DP-900 Describe an analytics workload on Azure Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe an analytics workload on azure. 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 uses Azure Synapse Analytics for their data warehouse. They notice that queries against the fact table are slow. The fact table is hash-distributed on OrderID. Most queries filter by CustomerID. What should they do to improve performance?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the distribution column to CustomerID
The fact table is hash-distributed on OrderID, but queries filter by CustomerID. This causes data movement across nodes for each query, as the filter column doesn't align with the distribution key. Changing the distribution column to CustomerID ensures that rows for the same CustomerID are co-located on the same compute node, eliminating unnecessary data shuffling and improving query performance.
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.
✗
Change to round-robin distribution
Why it's wrong here
Round-robin distributes randomly, which can cause even more shuffling.
✓
Change the distribution column to CustomerID
Why this is correct
Aligning distribution with the filter column reduces data movement and improves query performance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use rowstore instead of columnstore
Why it's wrong here
Columnstore is generally better for analytics; rowstore would likely degrade performance.
✗
Replicate the fact table to all compute nodes
Why it's wrong here
Replication is for small dimension tables, not large fact tables.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think round-robin distribution is a safe default for any slow query, but it ignores the critical principle of aligning distribution keys with query filters to minimize data movement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Hash distribution uses a hash function on the distribution column to assign rows to specific compute nodes. When queries filter on a non-distribution column, Azure Synapse must broadcast the query to all nodes or shuffle data, incurring significant network overhead. By aligning the distribution column with the most common filter predicate (CustomerID), the engine can perform partition elimination and local aggregations, drastically reducing data movement and improving response times.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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 an analytics workload on Azure — This question tests Describe an analytics workload on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Change the distribution column to CustomerID — The fact table is hash-distributed on OrderID, but queries filter by CustomerID. This causes data movement across nodes for each query, as the filter column doesn't align with the distribution key. Changing the distribution column to CustomerID ensures that rows for the same CustomerID are co-located on the same compute node, eliminating unnecessary data shuffling and improving query performance.
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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