Microsoft DP-420 Practice Exam Questions & Answers

7 Free Questions · Last reviewed: October 16, 2026 · Prepared & Reviewed by the ValidExamDumps Editorial Team

Exam Facts

Microsoft DP-420 Exam Details

Key details for this exam, checked against the published exam outline

194 Practice Questions (Our Bank)
100 minutes Exam Duration
700 out of 1000 Passing Score
USD 165 Official Exam Fee
Exam Code
DP-420
Full Name
Designing and Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Issuing Body
Microsoft
Question Format (Our Bank)
Multiple Choice, Hotspot, Drag & Drop, Order List, Case Studies
Delivery
Online proctored or Pearson VUE test centre
Eligibility
No prerequisites required
Practice Questions

Free DP-420 Practice Questions

Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation of why it is right

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ValidExamDumps Editorial Team Every question and its answer is checked by our DP-420 exam preparation team, who also write the explanation shown with each one. How we research and review these pages

You have an Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account that contains a container named customers.

You have an application named App1 that caches customers and must be notified when the list of customers changes.

You implement a change feed. The Time to Live settings have the default values.

You discover the following:

* Notifications for INSERT and UPDATE operations are received within 10 seconds.

* Notifications for DELETE operations are NOT received.

Which two actions should you perform to ensure that App1 receives notifications for DELETE operations? Each correct answer present part of the solution.

NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point.

Correct Answer: B, C
Explanation Change feed captures INSERT and UPDATE operations by default, but DELETE operations are not captured because the deleted item no longer exists in the container. The correct approaches are to use soft deletes by adding an IsDeleted flag and updating it instead of deleting the item, or to use UPDATE operations that modify a status field rather than removing the item entirely. This way, the change feed can track the operation and notify App1 of the change.

Note: This question is part of a series of questions that present the same scenario. Each question in the series contains a unique solution that might meet the stated goals. Some question sets might have more than one correct solution, while others might not have a correct solution.

After you answer a question in this section, you will NOT be able to return to it. As a result, these questions will not appear in the review screen.

You have an Azure Cosmos DB Core (SQL) API account named account 1 that uses autoscale throughput.

You need to run an Azure function when the normalized request units per second for a container in account1 exceeds a specific value.

Solution: You configure an application to use the change feed processor to read the change feed and you configure the application to trigger the function.

Does this meet the goal?

Correct Answer: B
Explanation

Instead configure an Azure Monitor alert to trigger the function.

You can set up alerts from the Azure Cosmos DB pane or the Azure Monitor service in the Azure portal.

You have an Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account that uses a custom conflict resolution policy. The account has a registered merge procedure that throws a runtime exception. The runtime exception prevents conflicts from being resolved.

You need to use an Azure function to resolve the conflicts. What should you use?

Correct Answer: B
Explanation When a custom merge procedure throws a runtime exception and cannot resolve conflicts, you need an alternative mechanism. Azure Cosmos DB provides a conflicts feed that contains conflicting items. An Azure function triggered by the Cosmos DB trigger can read items from this conflicts feed and implement custom resolution logic. This approach bypasses the failed merge procedure and allows the function to handle conflicts programmatically.

Note: This question is part of a series of questions that present the same scenario. Each question in the series contains a unique solution that might meet the stated goals. Some question sets might have more than one correct solution, while others might not have a correct solution.

After you answer a question in this section, you will NOT be able to return to it. As a result1 these questions will not appear in the review screen.

You have a database in an Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account that is configured for multi-region writes.

You need to use the Azure Cosmos OB SDK to implement the conflict resolution policy for a container. The solution must ensure that any conflicts are sent to the conflicts feed.

Solution: You set ConflictResolutionMode to Laswriterwins and you use the default settings for the policy.

Does this meet the goal?

Correct Answer: A
Explanation Point-in-time restore requires Continuous Backup to be enabled on the account. Regular scheduled backups, which occur every two hours in this case, do not support point-in-time restore. Continuous Backup maintains the ability to restore to any point within the retention window. Once enabled, it captures continuous snapshots, allowing restoration to a specific timestamp rather than only to the last scheduled backup.

