DP-600 Implementing Analytics Solutions Using Microsoft Fabric Questions and Answers

When deploying via the XMLA endpoint, deployment time is impacted by the storage format of the semantic model.

Large semantic model storage format (also known as Premium/Large models) supports more efficient processing and partitioned deployments, reducing overall deployment time for large models.

Small semantic model storage format is for smaller models and limits partitioning capabilities.

"Users can edit data models in the service" is unrelated to deployment optimization.

"Enable Cache for Shortcuts" improves query performance for shortcut data, not model deployment.

Correct answer: C

You should set Repeat for the schedule to Weekly (C). This allows you to specify the pipeline to run on specific days of the week, in this case, every four hours on Mondays and Fridays. References = Scheduling options for data pipelines are available in the Azure Data Factory documentation, which includes details on configuring recurring triggers.

The Table.Max function should be used in a Power Query step to identify the maximum values for the numeric columns. This function is designed to calculate the maximum value across each column in a table, which suits the requirement of finding maximum values for numeric columns. References = For detailed information on Power Query functions, including Table.Max, please refer to Power Query M function reference.

To identify the slowest DAX query and analyze the time it spends in the formula engine compared to the storage engine, you should perform the following actions in sequence:

From Performance analyzer, capture a recording.

View the Server Timings tab.

Enable Query Timings and Server Timings. Run the query.

View the Query Timings tab.

Sort the Duration (ms) column in descending order by DAX query time.

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

We need to query a KQL database table named Readings to generate output that includes both the current reading and the previous reading values and datetime for each row.

Step 1: Understanding Requirements

The output table shows:

City, Area, MeterReading, Datetime

PrevMeterReading, PrevDatetime

The prev() function in KQL is used to access the value of a column from the previous row (based on order).

Step 2: Query Construction

We start with filtering:

Readings

| where City == "Copenhagen"

| sort by Datetime

To add columns that calculate the previous reading and previous datetime, we use extend:

| extend PrevMeterReading = prev(MeterReading), PrevDatetime = prev(Datetime)

extend creates new columns.

prev() pulls the previous row’s values.

Finally, we only want specific columns in the output. For this, we use project:

| project City, Area, MeterReading, Datetime, PrevMeterReading, PrevDatetime

Step 3: Completed Query

Readings

| where City == "Copenhagen"

| sort by Datetime

| extend PrevMeterReading = prev(MeterReading), PrevDatetime = prev(Datetime)

| project City, Area, MeterReading, Datetime, PrevMeterReading, PrevDatetime

Why This is Correct

extend adds calculated columns.

prev() gives access to the previous row.

project selects only the required columns.

This matches exactly the table shown in the question.

References

Kusto Query Language - extend operator

Kusto Query Language - project operator

prev() function in KQL

You need to recommend which type of Fabric capacity SKU meets the data analytics requirements for the Research division.

Requirement: “The Research division workspaces must use a dedicated, on-demand capacity that has per-minute billing.”

Fabric capacity SKUs:

F (Fabric) = dedicated Fabric capacity, available on pay-as-you-go with per-minute billing.

P (Premium) and EM are Power BI capacities (not Fabric-native).

A refers to Azure Analysis Services capacity.

The only correct option is F SKU.

The requirement is to copy data from CSV files in Azure Storage into a Fabric Lakehouse, and it must support Power Query M formula language.

Dataflow activity in Fabric pipelines allows you to use Power Query Online, which is based on the M formula language.

Notebook uses Spark (Python, PySpark, Scala, SQL), not M.

Copy data activity moves data but does not support Power Query M transformations.

Script is for T-SQL or stored procedure execution, not M.

Therefore, the correct activity is Dataflow.

 Calculation groups are a Tabular Object Model (TOM) feature.

 They cannot be authored in Power BI Desktop or the service.

 They are implemented using Tabular Editor.

In Azure DevOps workspace (project) security settings, role assignments determine access levels for groups:

Viewer (equivalent to the Readers security group): Grants read-only access to work items, code, pipelines, and other artifacts. Ideal for review-only scenarios where users need to view but not edit content.

Contributor (equivalent to the Contributors security group): Allows full edit and contribute privileges, such as updating work items, code reviews, and pipeline runs. Suitable for active participation in reviews that may involve feedback or changes.

Based on the group names implying review-focused access, Viewer fits Group1 for passive observation, while Contributor fits Group2 for interactive review tasks. These align with default Azure DevOps permissions for secure, least-privilege access.

You need to ensure that Contoso can use version control to meet the data analytics requirements and the general requirements.

Requirement: “All the semantic models and reports for the Research division must use version control that supports branching.”

