DP-900 Describe an analytics workload on Azure Practice Question
A data analyst uses Power BI to create a report that combines data from Azure Synapse Analytics and an on-premises SQL Server database. The on-premises data must be refreshed every hour. Which component is required to connect to the on-premises data source?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse Azure Data Factory's self-hosted integration runtime with the Power BI on-premises data gateway, but Power BI requires its own dedicated gateway component for scheduled refreshes, not Data Factory.
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
✓
On-premises data gateway
The on-premises data gateway is required to securely connect Power BI to on-premises SQL Server databases for scheduled refreshes. It acts as a bridge, transmitting data from the on-premises source to the Power BI service without opening inbound firewall ports. This component is specifically designed for self-service analytics scenarios where cloud services need to access on-premises data sources.
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 VPN Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Azure VPN Gateway establishes an encrypted network tunnel between an on-premises network and an Azure virtual network, enabling IP-level connectivity. However, Power BI is a SaaS offering that resides outside your virtual network, so a VPN does not expose on-premises data sources to the Power BI service. Even with a VPN active, Power BI still requires an on-premises data gateway to authenticate, connect, and refresh data from those sources; the VPN only solves network routing, not data-source connectivity.
- ✓
On-premises data gateway
Why this is correct
The on-premises data gateway is a software service that runs as a Windows service on a machine inside your local network. It securely stores connection metadata and credentials, then initiates an outbound connection to the Power BI service over Azure Service Bus, eliminating the need for open inbound firewall ports. This gateway enables both scheduled refreshes and DirectQuery queries against on-premises data sources, effectively bridging the secure boundary between Power BI and your local databases or files.
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Azure ExpressRoute
Why it's wrong here
Azure ExpressRoute provides a dedicated private network connection from your on-premises infrastructure to Azure, bypassing the public internet for improved reliability and lower latency. While this connectivity benefits virtual machines and other IaaS workloads, it does not create a logical bridge to on-premises data sources for Power BI. Power BI is a PaaS service with its own public endpoints, and even with ExpressRoute, it cannot directly query your local databases; the on-premises data gateway remains mandatory for that purpose.
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Azure Data Factory
Why it's wrong here
Azure Data Factory is an integration service that orchestrates data movement and transformation, often using a self-hosted integration runtime to copy on-premises data to cloud storage such as Azure Blob or SQL Database. This approach effectively moves data into Azure, after which Power BI can connect to the cloud copy, but it does not provide direct, live connectivity from Power BI to the original on-premises source. Moreover, Data Factory is batch-oriented and cannot service interactive report queries or scheduled refreshes on the spot; a gateway is still needed for direct on-premises access.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Roles and Core Concepts
Key term
Service
A service is a software component or system that performs a specific function and is available to be used by other programs or users over a network.
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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