You have a container named container1 in an Azure Cosmos DB Core (SQL) API account. Upserts of items in container1 occur every three seconds.

You have an Azure Functions app named function1 that is supposed to run whenever items are inserted or replaced in container1.

You discover that function1 runs, but not on every upsert.

You need to ensure that function1 processes each upsert within one second of the upsert.

Which property should you change in the Function.json file of function1?

Correct Answer: D
Explanation

With an upsert operation we can either insert or update an existing record at the same time.

FeedPollDelay: The time (in milliseconds) for the delay between polling a partition for new changes on the feed, after all current changes are drained. Default is 5,000 milliseconds, or 5 seconds.

Incorrect Answers:

A: checkpointInterval: When set, it defines, in milliseconds, the interval between lease checkpoints. Default is always after each Function call.

C: maxItemsPerInvocation: When set, this property sets the maximum number of items received per Function call. If operations in the monitored collection are performed through stored procedures, transaction scope is preserved when reading items from the change feed. As a result, the number of items received could be higher than the specified value so that the items changed by the same transaction are returned as part of one atomic batch.

You need to identify which connectivity mode to use when implementing App2. The solution must support the planned changes and meet the business requirements.

Which connectivity mode should you identify?

Correct Answer: C
Explanation

Scenario: Develop an app named App2 that will run from the retail stores and query the data in account2. App2 must be limited to a single DNS endpoint when accessing account2.

By using Azure Private Link, you can connect to an Azure Cosmos account via a private endpoint. The private endpoint is a set of private IP addresses in a subnet within your virtual network.

When you're using Private Link with an Azure Cosmos account through a direct mode connection, you can use only the TCP protocol. The HTTP protocol is not currently supported.


https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/how-to-configure-private-endpoints

You have an Azure Cosmos DB database that hosts a container named container1.

You need to ensure that the items stored in contained will NOT expire unless their TTL value is set explicitly. What should you do?

Correct Answer: B
Explanation Time to Live controls item expiration in Cosmos DB. Setting DefaultTimeToLive to -1 disables TTL for the container, meaning items will persist indefinitely unless they have an explicit TTL value set on the individual item. A value of 0 would expire all items. Any positive value applies a default expiration time to all items. Setting it to -1 ensures items only expire if explicitly configured with their own TTL property.
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Study Guide

What the Microsoft DP-420 Exam Covers

Exam domains verified against: Official Microsoft DP-420 exam guide, last checked October 2026.

Domain 1: Design and develop database solutions 40% - 45%

Evaluate resource models and SDK solutions; Evaluate consistency levels; Evaluate Request Unit (RU) consumption requirements; Evaluating and configuring appropriate throughput; Configure account-level and container-level settings; Create and manage database and containers; Initialize SDK clients and connections; Implement database operations; Implement queries, parameterized queries, paging, and continuation tokens; Implement point read operations; Implement create, replace, update, patch and delete operations; Implement bulk, batch, and transactional operations; Configure Time to Live (TTL); Implement concurrency control mechanisms; Design and implement data models and partitioning strategies; Design data models for access patterns and operational requirements; Design and select partition keys based on cardinality, access patterns, and write distribution requirements; Determine when to embed or reference related data; Evaluate the impact of partition key selection on scalability and performance; Implement hierarchical partition keys (HPKs) and multi-tenant partitioning strategies; Implement synthetic partition keys; Identify partitioning anti-patterns and partitioning issues during solution reviews; Estimate workload cost requirements; Implement change feed; Implement change feed operations; Differentiate between change feed processor and pull mode models; Configure lease containers; Implement change feed processing using latest mode or all versions and delete; Implement copy container jobs; Design and implement Azure Cosmos DB solutions by using AI-assisted tools; Implement Agent Kit to follow Azure Cosmos DB development recommended solutions; Implement Agent Kit to accelerate AI application development

