Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A retail company receives real-time data from IoT sensors in its warehouses. Each sensor sends a JSON payload containing a device ID, timestamp, and temperature reading. A data engineer needs to classify this data for storage planning. Which data type best describes the JSON payload?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Structured data
Structured data adheres to a strict schema with fixed fields and data types, such as a relational table. JSON allows for flexible and nested fields, which makes it semi-structured, not fully structured.
B
Best answer
Semi-structured data
JSON is a classic example of semi-structured data. It uses key-value pairs and can have nested structures, but it does not enforce a rigid schema. This flexibility is ideal for IoT payloads where fields may vary over time.
C
Distractor review
Unstructured data
Unstructured data lacks a predefined data model or organization, such as a video file or raw text. JSON has a defined format (key-value pairs) and is not considered unstructured.
D
Distractor review
Relational data
Relational data refers to data stored in tables with rows and columns, typically using a fixed schema. JSON does not fit this definition because it is not tabular and can have varying keys across different payloads.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
Related practice questions
Related DP-900 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A data engineer needs to process streaming data from IoT devices and store the results in Azure Data Lake Storage for long-term analytics. The data must be processed in near real-time to detect anomalies and trigger alerts. Which Azure service should the engineer use for stream processing?
Question 2
A data engineer needs to query data stored in CSV files in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 using T-SQL in Azure Synapse Analytics, without loading the data into the database. Which feature should they use?
Question 3
A data engineer needs to process raw clickstream data from multiple websites that is stored in Azure Blob Storage as JSON files. The processing must run automatically every hour, transform the data into a structured format for reporting, and handle schema changes in the source data without manual intervention. Which Azure service should be used?
Question 4
A data engineer is designing a data lake architecture in Azure. They plan to first ingest raw data from various sources into a landing zone in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. Then they will clean, validate, and deduplicate that data in a second zone. Finally, they will create aggregated, business-ready datasets in a third zone for analysts. This layered approach is known as which architecture?
Question 5
A data engineer needs to transform large datasets stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 using Python and Apache Spark. They want a serverless compute option that automatically scales and requires no cluster management. Which Azure service should they use?
Question 6
A company collects customer feedback forms. Each form contains always-present fields like CustomerID and SubmissionDate, but also a free-text Comments field and optional fields like Rating or ProductCategory that vary between forms. How should this data be classified?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-900 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Semi-structured data — JSON data is considered semi-structured because it has key-value pairs that provide some structure, but it does not conform to a rigid schema like a relational table. Structured data (like a CSV file with defined columns) requires a fixed schema, while unstructured data (like a plain text file or image) has no inherent structure. Relational data is a subset of structured data that resides in tables with defined relationships.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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