You work for MDFT Pro, a well-known training agency with an Azure SQL database that contains a massive fact table named FactEnrollments. Mark, the Database Storage Optimization Lead, needs to reduce storage costs while maintaining query performance. The FactEnrollments table has grown to 6 billion rows and is loaded nightly through a batch process that imports student enrollment records, course registrations, and payment information. The table structure includes columns for EnrollmentID (int), CourseID (int), TotalAmount (numeric 8,4), TaxAmount (numeric 8,4), and StudentName (varchar 30). Mark has asked you to recommend the compression type that will provide the greatest reduction in database storage space while maximizing query performance for analytical workloads.
The table structure is as follows:
| Column name | Data type |
|---|---|
| EnrollmentID | int |
| CourseID | int |
| TotalAmount | numeric(8, 4) |
| TaxAmount | numeric(8, 4) |
| StudentName | varchar(30) |
Which type of compression provides the greatest space reduction for the database?
Choose the correct answer from the options below.
Explanations for each answer: