Quick Answer
The answer is Option C, as it provides the simplest and most cost-effective serverless analytics solution for a small business using Azure. This configuration leverages OneDrive for Business as a lightweight, familiar storage location for CSV files, Power BI Desktop to import and model the data, and Power BI Service to publish interactive visualizations with a scheduled daily refresh—all without provisioning any virtual machines or complex infrastructure. On the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of fully managed, serverless analytics options versus more enterprise-grade services like Azure Data Lake or Azure Synapse, which are overkill for small, infrequently changing datasets. A common trap is assuming you always need a dedicated data warehouse or ETL tool, but for simple CSV files with daily refreshes, Power BI’s native integration with OneDrive is both sufficient and budget-friendly. Memory tip: think “OneDrive + Power BI = small business simplicity” to avoid overcomplicating the solution.
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 small business wants to start using Azure for analytics. They have a few CSV files stored on-premises that they want to analyze. They have no budget for complex infrastructure and prefer a fully managed, serverless solution. They need to create interactive visualizations and share them with their team. The data does not change frequently, so they are okay with daily refreshes. Which of the following options should they choose? A) Upload the CSV files to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, use Azure Databricks to create a data processing pipeline, and then use Power BI to visualize the results. B) Upload the CSV files to Azure Blob Storage, use Azure Data Factory to load the data into Azure SQL Database, and then use Power BI to connect and visualize. C) Upload the CSV files to OneDrive for Business, use Power BI Desktop to import the data, and publish to Power BI Service with scheduled refresh. D) Upload the CSV files to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, use Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool to query the data, and then use Power BI to connect. Which option is the simplest and most cost-effective?
Option B
Why wrong: Requires Data Factory and SQL Database, adding cost.
Option D
Why wrong: Requires Synapse serverless, which is more complex than needed.
Option C
Simplest, uses Power BI Desktop with OneDrive, no extra Azure services.
Option A
Why wrong: Overly complex with Databricks and Data Lake.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Option C
Option C is correct because it uses OneDrive for Business as a simple storage location, Power BI Desktop for importing CSV data, and Power BI Service for publishing and sharing interactive visualizations with scheduled daily refresh. This is fully managed, serverless, and requires no complex infrastructure, aligning perfectly with the small business's budget and simplicity requirements.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Option B
Why it's wrong here
Requires Data Factory and SQL Database, adding cost.
Option D
Why it's wrong here
Requires Synapse serverless, which is more complex than needed.
Option C
Why this is correct
Simplest, uses Power BI Desktop with OneDrive, no extra Azure services.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Option A
Why it's wrong here
Overly complex with Databricks and Data Lake.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often overcomplicate the solution by choosing Azure-specific storage and compute services (like Data Lake, Databricks, or Synapse) when a simpler, fully managed tool like Power BI with OneDrive is sufficient and more cost-effective for small-scale, static data analytics.
Detailed technical explanation
Power BI Desktop can directly import CSV files from OneDrive for Business and publish to Power BI Service, where a scheduled refresh (e.g., daily) can re-import the data without any additional Azure services. This leverages Power BI's native data gateway for on-premises files if needed, but OneDrive syncs automatically, making it a zero-infrastructure solution. The key is that Power BI's import mode stores a snapshot in the service, and scheduled refresh re-fetches the file, which is ideal for infrequently changing data.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
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FAQ
Describe an analytics workload on Azure — This question tests Describe an analytics workload on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Option C — Option C is correct because it uses OneDrive for Business as a simple storage location, Power BI Desktop for importing CSV data, and Power BI Service for publishing and sharing interactive visualizations with scheduled daily refresh. This is fully managed, serverless, and requires no complex infrastructure, aligning perfectly with the small business's budget and simplicity requirements.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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