Fabric supports Git integration (Azure Repos or GitHub) for semantic models and reports.

Storing in Data Lake Gen2 or OneDrive does not provide version control with branching.

The correct action is to integrate workspaces with a Git repository.

Answer: D. Modify the settings of the Research division workspaces to use an Azure Repos repository.

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

The requirement is to logically group the Research division workspaces and support filtering in the OneLake data hub.

Why Domain?

Microsoft Fabric allows you to assign workspace domains (e.g., Finance, HR, Research).

This provides a logical grouping of workspaces within the organization.

Domains are the only supported way to enable filtering in OneLake data hub by department.

Capacity or tenant grouping would not allow filtering by department in OneLake.

Why OneLake data hub?

The OneLake data hub is the centralized interface to browse and discover data assets across the organization.

With workspace domains configured, users can filter directly in the OneLake data hub by domain (e.g., “Research”).

The Fabric Admin portal and Entra admin center are used for administration, not for workspace filtering in data discovery.

Correct Selection for the Hotspot

Grouping method: Domain

Tool: OneLake data hub

References

Workspace domains in Microsoft Fabric

Discover and filter data in OneLake data hub

Final Answer:

Grouping method = Domain

Tool = OneLake data hub

The measure should use the AVERAGE function to calculate the average value.

It should reference the Response Value column from the 'Survey' table.

The 'Number of months' should be used to define the period for the average calculation.

To calculate the average overall satisfaction score using DAX, you would need to use the AVERAGE function on the response values related to satisfaction questions. The DATESINPERIOD function will help in calculating the rolling average over the last 12 months.

A lakehouse (C) should be recommended for the AnalyticsPOC workspace. It combines the capabilities of a data warehouse with the flexibility of a data lake. A lakehouse supports semi-structured and unstructured data and allows for T-SQL and Python read access, fulfilling the technical requirements outlined for Litware. References = For further understanding, Microsoft's documentation on the lakehouse architecture provides insights into how it supports various data types and analytical operations.

Both a dataflow (A) and a Stored procedure activity in a pipeline (B) are capable of creating and populating a date dimension table. A dataflow can perform the transformation needed to create the date dimension, and it aligns with the preference for using low-code tools for data ingestion when possible. A Stored procedure could be written to generate the necessary date dimension data and executed within a pipeline, which also adheres to the technical requirements for the PoC.

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

When assigning permissions to roles in a Fabric workspace for analytics workloads, you must align permissions with the responsibilities and tools typically used by each persona:

1. Data Engineers

Their primary tasks include building and transforming data pipelines, as well as making datasets usable by others.

The appropriate permission is Build Reports on the default dataset, because this allows them to create and manage reports using the curated semantic model while preparing data for analysts and scientists.

2. Data Analysts

Analysts work heavily with Apache Spark for exploratory analysis, cleansing, and shaping data.

The correct permission is Read All Apache Spark, as this grants them the ability to query and analyze Spark-based data directly without elevated permissions that are unnecessary for their role.

3. Data Scientists

Data scientists often use SQL analytics endpoints to run queries, train models, and integrate data into machine learning workflows.

The correct permission is Read All SQL analytics endpoint data, since it enables direct programmatic access to the SQL endpoint, which is needed for advanced modeling and experimentation.

Summary of Selections:

DataEngineers → Build Reports on the default dataset

DataAnalysts → Read All Apache Spark

DataScientists → Read All SQL analytics endpoint data

References (Microsoft Fabric – DP-600 exam scope):

Workspace roles and permissions in Microsoft Fabric

SQL analytics endpoint in Fabric

Apache Spark in Microsoft Fabric

The PoC is planned to be completed using a Fabric trial capacity, which implies that users involved in the PoC should be able to try paid features. However, this should be limited to specific security groups involved in the PoC to prevent the entire organization from accessing these features before the trial is proven successful (A). The ability for users to create Fabric items should also be enabled for specific security groups to ensure that only the relevant team members participating in the PoC can create items in the Fabric environment (E).

For the semantic model design required for the customer satisfaction report, the choices for data source authentication method and mode should be made based on security and performance considerations as per the case study provided.

Authentication method: The data should be accessed securely, and given that row-level security (RLS) is required for users executing T-SQL queries, you should use an authentication method that supports RLS. Service principal authentication is suitable for automated and secure access to the data, especially when the access needs to be controlled programmatically and is not tied to a specific user's credentials.

Mode: The report needs to show data as soon as it is updated in the data store, and it should only contain data from the current and previous year. DirectQuery mode allows for real-time reporting without importing data into the model, thus meeting the need for up-to-date data. It also allows for RLS to be implemented and enforced at the data source level, providing the necessary security measures.

