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. A key principle to apply: azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models.. 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' to recommend new connections. The application must traverse these relationships efficiently. Which Azure NoSQL data store and API should they choose?
Why wrong: MongoDB API is for document data stored as JSON. It is not optimized for graph traversals like 'friends of friends'.
B
Azure Cosmos DB with Gremlin API
Correct. The Gremlin API is designed for graph data models and supports traversal queries using the Gremlin graph query language.
C
Azure Table Storage
Why wrong: Azure Table Storage is a key-value store for schemaless data. It does not support graph relationships or efficient traversal.
D
Azure Cosmos DB with SQL API
Why wrong: The SQL API is for document data with SQL-like queries. While it can store relationships, it is not optimized for graph traversals compared to a dedicated graph API.
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 Gremlin API
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.
Key principle: Azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models.
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 MongoDB API
Why it's wrong here
MongoDB API is for document data stored as JSON. It is not optimized for graph traversals like 'friends of friends'.
✓
Azure Cosmos DB with Gremlin API
Why this is correct
Correct. The Gremlin API is designed for graph data models and supports traversal queries using the Gremlin graph query language.
Related concept
Azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models.
✗
Azure Table Storage
Why it's wrong here
Azure Table Storage is a key-value store for schemaless data. It does not support graph relationships or efficient traversal.
✗
Azure Cosmos DB with SQL API
Why it's wrong here
The SQL API is for document data with SQL-like queries. While it can store relationships, it is not optimized for graph traversals compared to a dedicated graph API.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse document databases (like MongoDB API or SQL API) with graph databases, assuming any NoSQL store can handle relationships efficiently, but only a dedicated graph database like Gremlin API provides native traversal operators for multi-hop queries.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Gremlin API uses a property graph model where vertices represent users and edges represent friendships, each with properties. Traversal queries like 'g.V('user1').repeat(out('friend')).times(2).dedup()' efficiently navigate the graph using index-backed adjacency lists, avoiding the N+1 query problem common in relational or document stores. In real-world scenarios, this enables real-time friend recommendations at scale, as the graph engine can traverse millions of edges per second using optimized in-memory processing.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models.
Gremlin API uses the Gremlin graph traversal language.
It efficiently queries relationships like 'friends of friends'.
Data is stored as vertices (entities) and edges (relationships).
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
Azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models.
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.
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 — Azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Cosmos DB with Gremlin API — 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.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Review azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models., then practise related DP-900 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Azure Cosmos DB Gremlin API is for graph data models.
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