Azure SQL
This service tier uses local SSD storage for very low latency and supports readable secondaries
What is Business Critical (Azure SQL Database/MI)?
The “default” API that supports SQL-like queries over JSON documents.
What is the Core (SQL) API?
Fabric’s single, unified data lake for the whole org.
What is OneLake?
This storage format brings ACID transactions to your data lake.
What is Delta Lake?
Azure’s framework used to review designs across cost, reliability, performance efficiency, security, and operational excellence.
What is the Azure Well‑Architected Framework?
This Azure SQL option enables near-instant restore/scale via file-snapshot–based storage architecture.
What is Hyperscale?
A good logical partition key typically has this characteristic to avoid hot partitions.
What is high cardinality with even read/write distribution?
This mode lets Power BI read parquet data in OneLake without Import or DirectQuery, minimizing latency.
What is Direct Lake mode?
This command compacts many small files and can improve query performance (optionally clustering on columns).
What is OPTIMIZE (optionally with Z‑ORDER)?
The discipline for aligning cloud spend to business value with showback/chargeback and continuous optimization.
What is FinOps?
Part of Intelligent Query Processing, this feature mitigates parameter sniffing by selecting plans based on runtime cardinality differences.
What is Parameter Sensitive Plan (PSP) optimization?
With Autoscale set to max 20,000 RU/s, the RU range Cosmos can scale within (without code changes) is:
What is 2,000–20,000 RU/s (10%–100%)?
To reference data in ADLS Gen2 or S3 without copying, create these in your Lakehouse or Warehouse.
What are Shortcuts?
For incremental ingestion from cloud object storage with schema evolution and exactly‑once semantics, use this feature.
What is Auto Loader (cloudFiles) with Structured Streaming?
This release strategy reduces downtime by promoting traffic to a fresh environment with a quick switchback option
What is Blue/Green deployment?
To cut costs on infrequent workloads, this compute option can automatically pause and resume.
What is Azure SQL Database serverless (auto-pause/resume)?
To support globally distributed writes while keeping read latency low and availability high, enable this topology with this consistency.
What are multi‑region writes with Session consistency?
For ELT with notebooks, Delta tables, and a SQL endpoint, choose this Fabric item as your engineering backbone.
What is the Lakehouse (with its SQL endpoint)?
Centralized governance for catalogs, schemas, tables, permissions, and lineage in Databricks is provided by this.
What is Unity Catalog?
This FY26 program unifies previous initiatives like Azure Migrate and Modernize and Azure Innovate into a single offering, providing expert-led deployment support, partner funding, and zero-cost assistance through the Cloud Accelerate Factory.
What is Azure Accelerate?
To achieve cross‑region DR for multiple databases with automatic failover and a single listener endpoint, use this feature.
What are Auto-failover groups?
You need to react to all historical and new changes, including deletes, with “before/after” metadata. Use this mode.
What is Change Feed (full‑fidelity), starting from the beginning?
To orchestrate activities across Fabric items, schedule runs, and manage dependencies, use this Fabric capability.
What are Data Factory pipelines in Fabric?
Build continuous, declarative ETL with data quality expectations and built‑in monitoring in Databricks using this.
What are Delta Live Tables (DLT)?
Apply guardrails and RBAC at scale across subscriptions with hierarchical scoping using these Azure constructs.
What are Management Groups with Azure Policy (and RBAC)?