UUS Practice Tests⌕ Search
IT Certifications · 70-463

Exam 70-463: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 Practice Test

Exam 70-463 focuses on building data warehouse solutions with SQL Server 2012/2014. The subject area connects relational data sources to analytical structures, with attention to preparing data, loading dimensions and fact tables, and supporting queries over historical information. The practice bank’s examples include SQL techniques, dimensional modeling, and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) package design.

Exam overview

Exam providerMicrosoft
Exam code70-463
CategoryIT Certifications

About the Exam 70-463: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Serv… Exam

Warehouse implementation involves shaping source data so it can be loaded consistently and analyzed against business dimensions. Relevant design decisions include choosing dimension structures that preserve changing attributes, using a date dimension to support calendar and fiscal analysis, and matching fact-table organization to common query and retention needs. SQL work can include identifying unmatched business keys, selecting a preferred row from duplicate source records, and applying partitioning or compression where appropriate. SSIS skills include controlling repeated package operations and combining or looking up rows in data flows. These tasks require attention to data quality, key relationships, historical accuracy, and the behavior of transformations. The question bank also touches on linguistic search for descriptive text, which differs from exact-value or prefix matching.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

A warehouse dimension includes a large text description that users search for words and phrases rather than exact values or prefixes. Which SQL Server capability is designed for linguistic text searches?

  1. AFull-text search
  2. BA clustered index on the primary key
  3. CA check constraint
  4. DA filtered index on a numeric status
Show answerCorrect answer: A

SQL Server full-text search supports token-based searches over text, including word and phrase matching with linguistic features. Ordinary indexes can help with exact or prefix predicates but are not a substitute for full-text indexing for this search style.

Question 2

A large fact table is commonly queried by date, and administrators need to remove data older than a retention period efficiently. Which design can make date-based data management easier when aligned with suitable indexes and boundaries?

  1. APartition the table by date
  2. BStore every date as free-form text
  3. CCreate a separate database for each individual row
  4. DUse a trigger to copy every query result
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Partitioning a table by a date range can support partition elimination for qualifying queries and can simplify some retention operations, such as switching or removing older partitions when the design and constraints are appropriate.

Question 3

A source file contains repeated rows with the same business key, and the warehouse should retain one row per key before loading a dimension. Which SQL technique can select one preferred row from each key group?

  1. AROW_NUMBER() with PARTITION BY the business key and an ordering rule
  2. BCROSS JOIN with a date table
  3. CCOUNT(*) without GROUP BY
  4. DA CHECK constraint on the target table
Show answerCorrect answer: A

ROW_NUMBER() assigns a sequence within each business-key partition. Filtering for row number 1 after applying a deterministic ordering rule selects the preferred source row for each key.

Question 4

A SQL Server database must store a very large warehouse table while reducing storage use for eligible data and potentially improving analytical query performance. Which feature is intended for this purpose?

  1. AData compression
  2. BDatabase mirroring
  3. CChange tracking
  4. DService Broker
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Row or page data compression can reduce the storage footprint of eligible table and index data. Its CPU and performance effects should be measured for the workload; the other options address availability, change detection, or messaging.

Question 5

An SSIS package needs to execute a SQL command once for each row in a data set, using a column value from the current row as a parameter. Which control-flow container is designed for this iteration pattern?

  1. ASequence Container
  2. BFor Loop Container
  3. CForeach Loop Container
  4. DEvent Handler
Show answerCorrect answer: C

A Foreach Loop Container iterates over items in a collection, including rows supplied through a Foreach ADO Enumerator, and can map row values to variables used by tasks inside the loop. A For Loop uses an initialization, evaluation, and increment expression instead.

Question 6

An SSIS data flow must combine rows from two sorted inputs by matching a shared key, while retaining only matching rows. Which transformation is suited to this operation?

  1. AMerge Join
  2. BUnion All
  3. CAggregate
  4. DRow Count
Show answerCorrect answer: A

The Merge Join transformation joins two sorted input data sets on specified columns and supports join types such as inner join. Union All appends rows, Aggregate summarizes them, and Row Count records a row total.

Question 7

A source system stores customer records with changing addresses. The warehouse must preserve each address version and report historical sales using the address valid when the sale occurred. Which dimension design best meets this requirement?

  1. AType 1 slowly changing dimension that overwrites the address
  2. BType 2 slowly changing dimension that adds a new row for each change
  3. CA degenerate dimension containing only the customer name
  4. DA junk dimension combining address with unrelated flags
Show answerCorrect answer: B

A Type 2 dimension preserves history by inserting a new row when tracked attributes change. Fact rows can reference the version that was valid at the time of the transaction.

How to use this practice test

Access is free. A session draws up to 20 random questions from the 50-question bank and displays results when you finish. Use the questions to check how well you can distinguish SQL and SSIS techniques, then review missed concepts such as dimension history, data-flow matching, and date-based table management.

Preparation tips

  • Sketch a star schema for a sales scenario, identifying the grain of the fact table and the keys and attributes needed in its dimensions.
  • Compare Type 1 and Type 2 dimension handling, then trace how a historical fact should resolve to the dimension version valid at its event date.
  • Practice SQL patterns for de-duplicating rows by business key and finding source keys with no matching dimension record.
  • Build SSIS data-flow examples that contrast Lookup with Merge Join, and verify the input sorting and match behavior each requires.
  • Review how partition boundaries and columnstore compression can support large fact tables, considering retention operations and analytical query patterns.
Official sourceOfficial exam page ↗