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.
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?
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.
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.
✓
To create an external table that can query Parquet files stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
To create a view over the Parquet files.
Why it's wrong here
It creates a table, not a view.
✗
To import data from Parquet files into a permanent table in Synapse.
Why it's wrong here
External table does not import data; it reads directly from files.
✗
To create a regular table in the Synapse database.
Why it's wrong here
The EXTERNAL keyword indicates it is an external table.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates 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.
Trap categories for this question
Keyword trap
The EXTERNAL keyword indicates it is an external table.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the external table uses the PolyBase engine to read Parquet files via the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) connector, leveraging the ADLS Gen2 REST API. The LOCATION path is relative to the root of the data source, and the file format specifies SERDE properties for Parquet serialization/deserialization. In real-world scenarios, this pattern is used for data virtualization, enabling querying of data lakes without ETL, which reduces storage costs and latency.
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: 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.
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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