It's All About the Database

• Here We Go:

• 1. What is the difference between building a data pipe with Azure Data Factory and building it with Azure Synapse Analytics Studio?

  Both Azure Data Factory (ADF) and Azure Synapse Analytics Studio offer data pipeline building capabilities, but they cater to different needs and have distinct features.



• 2. Can Synapse Analytics use T-SQL?

  Yes, Azure Synapse Analytics can use T-SQL (Transact-SQL).



• 3. Could you build a data vault using Synapse Analytics to ingest and organize business keys and links?

  Yes, Azure Synapse Analytics can be used to build a data vault to ingest and organize business keys and links.



• 4. What is a serverless SQL pool?

  A serverless SQL pool is a component of Azure Synapse Analytics that allows you to run queries on data stored in Azure Data Lake Storage without managing any infrastructure.



• 5. When did Microsoft add T-SQL to Synapse Analytics?

  Microsoft first added T-SQL capabilities to Azure Synapse Analytics in November 2019.



• 6. Is there a way to build a data vault in Synapse Analytics using a scripting language like Python or from the Azure command line?

  You have two options for building data staging and data vaults in Azure Synapse Analytics: scripting languages like Python or the Azure command line.



• 7. What about the initial data tables and objects needed for ingesting data? Can they be scripted using Python or Azure CLI?

  Absolutely! You can script the initial data tables and objects needed for ingesting data in Azure Synapse Analytics using both Python and Azure CLI.



• 8. Can Python be used in Synapse Analytics to execute T-SQL for data transformation and cleansing?

  Yes, Python and T-SQL can be used together in Azure Synapse Analytics to create a powerful pipeline for data transformation and cleansing.



• 9. What would creating a table called "price" in Synapse Analytics to hold the following columns, symbol, date, open, high, low, close, adj_close, and volume look like using Python and T-SQL?

  Here's how you can create a table named "price" in Azure Synapse Analytics with the specified columns using both Python and T-SQL: 1



• 10. What would loading the 'price' table from an Azure data lake csv file look like?

  There are several ways to load the "price" table from an Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) CSV file in Azure Synapse Analytics.



• 11. What would a trigger in Azure data lake that would execute a load to the price table once a csv file lands in a designated "to_load" directory look like?

  Here are two options for triggering the load of the "price" table in Azure Synapse Analytics when a new CSV file lands in the designated "to_load" directory in Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS): 1



• 12. Detail what the following would look like. Ingest source data into an Azure data lake, do some basic data validation using Python and T-SQL. Then load data to a "curated" area of the lake. Landing in the curated area of the lake would trigger loading data to Synapse Analytics

  Here's how you can achieve data ingestion, basic validation, and curated landing in Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) with Python and T-SQL, triggering subsequent loading to Synapse Analytics:



• 13. Explain the difference between Azure DELTA Lake and Azure DATA Lake

  Both Azure Data Lake (ADLS) and Azure Delta Lake (Delta Lake) are storage solutions in Azure, but they cater to different needs.



• 14. Where would a Python script(s) run in Azure for ingesting and validating data?

  There are several options for running your Python script(s) for ingesting and validating data in Azure, each with its own advantages and disadvantages:



• 15. What options are available for running a Python script on an Azure virtual machine - either Windows or Linux?

  You have several options for running a Python script on an Azure Virtual Machine (VM), both on Windows and Linux.



• 16. What would be the best option for running a Python script that continuously checks a directory for a new file, if it finds one, copies to a landing zone in a data lake?

  Choosing the best option for your Python script that continuously checks a directory for new files and copies them to a landing zone in a data lake depends on several factors:



• 17. Explain how to run Azure Databricks.

  Here's an example Azure Databricks CLI script that configures a workspace and creates a cluster...



• 18. Describe what clusters are.

  In the context of Azure Databricks, a cluster is a group of virtual machines (VMs) configured with pre-installed software and libraries tailored for data processing and analytics.



• 19. What are typical cluster sizes?

  There's no single "typical" cluster size for Azure Databricks, as the ideal configuration depends entirely on your specific needs and workload.



• 20. Is there an average size?

  Determining an "average" cluster size for Azure Databricks is challenging because of the vast diversity of user needs and workloads.



• 21. Would it make sense to run Databricks cli scripts from an Azure VM?

  Whether it makes sense to run Databricks CLI scripts from an Azure VM depends on your specific needs and workflow.



• 22. Can you run a Databricks cli script from the Databricks workspace?

  Yes, you can definitely run Databricks CLI scripts from within your Azure Databricks workspace! This can be a convenient and efficient way to automate tasks and workflows without requiring an additional Azure VM.



• 23. Are production, qa, testing, and development environments created when Databricks is used for a solution?

  It's recommended to create separate environments for production, QA, testing, and development when using Databricks for a solution.



• 24. Recommend a Databricks cluster configuration to manage a 150 GB Synapse Analytics database. After a one time data load of around 100 GB, a daily batch will load one to five MB of transactions.

