DP-900 Practice Question: Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure
A company is designing a solution using Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. They need to store large volumes of data and access it using both blob APIs and file system semantics. Which two features are supported by Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 with a POSIX-compliant file system or assuming it includes a SQL query engine, when it is primarily a storage service with hierarchical namespace and Blob API compatibility.
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
✓
Blob API compatibility
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 supports hierarchical namespace, which enables file system semantics like directories and atomic operations, and it also supports Blob API compatibility, allowing applications using Blob APIs to work seamlessly. These two features make it suitable for big data analytics while maintaining compatibility with existing Blob Storage tools.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Blob API compatibility
Why this is correct
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 is built on top of Azure Blob Storage and supports the Blob API. This means applications that use Blob APIs can work with Data Lake Storage Gen2 without modification, providing compatibility and allowing you to use existing tools and SDKs that target Blob Storage.
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Native NFS v3 support
Why it's wrong here
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 does not natively support NFS v3. While Azure Blob Storage supports NFS v3 for block blobs in certain configurations, Data Lake Storage Gen2 with hierarchical namespace does not support NFS v3. It is primarily accessed via Blob APIs, ABFS, and REST APIs.
- ✗
Built-in support for SQL queries
Why it's wrong here
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 does not have a built-in SQL query engine. It is a storage service, not a query service. To run SQL queries on data stored in Data Lake Storage Gen2, you need to use separate services like Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, or Azure Data Lake Analytics.
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Hierarchical namespace
Why this is correct
Hierarchical namespace is a key feature of Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. It enables file system semantics such as directories and atomic operations, which improves performance for big data analytics workloads. It allows you to organize data in a hierarchical structure and perform operations like rename and delete on directories efficiently.
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POSIX-compliant file system
Why it's wrong here
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 is not a POSIX-compliant file system. While it provides hierarchical namespace and file system semantics, it does not support POSIX permissions or operations like hard links. It is designed for big data analytics and uses Azure RBAC and ACLs for access control, not POSIX permissions.
Go deeper
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Key term
Blob storage
Blob storage is a cloud service for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data, like documents, images, and videos.
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
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Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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