If a query activity is part of a program or automation, what should you not do on the same step?

• A. Do not add other activities on the same step
• B. Add other activities on the same step
• C. Disable the program
• D. Move the query to a different data extension

Answer: (A)

Keep the query in its own step to ensure the data it creates is ready before anything else uses it. In Automation Studio, you want a clear, sequential flow: the query activity runs and completes, writing results to a data extension, and only then do downstream steps rely on that updated data. If you also place other activities in the same step, they could run at the same time as the query, which might mean reading an empty or incomplete data extension and producing unpredictable results. So the best practice is to avoid adding other activities on the same step as the query.

The other options don’t address the sequencing concern. Disabling the program or moving the query to a different data extension are not the primary guidance for this scenario; keeping the query on its own step is about ensuring proper data availability for subsequent steps.