  Here's a recommended Databricks cluster configuration for managing a 150 GB Azure Synapse Analytics database, considering the one-time data load and daily batch updates:



• 25. Using these recommendations - provide a ballpark monthly estimate for running this system

  Unfortunately, providing a precise monthly estimate for running your Databricks system is challenging due to several dynamic factors.



• 26. Do these cost estimates include development,quality assurance, and production environments?

  No, the previous cost estimates I provided for your Databricks system did not include development, quality assurance, AND production environments.



• 27. What is the best way to provide developers with Databricks development environment?

  The best way to provide developers with a Databricks development environment depends on your specific needs and preferences, but here are some popular options:



• 28. What is the difference between Azure Databricks and Databricks from the company called Databricks?

  The differences between Azure Databricks and Databricks from the company called Databricks can be categorized into ownership, management, and integration:



• 29. Is Databricks born from Spark?

  While Databricks and Apache Spark are intertwined, it's not entirely accurate to say Databricks "born from Spark.



• 30. Is Synapse Analytics a relational database?

  Azure Synapse Analytics isn't simply a relational database, but rather a hybrid data warehouse offering functionalities beyond traditional relational databases.



• 31. Give an example of a system that incorporates Azure Databricks, Azure SQL database and Azure Synapse Analytics.

  Here's an example of a system incorporating Azure Databricks, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Synapse Analytics:Scenario: A retail company...



• 32. What happened to u-sql?

  As of October 26, 2023, U-SQL is officially retired and no longer supported in Azure Data Lake Analytics



• 33. Are Azure Databricks cli scripts compatible on other clouds like AWS or Google?

  Unfortunately, Azure Databricks CLI scripts are not directly compatible with other cloud platforms like AWS or Google Cloud Platform when running Databricks on those platforms.



• 34. Show an example of similarities and differences between Databricks cli used between Azure and Databricks on AWS and Google

  Similarities: Basic commands and structure:...



• 35. Is there a way to use Databricks to run a job to check a database every five minutes for new data to load to a delta lake table?

  Absolutely! Databricks is a perfect tool for this scenario.



• 36. What if the source data was Salesforce, could a process from Databricks execute a SOQL query?

  Absolutely! Databricks can integrate with Salesforce to execute SOQL queries and extract data for further analysis.



• 37. What would a T-SQL stored procedure look like in Synapse Analytics?

  While T-SQL is supported in Azure Synapse Analytics, it's important to remember that Synapse Analytics is not solely a relational database management system like traditional SQL Server.



• 38. What would a stored procedure look like that reads data from a delta lake table, compares it to existing historic data to find any new, unique items that need inserting into the historic data? Use sample investment "price" tables that contain date, symbol and closing_price. The unique identifier is date-symbol combination.

  Here's an example stored procedure in T-SQL for comparing and inserting new data from a Delta Lake table into a historic price table in Azure Synapse Analytics:



• 39. How does delta lake "versioning" work?

  Delta Lake's versioning system provides a powerful way to track changes to your data over time and access historical versions whenever needed.



• 40. Does Synapse Analytics support a T-SQL bulk insert command?

  Unfortunately, Synapse Analytics does not directly support the T-SQL BULK INSERT command as it's designed for SQL Server databases.



• 41. Will a copy command work in a T-SQL stored procedure?

  Yes, you can absolutely use the COPY statement within a stored procedure in Synapse Analytics! This offers a powerful way to automate bulk data loading tasks as part of your stored procedure logic.



• 42. What are options for executing a T-SQL stored procedure?

  You have several options for executing a stored procedure in Synapse Analytics, depending on your needs and workflow



• 43. Would the following proof of concept work, 1. Generate csv or json file on a local workstation, 2. Using a local Python script, connect to Synapse Analytics 3. Execute a stored procedure that "copies" the file to a Synapse Analytics table.

  Yes, your proof of concept for loading data into a Synapse Analytics table from a local file using a Python script and stored procedure has potential.



• 44. Is there a way to use Visual Studio code to work with Synapse Analytics?

  Visual Studio Code (VS Code) can be a powerful tool for working with Synapse Analytics thanks to several extensions and features:



• 45. What is Azure Data Lake Analytics (ADLA)?

  Azure Data Lake Analytics (ADLA) is a big data analytics service within the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.



• 46. Use case for ADLA?

  Use Cases for Azure Data Lake Analytics (ADLA)...



• 47. Detail a fraud detection use case using ADLA.

  Scenario: We want to identify fraudulent transactions in real-time from a large volume of financial data using Azure Data Lake Analytics (ADLA).



• 48. Detail the difference between dedicated and server-less SQL pools.

  Dedicated and server-less SQL pools in Synapse Analytics offer different approaches to hosting your relational databases, each with its pros and cons.



• 49. Regarding "external tables", aren't all Synapse Analytics tables stored in data lake storage?

  You're right, there's a nuance to consider regarding "external tables" and data lake storage in Synapse Analytics.



The questions and answers presented here should help demystify some of the complexities of cloud based data systems and inspire some useful,creative solutions. Thanks for stopping by.

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