Columnar Storage for Efficient and Fast Query Performance

Correct Answer: A.

Parquet is a column-based file format, which gives better performance in queries and efficiency compared to similar file formats.

Option A is correct: It is a columnar file format.

Compared to other file formats in the option, it has the best performance and efficiency.

Option B is incorrect: Avro is a row-based format.

Options C and D are incorrect: These formats are less efficient and not fast performing compared to Parquet.

The best file format for the given requirements of columnar storage and efficient and fast performance for queries is Parquet (Option A).

Parquet is a columnar storage file format that is optimized for query performance. It stores data in a compressed and columnar format, which reduces the amount of I/O required for queries and allows for efficient compression of data. Columnar storage means that the data in each column is stored together, allowing for faster and more efficient retrieval of specific data.

Parquet is specifically designed to work well with big data processing frameworks like Apache Hadoop, Apache Spark, and Microsoft Azure HDInsight. It supports a wide range of data types and has good support for nested data structures, making it suitable for complex data processing tasks.

Avro (Option B) is another file format that is optimized for data serialization and deserialization. It is designed to support dynamic data structures and has a small footprint, which makes it suitable for use in distributed systems. However, it is not optimized for query performance and does not support columnar storage.

CSV (Option C) and JSON (Option D) are both text-based file formats that are not optimized for query performance. They are widely used for data exchange between systems and are human-readable, but they do not support efficient compression or columnar storage. While they can be used for small datasets or simple data processing tasks, they are not suitable for large-scale data processing and analysis.

In summary, Parquet is the best file format for the given requirements of columnar storage and efficient and fast performance for queries.