Describe an analytics workload on Azure →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

DP-900 Describe an analytics workload on Azure Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

```sql
CREATE EXTERNAL DATA SOURCE MyDataSource WITH (
    LOCATION = 'https://mystorageaccount.dfs.core.windows.net/container',
    CREDENTIAL = MyCredential
);

CREATE EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT MyFileFormat WITH (
    FORMAT_TYPE = PARQUET,
    DATA_COMPRESSION = 'org.apache.hadoop.io.compress.SnappyCodec'
);

CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE dbo.Sales (
    SaleID INT,
    ProductName VARCHAR(100),
    SaleAmount DECIMAL(10,2),
    SaleDate DATE
)
WITH (
    LOCATION = '/sales/',
    DATA_SOURCE = MyDataSource,
    FILE_FORMAT = MyFileFormat
);
```

Refer to the exhibit. You execute the above T-SQL statements in Azure Synapse Analytics. What is the purpose of this code?

⚠ Common exam trap

Many exam-takers confuse an external table (which reads files in place) with importing data into a permanent table or creating a view, because the syntax resembles regular table creation but includes external source and format clauses.

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

✓

To create an external table that can query Parquet files stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.

The T-SQL code creates an external data source pointing to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, an external file format for Parquet, and an external table that references the Parquet files. This allows querying the Parquet files directly without importing them into the database, which is the definition of an external table in Azure Synapse Analytics.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
To create an external table that can query Parquet files stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.
Why this is correct
This T-SQL statement creates an external table in Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool). The EXTERNAL keyword, combined with LOCATION pointing to an ADLS Gen2 path and a FILE_FORMAT specifying PARQUET, defines metadata that allows T-SQL queries to read the Parquet files directly in place. No data is copied into the database; the table is a read-only schema abstraction over the files.
✗
To create a view over the Parquet files.
Why it's wrong here
A view over Parquet files would be defined with CREATE VIEW, not CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE. A view is a virtual relational object that wraps a saved SELECT query, such as one using OPENROWSET to read Parquet, but it does not have its own storage metadata, location, or external data source. The statement in the exhibit builds a table object with a schema, not a stored query.
✗
To import data from Parquet files into a permanent table in Synapse.
Why it's wrong here
Importing Parquet into a permanent Synapse table would require a COPY INTO command or a CREATE TABLE AS SELECT (CTAS) statement to physically write data into the database. An external table is PolyBase metadata that references files in Azure Data Lake Storage; the Parquet bytes remain in ADLS Gen2 and are only read on demand. Therefore no import or permanent data copy occurs.
✗
To create a regular table in the Synapse database.
Why it's wrong here
A regular, managed table in a Synapse database is created with CREATE TABLE and is stored in the data warehouse's file system. CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE explicitly declares an EXTERNAL object that depends on a DATA_SOURCE and FILE_FORMAT, and points to a LOCATION outside the database. The presence of EXTERNAL in the statement rules out the creation of a conventional, internal managed table.

Go deeper

DP-900 Describe an analytics workload on Azure Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

Related to this question