Sample questions from this domain above: Q1Q2Q3Q4Q5Q6Q7

Domain 2: Secure, optimize, and deploy database solutions 30% - 35%

Implement database security controls; Configure authentication mechanisms; Configure authorization controls; Configure network security; Configure dynamic data masking; Implement availability and recovery solutions; Configure backup and restore solutions; Implement multi-region read and write configurations; Configure partition failover solutions; Optimize and remediate database performance; Optimize query performance; Analyze query performance metrics; Analyze index performance metrics; Monitor end-to-end latency against service objectives; Configure Azure Monitor alerts; Analyze diagnostic logs in Log Analytics; Implement Fleet management and monitoring across multiple accounts and subscriptions; Configure Fleet level throughput management; Configure Fleet monitoring with fleet analytics

Domain 3: Implement AI and analytics capabilities in database solutions 20% - 25%

Design and implement AI retrieval; Design and implement full-text search; Design for vector data, including vector data type, vector indexes, and size; Design and implement vector partitioning and sharded DiskANN implementations; Implement vector search; Design and implement hybrid search; Optimize full-text and vector performance; Design and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG); Design and implement agent memory stores; Design durable memory stores; Implement conversation state; Implement semantic memory; Design and implement operational analytics on Azure Cosmos DB; Choose between Azure Cosmos DB and Cosmos DB in Microsoft Fabric; Configure and monitor data mirroring into Microsoft Fabric; Query Azure Cosmos DB mirrored JSON data in Microsoft Fabric with T-SQL and Spark; Read and write data into Azure Cosmos DB from Microsoft Fabric with Cosmos DB Spark connector

FAQ

DP-420 Exam FAQ

Common questions about the exam itself

What prior experience do I need before taking DP-420?
You should have solid knowledge of developing applications for Azure and working with Azure Cosmos DB. Hands-on experience with the SQL API, SDKs in C# or Java, writing SQL queries, and creating server-side JavaScript objects is expected. Most candidates benefit from six months to a year of practical development work.
Is DP-420 harder than other Azure data certifications?
DP-420 tests deep implementation skills rather than just administration or general knowledge. It requires hands-on ability to design data models, optimize performance, and manage multi-region deployments. The exam format includes scenario-based questions that test your judgment on real-world problems.
Which objective area gives most candidates trouble on DP-420?
Design and Implement Data Models is the largest domain at 35 to 40 percent and trips up many candidates because it combines data modeling theory with practical partitioning decisions. Success here depends on understanding how partition keys affect throughput and cost, not just memorizing syntax.
How long should I study for DP-420?
Most candidates prepare for six to ten weeks, depending on their background with Azure and databases. If you already work with Azure and have database experience, you might finish in four to six weeks. Without either, allow ten to twelve weeks.
What happens on exam day for DP-420?
You take the exam online from home or at a Pearson VUE test centre. You have one hundred minutes to answer forty questions. The exam includes multiple choice, scenario-based questions, and possibly drag-and-drop or case study formats. You must show valid ID and follow proctoring requirements.
What is the passing score for DP-420 and what does it mean?
You need to score at least 700 out of 1000 to pass. This means around seventy percent of the weighted question points, adjusted for question difficulty. One difficult question answered correctly may count more than an easier one.
Can I retake DP-420 if I fail?
Yes, you can retake the exam. Microsoft requires you to wait at least 24 hours after a failed attempt before scheduling your next try. There is no limit to how many times you can retake, but you pay the full exam fee each time.
How long is the Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty certification valid?
Your certification is valid for one year from the date you pass. Before it expires, you must complete a free renewal assessment to keep it active. Renewal only requires passing the online assessment, not the full proctored exam.
What job role does DP-420 prepare me for?
DP-420 targets cloud developers and data engineers who design and build globally distributed applications using Azure Cosmos DB. Candidates typically work on backend APIs, real-time data pipelines, or multi-region applications where low latency and high availability matter.
How does DP-420 relate to DP-900 or DP-300?
DP-900 is a foundational Azure Data Fundamentals exam you can take first if you are new to cloud databases. DP-300 covers SQL Server and relational databases, while DP-420 is specialist-level for NoSQL Cosmos DB development. You do not need either prerequisite, but having DP-900 knowledge helps.