Question 824 of 982

Describe core data concepts →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is eventual consistency. This is correct because the social media application allows a few seconds for the post count to update across all servers, meaning the system does not require immediate uniformity but guarantees that all replicas will converge to the same value over time—a classic example of eventual consistency in action. On the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how distributed systems prioritize high availability and partition tolerance over strict immediate consistency, often using asynchronous replication. A common trap is confusing eventual consistency with strong consistency, which demands instant synchronization; remember that social media post counts are a perfect real-world example where eventual consistency is acceptable. Memory tip: think of a "like" counter on a viral post—it may lag for a moment but always catches up.

DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question

This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 media application displays the number of posts each user has created. After a user submits a new post, the count must reflect the update across all servers within a few seconds. Which data consistency model best describes this requirement?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A
Strong consistency
Why wrong: Strong consistency requires that any read immediately reflects the last write, which would be overkill and could impact performance in a distributed system.
B
Eventual consistency
Eventual consistency allows updates to propagate asynchronously to replicas, guaranteeing that if no further updates occur, all replicas will return the same value after a short period. This matches the requirement of reflecting the update within a few seconds.
C
Sequential consistency
Why wrong: Sequential consistency ensures that operations are seen in the same order by all processes, which is more strict than needed for a simple post count update that only needs eventual convergence.
D
Causal consistency
Why wrong: Causal consistency ensures that causally related operations are seen in the correct order by all processes, which is not required for a simple numeric counter update.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Eventual consistency

Eventual consistency is correct because the requirement allows a few seconds for the update to propagate across all servers, meaning the system does not guarantee immediate uniformity but will converge to the same count eventually. This is typical in distributed systems like social media applications where high availability and partition tolerance are prioritized over immediate consistency, often using techniques like asynchronous replication.

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.

✗
Strong consistency
Why it's wrong here
Strong consistency requires that any read immediately reflects the last write, which would be overkill and could impact performance in a distributed system.
✓
Eventual consistency
Why this is correct
Eventual consistency allows updates to propagate asynchronously to replicas, guaranteeing that if no further updates occur, all replicas will return the same value after a short period. This matches the requirement of reflecting the update within a few seconds.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Sequential consistency
Why it's wrong here
Sequential consistency ensures that operations are seen in the same order by all processes, which is more strict than needed for a simple post count update that only needs eventual convergence.
✗
Causal consistency
Why it's wrong here
Causal consistency ensures that causally related operations are seen in the correct order by all processes, which is not required for a simple numeric counter update.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates confuse 'eventual consistency' with 'weak consistency' or assume that any delay means strong consistency is required, but the key is the explicit tolerance of a few seconds, which aligns with eventual consistency's convergence guarantee.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, eventual consistency often relies on gossip protocols or quorum-based replication (e.g., Dynamo-style systems) where writes are accepted by a subset of nodes and asynchronously propagated. A subtle behavior is that during the propagation window, different servers may return different counts, but the system guarantees convergence if no new updates occur. In real-world scenarios like Facebook's 'Like' counter, eventual consistency allows fast writes and high availability, with the count eventually becoming consistent across all data centers.

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

An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.

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 core data concepts — This question tests Describe core data concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Eventual consistency — Eventual consistency is correct because the requirement allows a few seconds for the update to propagate across all servers, meaning the system does not guarantee immediate uniformity but will converge to the same count eventually. This is typical in distributed systems like social media applications where high availability and partition tolerance are prioritized over immediate consistency, often using techniques like asynchronous replication.

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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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