Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company has an on-premises SQL Server database with a 1 TB 'Sales' table containing historical data. They want to move this table to Azure SQL Database with minimal downtime. The table is actively written to during business hours. Which approach should they use?
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
Best answer
Use Azure Data Migration Service with continuous sync from on-premises to Azure SQL Database, then cut over
Correct. This online approach replicates changes continuously, allowing a short cutover window with minimal downtime.
B
Distractor review
Use the Azure SQL Database migration wizard to perform an offline migration over the weekend
Incorrect. Offline migration requires taking the source database offline, which causes downtime during the migration.
C
Distractor review
Export the table as a .bacpac file and import it into Azure SQL Database during off-hours
Incorrect. Exporting to .bacpac is an offline operation that requires the source to be idle or can cause consistency issues if writes occur.
D
Distractor review
Use SQL Server Management Studio's 'Deploy Database to Azure SQL Database' wizard
Incorrect. This is an offline migration method that does not support continuous replication and will incur significant downtime.
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: Use Azure Data Migration Service with continuous sync from on-premises to Azure SQL Database, then cut over — For minimal downtime during migration of an actively used database, Azure Data Migration Service (DMS) can perform an online migration using continuous replication from the source to the target. This allows the source to remain operational until the final cutover, minimizing downtime.
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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