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. A key principle to apply: azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2.. 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 petabytes of Parquet files stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. The queries are infrequent and highly selective. The analyst wants to pay only for the data scanned by each query and does not want to provision any compute resources. They also need to create views to simplify future queries for other analysts. Which Azure service should they use?
Why wrong: Data Factory is for orchestration and data movement, not for interactive SQL queries.
B
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Correct. Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool allows querying data in ADLS Gen2 using T-SQL, charges per data scanned, and supports creating views.
C
Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL pool
Why wrong: Dedicated SQL pool requires provisioning compute resources and is more expensive for infrequent ad-hoc queries.
D
Azure Databricks
Why wrong: Databricks uses Spark SQL and requires a cluster (though auto-scaling), but the cost model is per compute, not per data scanned; also it is not purely SQL.
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 (correct answer) is a pay-per-query service that charges only for the data scanned, requires no provisioning of compute resources, and supports creating views over external data in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. It uses T-SQL to query Parquet files directly, making it ideal for infrequent, highly selective ad-hoc queries without managing infrastructure.
Key principle: Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2.
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 Data Factory
Why it's wrong here
Data Factory is for orchestration and data movement, not for interactive SQL queries.
✓
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Why this is correct
Correct. Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool allows querying data in ADLS Gen2 using T-SQL, charges per data scanned, and supports creating views.
Related concept
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2.
✗
Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL pool
Why it's wrong here
Dedicated SQL pool requires provisioning compute resources and is more expensive for infrequent ad-hoc queries.
✗
Azure Databricks
Why it's wrong here
Databricks uses Spark SQL and requires a cluster (though auto-scaling), but the cost model is per compute, not per data scanned; also it is not purely SQL.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL pool (provisioned, always-on compute) with Serverless SQL pool (pay-per-query, no provisioning), or assume Azure Databricks can run ad-hoc SQL without a running cluster, but Databricks requires an active cluster and does not offer pay-per-query billing for data scanned.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool uses a distributed query engine that reads Parquet files directly from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 via the T-SQL `OPENROWSET` function or external tables, leveraging columnar pruning and predicate pushdown to minimize data scanned. It supports creating views with `CREATE VIEW` statements that persist metadata in the serverless SQL pool's database, allowing analysts to query without knowing file paths. The service bills based on the amount of data processed per query (in terabytes), with a minimum charge of 10 MB per query, making it cost-effective for infrequent, selective queries.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2.
It uses T-SQL for querying Parquet, CSV, and JSON files.
Billing is based on the amount of data processed by each query.
It supports creating views to simplify data access for users.
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
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2.
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.
Review azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2., then practise related DP-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Describe an analytics workload on Azure — This question tests Describe an analytics workload on Azure — Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool — Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool (correct answer) is a pay-per-query service that charges only for the data scanned, requires no provisioning of compute resources, and supports creating views over external data in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. It uses T-SQL to query Parquet files directly, making it ideal for infrequent, highly selective ad-hoc queries without managing infrastructure.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Review azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2., then practise related DP-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool queries data directly in ADLS Gen2.
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