- A
Azure Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API
Correct. The Gremlin API is a graph database that efficiently stores and queries relationships between entities, ideal for recommendation engines based on friend connections.
- B
Azure Cosmos DB with the Table API
Why wrong: Incorrect. The Table API is designed for key-value and wide-column data, not for graph relationships. Traversing connections would be inefficient.
- C
Azure Cache for Redis
Why wrong: Incorrect. Redis is primarily an in-memory cache for key-value data. While it can support some graph-like data structures, it is not optimized for complex graph traversals and lacks native graph query language support.
- D
Azure Blob Storage
Why wrong: Incorrect. Blob Storage is for storing large amounts of unstructured binary or text data. It does not support queries on relationships between data items.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is Azure Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API because Gremlin is a graph traversal language purpose-built for navigating highly connected data, such as social network relationships. It enables efficient traversal of edges between vertices, allowing queries like 'friends of friends' to be executed using graph algorithms that follow relationship paths directly, rather than relying on expensive JOIN operations. On the DP-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of which Azure NoSQL service maps to specific data models—graph data demands a graph database, not a document or key-value store. A common trap is choosing the Table API or SQL API, which lack native edge traversal capabilities. Remember the mnemonic: "Graphs need Gremlin" to instantly link social networks with the Gremlin API.
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 social networking application needs to store and query relationships between users, such as 'friends of friends'. The application should be able to traverse these relationships efficiently to recommend new connections. Which Azure NoSQL data store and API should they choose?
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 Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API
Azure Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API is the correct choice because Gremlin is a graph traversal language specifically designed for querying highly connected data, such as social network relationships. It allows efficient traversal of edges (e.g., 'friends of friends') using graph algorithms, which is exactly what the application needs for recommending new connections. Other APIs like Table API or services like Blob Storage lack native graph traversal capabilities.
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 Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API
Why this is correct
Correct. The Gremlin API is a graph database that efficiently stores and queries relationships between entities, ideal for recommendation engines based on friend connections.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Cosmos DB with the Table API
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The Table API is designed for key-value and wide-column data, not for graph relationships. Traversing connections would be inefficient.
- ✗
Azure Cache for Redis
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Redis is primarily an in-memory cache for key-value data. While it can support some graph-like data structures, it is not optimized for complex graph traversals and lacks native graph query language support.
- ✗
Azure Blob Storage
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Blob Storage is for storing large amounts of unstructured binary or text data. It does not support queries on relationships between data items.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the Table API (which is also NoSQL) as suitable for relationships, but it cannot perform multi-hop graph traversals, while Azure Cache for Redis might seem plausible due to its set operations, but it lacks a graph query language and persistence guarantees.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Gremlin API uses Apache TinkerPop, a graph computing framework, where vertices represent users and edges represent relationships. Traversals like 'friends of friends' are executed as depth-first or breadth-first walks across edges, leveraging index-backed adjacency lists for O(1) neighbor lookups. In a real-world scenario, a social app might use a Gremlin query like 'g.V().has('userId', '123').out('friend').out('friend').dedup()' to find second-degree connections, which would be inefficient or impossible with other NoSQL models.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-900 question test?
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: Azure Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API — Azure Cosmos DB with the Gremlin API is the correct choice because Gremlin is a graph traversal language specifically designed for querying highly connected data, such as social network relationships. It allows efficient traversal of edges (e.g., 'friends of friends') using graph algorithms, which is exactly what the application needs for recommending new connections. Other APIs like Table API or services like Blob Storage lack native graph traversal capabilities.
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.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on DP-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A social networking application needs to store and query relationships between users, such as 'friends of friends' to recommend new connections. The application must traverse these relationships efficiently. Which Azure NoSQL data store and API should they choose?
medium- A.Azure Cosmos DB with MongoDB API
- ✓ B.Azure Cosmos DB with Gremlin API
- C.Azure Table Storage
- D.Azure Cosmos DB with SQL API
Why B: Azure Cosmos DB with Gremlin API is correct because it provides a graph database model specifically designed for storing and querying highly connected data, such as user relationships. The Gremlin API supports graph traversal queries (e.g., 'friends of friends') natively using the Apache TinkerPop graph traversal language, enabling efficient navigation of edges and vertices without expensive join operations.
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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