question: Secure, monitor, and optimize data storage and data processing
You have an Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool that is used for reporting. You notice that the tempdb database is growing rapidly and causing queries to fail. Which two actions should you take to mitigate the issue? (Select two.)
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
✓
Reduce the degree of parallelism (MAXDOP) for the workload.
Options C and E are correct. Reducing the degree of parallelism (MAXDOP) limits the number of concurrent operations, reducing tempdb usage. Optimizing queries that perform large sorts or hash joins reduces the demand on tempdb. Option A is incorrect because result-set caching does not affect tempdb usage. Option B is incorrect because increasing DWU may provide more tempdb space but does not address the root cause of excessive tempdb usage. Option D is incorrect because moving tempdb to a separate storage account is not supported in Azure Synapse Analytics.
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 result-set caching to reduce query reruns.
Why it's wrong here
Result-set caching does not impact tempdb usage.
- ✗
Increase the service level (DWU) of the dedicated SQL pool.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing DWU increases tempdb size but does not fix the underlying issue of high tempdb usage.
- ✓
Reduce the degree of parallelism (MAXDOP) for the workload.
Why this is correct
Lowering MAXDOP reduces the number of concurrent operations that can consume tempdb resources.
- ✗
Move tempdb to a separate storage account.
Why it's wrong here
tempdb is managed by the service and cannot be moved.
- ✓
Optimize queries that perform large sorts or hash joins.
Why this is correct
Large sorts and hash joins use tempdb; optimizing them reduces tempdb usage.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 760 original DP-203 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.