Based on these considerations, the selections should be:

Authentication method: Service principal authentication

Mode: DirectQuery

To meet the technical requirement that data loading activities must ensure the raw and cleansed data is updated completely before populating the dimensional model, you would need a mechanism that allows for ordered execution. A pipeline in Microsoft Fabric with dependencies set between activities can ensure that activities are executed in a specific sequence. Once set up, the pipeline can be scheduled to run at the required intervals (hourly or daily depending on the data source).

For ingesting customer data into the data store in the AnalyticsPOC workspace, a dataflow (D) should be recommended. Dataflows are designed within the Power BI service to ingest, cleanse, transform, and load data into the Power BI environment. They allow for the low-code ingestion and transformation of data as needed by Litware's technical requirements. References = You can learn more about dataflows and their use in Power BI environments in Microsoft's Power BI documentation.

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

The question asks: Which syntax should you use in a Fabric notebook to access the Research division data for Productline1?

Key Background from the Case

In Productline1ws, a lakehouse named Lakehouse1 is created.

In Lakehouse1, a shortcut is created to storage1, named ResearchProduct.

Storage1 contains the Research division data for Productline1 in Delta format.

Requirement: All data in lakehouses must be presented as managed tables in Lakehouse explorer.

Analyzing the Syntax Options

Option A:

spark.sql("SELECT * FROM Lakehouse1.ResearchProduct")

This syntax directly queries the ResearchProduct shortcut within Lakehouse1 using Spark SQL.

Since the shortcut points to Delta data, Spark can directly query it.

This is the correct way to retrieve Productline1 data from Lakehouse1.

Option B:

spark.sql("SELECT * FROM Lakehouse1.productline1.ResearchProduct")

This introduces an extra schema-like path (productline1) that is not part of the shortcut name.

Incorrect, because the shortcut was created as ResearchProduct inside Lakehouse1, not under another schema.

Option C:

external_table('Tables/ResearchProduct')

external_table is not the correct way to access a Lakehouse shortcut.

Shortcuts in Lakehouses appear as tables and can be queried using Spark SQL directly.

Option D:

spark.sql("SELECT * FROM Lakehouse1.productline1.ResearchProduct")

Same issue as Option B, includes a schema path that does not exist.

Correct Choice

Since the shortcut to ResearchProduct was created inside Lakehouse1, and Spark SQL can query it directly, the correct syntax is:

spark.sql("SELECT * FROM Lakehouse1.ResearchProduct")

That matches Option A.

References

Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse – Shortcuts

Query data in a lakehouse using Spark SQL

Delta format support in Microsoft Fabric

Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

From the case study:

Research division data for Productline2 is currently in CSV format in storage2.

Requirement: “All the Research division data in the lakehouses must be presented as managed tables in Lakehouse explorer.”

In Fabric lakehouses, managed tables are stored in Delta format inside the Tables folder.

Step 1: Reading the source

df = spark.read.format("csv") \

options(header="true", inferSchema="true") \

load("abfss://storage1.dfs.core.windows.net/files/productline2")

This correctly ingests the CSV source from ADLS Gen2.

Step 2: Writing to Lakehouse as a managed table

You must write the data in Delta format to ensure it is queryable and managed within the lakehouse.

The correct path is under Tables/, because this is where Fabric automatically manages Lakehouse managed tables.

The target table should be named productline2, so the correct path is:

df.write.mode("overwrite").format("delta").save("Tables/productline2")

Why not other options?

CSV or Parquet formats would not create a managed Lakehouse table; they would just create files.

Writing to productline2 directly (without Tables/) would store unmanaged files in the Lakehouse Files area, not managed tables.

Writing to Tables/research/productline2 adds an unnecessary subdirectory and is not the standard structure for managed tables.

Correct Final Code

df.write.mode("overwrite").format("delta").save("Tables/productline2")

References

Managed tables in Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse

Delta Lake support in Fabric

Spark write to Lakehouse

Requirement: “The number of rows added to the Orders table during refreshes must be minimized.”

The Orders table has a sequential OrderID.

To minimize refresh size, you must only import new rows, not the entire table.

This requires retrieving the maximum OrderID currently loaded, then only loading rows with a greater OrderID.

So, the correct solution is to use a pipeline (ADF) with a dataflow to retrieve the maximum OrderID.

