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 data analyst needs to run ad-hoc SQL queries on large datasets stored as Parquet files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. The queries are infrequent and the data volume varies. The analyst wants to pay only for the amount of data processed per query and does not want to manage any infrastructure. They also need to create views in T-SQL to simplify queries for Power BI reports. Which Azure service should they use?
Correct. It provides serverless T-SQL querying on data lakes with pay-per-query pricing, supports views, and works with Power BI.
B
Azure Data Lake Analytics
Why wrong: Incorrect. Data Lake Analytics is deprecated and uses U-SQL, not T-SQL; also requires managing jobs, not serverless ad-hoc queries.
C
Azure HDInsight
Why wrong: Incorrect. HDInsight requires maintaining a Hadoop/Spark cluster, which is not serverless and incurs continuous cost.
D
Azure Databricks
Why wrong: Incorrect. Databricks uses Spark SQL and notebooks; it's not purely serverless SQL and requires cluster management, though it can be used for ad-hoc queries.
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 is the correct choice because it allows running ad-hoc T-SQL queries directly on Parquet files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 without provisioning any infrastructure. It uses a pay-per-query model, charging only for the amount of data processed, and supports creating T-SQL views that can be used directly by Power BI for simplified reporting.
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
Correct. It provides serverless T-SQL querying on data lakes with pay-per-query pricing, supports views, and works with Power BI.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Data Lake Analytics
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Data Lake Analytics is deprecated and uses U-SQL, not T-SQL; also requires managing jobs, not serverless ad-hoc queries.
✗
Azure HDInsight
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. HDInsight requires maintaining a Hadoop/Spark cluster, which is not serverless and incurs continuous cost.
✗
Azure Databricks
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Databricks uses Spark SQL and notebooks; it's not purely serverless SQL and requires cluster management, though it can be used for ad-hoc queries.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Azure Data Lake Analytics (which also processes data in ADLS Gen2) with a serverless SQL option, but it does not support T-SQL or views, making it unsuitable for the analyst's requirement to create T-SQL views for Power BI.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool uses a distributed query engine that reads data directly from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 via the OPENROWSET function, enabling T-SQL queries on Parquet files without data movement. It supports creating external tables and views that persist metadata, allowing Power BI to connect via the T-SQL endpoint and use DirectQuery for real-time reporting. Under the hood, it leverages the Synapse SQL compute layer to scale resources dynamically based on query complexity, ensuring cost efficiency for infrequent workloads.
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 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: Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool — Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool is the correct choice because it allows running ad-hoc T-SQL queries directly on Parquet files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 without provisioning any infrastructure. It uses a pay-per-query model, charging only for the amount of data processed, and supports creating T-SQL views that can be used directly by Power BI for simplified reporting.
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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