DP-900 Practice Question: Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe considerations for working with non-relational data 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 logistics company stores shipment tracking data as JSON documents in Azure Cosmos DB. Each document contains fields like trackingId, origin, destination, status, weight, and optional fields (estimatedDelivery, carrierNotes). The application needs to perform low-latency lookups by trackingId and also run queries to find all shipments that have a specific origin and status. Which Azure Cosmos DB API should they choose?
Why wrong: The Table API is optimized for simple key-value lookups and does not provide rich query capabilities for filtering on multiple properties.
B
SQL (Core) API
The SQL API supports querying JSON documents with standard SQL syntax, indexes all properties automatically, and allows both point reads and filter queries efficiently.
C
MongoDB API
Why wrong: While the MongoDB API can handle similar scenarios, it may not offer the same ease for multi-field queries and typically requires explicit index creation for best performance.
D
Gremlin API
Why wrong: The Gremlin API is designed for graph-based data with vertices and edges, not for general JSON documents or queries on properties like origin and status.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
SQL (Core) API
The SQL (Core) API is the best choice because it provides native support for querying JSON documents with a SQL-like syntax, enabling efficient low-latency lookups by trackingId (using a partition key) and flexible queries on fields like origin and status. It also supports indexing on any JSON property, making queries on optional fields like estimatedDelivery or carrierNotes performant without schema management.
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.
✗
Table API
Why it's wrong here
The Table API is optimized for simple key-value lookups and does not provide rich query capabilities for filtering on multiple properties.
✓
SQL (Core) API
Why this is correct
The SQL API supports querying JSON documents with standard SQL syntax, indexes all properties automatically, and allows both point reads and filter queries efficiently.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
MongoDB API
Why it's wrong here
While the MongoDB API can handle similar scenarios, it may not offer the same ease for multi-field queries and typically requires explicit index creation for best performance.
✗
Gremlin API
Why it's wrong here
The Gremlin API is designed for graph-based data with vertices and edges, not for general JSON documents or queries on properties like origin and status.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Microsoft often tests the misconception that any JSON document store is equivalent, but the trap here is that the MongoDB API is a wire-protocol-compatible option that candidates might choose because they associate it with JSON, while the SQL API is actually the native, most performant choice for document queries on Azure Cosmos DB.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
While the MongoDB API can handle similar scenarios, it may not offer the same ease for multi-field queries and typically requires explicit index creation for best performance.
Scenario analysis trap
While the MongoDB API can handle similar scenarios, it may not offer the same ease for multi-field queries and typically requires explicit index creation for best performance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the SQL API uses a resource token-based access model and automatically indexes all JSON properties by default, which allows queries on any field (including optional ones) to be served from the index without scanning. In a real-world scenario, choosing the SQL API with a partition key of /trackingId ensures that lookups by trackingId are single-partition operations, while queries on origin and status can be efficiently executed using composite indexes or cross-partition queries with low latency.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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 considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure — This question tests Describe considerations for working with non-relational data on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: SQL (Core) API — The SQL (Core) API is the best choice because it provides native support for querying JSON documents with a SQL-like syntax, enabling efficient low-latency lookups by trackingId (using a partition key) and flexible queries on fields like origin and status. It also supports indexing on any JSON property, making queries on optional fields like estimatedDelivery or carrierNotes performant without schema management.
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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