Answer: C. an Azure Data Factory pipeline that executes a dataflow to retrieve the maximum value of the OrderID column in the destination lakehouse

In a Fabric Data Factory pipeline, to execute a stored procedure and make the returned values available for downstream activities, the Lookup activity is used. This activity can retrieve a dataset from a data store and pass it on for further processing. Here’s how you would use the Lookup activity in this context:

Add a Lookup activity to your pipeline.

Configure the Lookup activity to use the stored procedure by providing the necessary SQL statement or stored procedure name.

In the settings, specify that the activity should use the stored procedure mode.

Once the stored procedure executes, the Lookup activity will capture the results and make them available in the pipeline’s memory.

Downstream activities can then reference the output of the Lookup activity.

A replica of dbo.Sales is created in the test schema by copying the metadata only. - Yes

Additional schema changes to dbo.FactSales will also apply to test.FactSales. - No

Additional data changes to dbo.FactSales will also apply to test.FactSales. - No

The CREATE TABLE AS CLONE statement creates a copy of an existing table, including its data and any associated data structures, like indexes. Therefore, the statement does not merely copy metadata; it also copies the data. However, subsequent schema changes to the original table do not automatically propagate to the cloned table. Any data changes in the original table after the clone operation will not be reflected in the clone unless explicitly updated.

References =

CREATE TABLE AS SELECT (CTAS) in SQL Data Warehouse

The goal is to denormalize the data into a customer dimension with one row per distinct CustomerID, minimizing query processing time and resources. Since each customer is associated with a single SalesRegion and a single CustomerAddress, and all foreign key values are non-null, a left outer join is appropriate to ensure all customers from the Customer table are included, even if there are any unexpected missing addresses (though the problem states each customer has a single address). However, given the non-null foreign key constraint, an inner join could also work, but left outer join is safer and aligns with denormalization to ensure completeness.

The join condition should link the Customer table (C) with the CustomerAddress table (CA) using CustomerID, as this ensures each customer's address data is included.

The join with SalesRegion (SR) on SalesRegionID is already included in the query, and since each customer has a single SalesRegion, it fits the denormalization requirement.

The where CA.AddressType = 'Main Office' filter ensures only the main office address is included, which is a valid constraint for a customer dimension.

Thus, the completed T-SQL statement would effectively denormalize the data while minimizing resource use by leveraging the existing relationships and constraints.

When working with Power BI Desktop and Git integration for version control, report and semantic model definitions should be saved in the PBIX format. PBIX is the Power BI Desktop file format that contains definitions for reports, data models, and queries, and it can be easily saved and tracked in a version-controlled environment. The solution should minimize development and maintenance effort, and saving in PBIX format allows for the easiest transition from development to deployment, especially when using Azure Pipelines for CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous deployment) practices.

The Python code and output shown in the exhibit display a histogram, which is a representation of the distribution of data. This kind of analysis is descriptive analytics, which is used to describe or summarize the features of a dataset. Descriptive analytics answers the question of "what has happened" by providing insight into past data through tools such as mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and graphical representations like histograms.

You need to perform an inner join and ignore spaces in the values.

In Power Query, to handle joins where values may contain spaces or minor mismatches, you use fuzzy matching in the Merge Queries operation.

Append queries combines rows, not columns, so it does not apply here.

Lookup table is not required since the transformation can be handled natively in Power Query with fuzzy matching.

Correct solution: Merge the queries by using fuzzy matching.

For the HighestSellingPrice, you should use the GREATEST function to find the highest value from the given price columns. However, T-SQL does not have a GREATEST function as found in some other SQL dialects, so you would typically use a CASE statement or an IIF statement with nested MAX functions. Since neither of those are provided in the options, you should select MAX as a placeholder to indicate the function that would be used to find the highest value if combining multiple MAX functions or a similar logic was available.

For the TradePrice, you should use the COALESCE function, which returns the first non-null value in a list. The COALESCE function is the correct choice as it will return AgentPrice if it's not null; if AgentPrice is null, it will check WholesalePrice, and if that is also null, it will return ListPrice.

The complete code with the correct SQL functions would look like this:

SELECT ProductID,

MAX(ListPrice, WholesalePrice, AgentPrice) AS HighestSellingPrice, -- MAX is used as a placeholder

COALESCE(AgentPrice, WholesalePrice, ListPrice) AS TradePrice

FROM Sales.Products

Select MAX for HighestSellingPrice and COALESCE for TradePrice in the answer area.

When creating a shortcut to an Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 account in a lakehouse, you should use the abfss (Azure Blob File System Secure) connection string and the dfs (Data Lake File System) endpoint. The abfss is used for secure access to Azure Data Lake Storage, and the dfs endpoint indicates that the Data Lake Storage Gen2 capabilities are to be used.