- A
Azure Synapse Analytics
Correct. Azure Synapse Analytics unifies data ingestion, processing, and analytics, supporting both streaming (via Event Hubs integration) and batch (via PolyBase or serverless SQL pool to query data lake directly). It provides near real-time and historical analytics capabilities.
- B
Azure Stream Analytics
Why wrong: Azure Stream Analytics is designed for real-time stream processing but cannot directly query batch data in a data lake or support complex historical reporting without additional services.
- C
Azure Data Factory
Why wrong: Azure Data Factory is an ETL orchestration service; it can move and transform data but does not provide a native SQL query engine for analytics or support real-time dashboards directly.
- D
Azure HDInsight with Spark
Why wrong: HDInsight with Spark can process both streaming and batch data, but it requires more operational overhead and does not offer the same seamless serverless SQL querying of data lake as Azure Synapse Analytics.
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 manufacturing company collects sensor data from factory equipment as a continuous stream of events ingested into Azure Event Hubs. Additionally, the company receives daily inventory CSV files uploaded to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. The analytics team needs to build near real-time dashboards that combine streaming sensor data with batch inventory data, and also support historical reporting by querying data directly in the data lake using SQL without moving it. Which Azure service should they choose as the primary analytics platform?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Azure Synapse Analytics
Azure Synapse Analytics is the correct choice because it provides a unified analytics platform that can ingest both real-time streaming data from Azure Event Hubs and batch data from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. Its SQL Serverless feature allows querying data directly in the data lake using T-SQL without moving it, enabling near real-time dashboards and historical reporting in a single service.
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 Analytics
Why this is correct
Correct. Azure Synapse Analytics unifies data ingestion, processing, and analytics, supporting both streaming (via Event Hubs integration) and batch (via PolyBase or serverless SQL pool to query data lake directly). It provides near real-time and historical analytics capabilities.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Stream Analytics
Why it's wrong here
Azure Stream Analytics is designed for real-time stream processing but cannot directly query batch data in a data lake or support complex historical reporting without additional services.
- ✗
Azure Data Factory
Why it's wrong here
Azure Data Factory is an ETL orchestration service; it can move and transform data but does not provide a native SQL query engine for analytics or support real-time dashboards directly.
- ✗
Azure HDInsight with Spark
Why it's wrong here
HDInsight with Spark can process both streaming and batch data, but it requires more operational overhead and does not offer the same seamless serverless SQL querying of data lake as Azure Synapse Analytics.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Stream Analytics as the primary platform for streaming data, overlooking that Synapse Analytics provides the unified query layer needed to combine streaming and batch data for both dashboards and historical reporting without additional services.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Synapse Analytics integrates with Event Hubs via its built-in pipeline for real-time ingestion and uses SQL Serverless (PaaS) to query Parquet, CSV, or Delta files in Data Lake Storage Gen2 using T-SQL, leveraging the compute-on-demand model. This eliminates the need to provision dedicated clusters for ad-hoc queries, and the Synapse Link feature can synchronize data from operational stores for hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) scenarios.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-900 question test?
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 Analytics — Azure Synapse Analytics is the correct choice because it provides a unified analytics platform that can ingest both real-time streaming data from Azure Event Hubs and batch data from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. Its SQL Serverless feature allows querying data directly in the data lake using T-SQL without moving it, enabling near real-time dashboards and historical reporting in a single service.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This DP-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DP-900 exam.
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