DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company stores IoT sensor data in Azure Blob Storage. Data scientists need to query the data using SQL without moving it to another store. Which Azure service should they use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool allows you to query data directly from Azure Blob Storage using T-SQL without moving or copying the data. It uses a distributed query engine that reads files (Parquet, CSV, JSON) in place, making it ideal for ad-hoc analytics over IoT sensor data stored in Blob Storage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Why this is correct
Serverless SQL pool can query data in Blob Storage using SQL without moving it.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Analysis Services
Why it's wrong here
Azure Analysis Services models data for OLAP, not direct SQL queries on Blob Storage.
✗
Azure Data Lake Storage
Why it's wrong here
Azure Data Lake Storage is a storage layer, not a query engine.
✗
Azure SQL Database
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Database requires data to be loaded into tables, not queried in place.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Azure Data Lake Storage (a storage layer) with a query service, or assume Azure SQL Database can query external files directly, when in fact only Synapse Serverless SQL pool (or PolyBase in dedicated SQL pool) provides native SQL-on-file capabilities for Blob Storage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool uses a distributed query processing engine that partitions the workload across compute nodes, reading data via the OPENROWSET function or external tables pointing to Blob Storage. It supports predicate pushdown and schema inference for formats like Parquet, enabling efficient filtering without loading the entire dataset. In a real-world scenario, IoT sensor data often arrives as partitioned Parquet files; the serverless pool can query only the relevant partitions using file path filters, drastically reducing data scanned and cost.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-900 question in full detail.
Describe core data concepts — This question tests Describe core data concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool — Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool allows you to query data directly from Azure Blob Storage using T-SQL without moving or copying the data. It uses a distributed query engine that reads files (Parquet, CSV, JSON) in place, making it ideal for ad-hoc analytics over IoT sensor data stored in Blob Storage.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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