DP-900 Describe an analytics workload on Azure Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe an analytics workload 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 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?
Correct. External tables use PolyBase to query external data sources like Azure Data Lake Storage using T-SQL without loading data into Synapse.
B
Materialized views
Why wrong: Incorrect. Materialized views store data locally in Synapse and require the data to be loaded first; they do not query external files directly.
C
Stored procedures
Why wrong: Incorrect. Stored procedures encapsulate T-SQL logic but do not provide direct query capability over external files.
D
Indexed views
Why wrong: Incorrect. Like materialized views, indexed views store precomputed data within the database, not over external files.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
External tables
External tables in Azure Synapse Analytics allow you to query data stored in files (such as CSV in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2) using T-SQL without loading the data into the database. They use the PolyBase engine to read the files directly, enabling on-the-fly querying of external data sources.
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.
✓
External tables
Why this is correct
Correct. External tables use PolyBase to query external data sources like Azure Data Lake Storage using T-SQL without loading data into Synapse.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Materialized views
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Materialized views store data locally in Synapse and require the data to be loaded first; they do not query external files directly.
✗
Stored procedures
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Stored procedures encapsulate T-SQL logic but do not provide direct query capability over external files.
✗
Indexed views
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Like materialized views, indexed views store precomputed data within the database, not over external files.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse external tables with materialized views or indexed views, thinking any database object can query external files, but only external tables provide the PolyBase-based bridge to read data directly from storage without loading.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
External tables in Azure Synapse use the PolyBase technology, which leverages the T-SQL CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE statement with a LOCATION pointing to the ADLS Gen2 path and a DATA_SOURCE referencing the storage account. The query engine reads the CSV files in parallel using the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) connector, supporting formats like CSV, Parquet, and ORC without data movement. A real-world scenario is querying terabytes of log files stored in ADLS Gen2 for ad-hoc analytics without incurring storage costs in the dedicated SQL pool.
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.
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 an analytics workload on Azure — This question tests Describe an analytics workload on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: External tables — External tables in Azure Synapse Analytics allow you to query data stored in files (such as CSV in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2) using T-SQL without loading the data into the database. They use the PolyBase engine to read the files directly, enabling on-the-fly querying of external data sources.
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.
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Question Discussion
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