DP-300 Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You have an Azure SQL Managed Instance configured with a failover group for disaster recovery. The primary instance is in the East US region and the secondary is in West US. You need to perform a planned failover for maintenance with zero data loss. What is the correct sequence of steps?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Use the Azure portal to perform a planned failover for the failover group.. To perform a planned failover with zero data loss for an Azure SQL Managed Instance failover group, you should use the Azure portal (or PowerShell/CLI) to initiate a planned failover. This ensures that all transactions are synchronized before switching roles, preventing data loss. Option A is incorrect because taking the primary offline before failover would cause downtime and potential data loss. Option C is incorrect because scaling down does not facilitate a planned failover. Option D is incorrect because removing the failover group would break replication and is unnecessary.

Answer

Take the primary instance offline, then failover.

Answer

Scale down the primary to reduce cost, then failover.

Answer

Remove the failover group, perform maintenance, then recreate the failover group.

Question 2

Which TWO of the following are benefits of using Azure SQL Database failover groups compared to active geo-replication alone?

Accepted Answer

Failover of multiple databases in a single group.. Failover groups extend active geo-replication by allowing you to manage failover for a group of databases as a single unit. This simplifies the failover process when you have multiple databases that must be failed over together to maintain application consistency. Option B is correct because failover groups support the coordinated failover of multiple databases, which active geo-replication alone does not.

Answer

Support for manual failover.

Answer

Readable secondary replicas for read-scale workloads.

Answer

Synchronous data replication to the secondary.

Question 3

Which THREE of the following are required considerations when configuring a failover group for Azure SQL Managed Instance?

Accepted Answer

Both instances must be in the same partner region pair.. Options A, C, and E are correct. For Azure SQL Managed Instance failover groups, both instances must be in the same partner region pair (e.g., East US and West US). The secondary instance must be in a different Azure region to provide geo-redundancy. The databases must be in the same resource group. Option B is incorrect because the secondary instance can have a different service tier than the primary. Option D is incorrect because automatic failover is not required; you can use manual failover.

Answer

Both instances must have the same service tier.

Answer

Automatic failover must be enabled.

Question 4

Which TWO of the following are valid disaster recovery options for Azure SQL Database that provide a secondary in a different Azure region?

Accepted Answer

Active geo-replication. Options A and B are correct. Active geo-replication and Failover groups are both valid disaster recovery options for Azure SQL Database that provide a secondary database in a different Azure region. Options C, D, and E are incorrect: Geo-restore (C) restores from backups and does not maintain a continuous secondary; Zone-redundant configuration (D) provides high availability within a single region, not disaster recovery; Auto-failover groups (E) is a feature that enables automatic failover for failover groups, but it is not a separate disaster recovery option—it is part of failover groups.

Answer

Geo-restore

Answer

Zone-redundant configuration

Answer

Auto-failover groups

Question 5

Your company has an Azure SQL Managed Instance in the West US region. You need to configure a disaster recovery solution that provides automatic failover to a secondary region with minimal data loss. The solution must also allow read-only access to the secondary database for reporting purposes. Which option should you use?

Accepted Answer

Configure a failover group between the primary and secondary managed instances.. Failover groups are the native disaster recovery feature for Azure SQL Managed Instance, providing automatic failover, a readable secondary (via read-only intent), and minimal data loss with a synchronization mode that prioritizes data durability. Option A (auto-failover group with active geo-replication) is incorrect because active geo-replication is a separate feature for single databases and elastic pools, not managed instances; failover groups themselves include the auto-failover capability. Option C (log shipping) is not a built-in managed instance feature, does not provide automatic failover, and the secondary is not readable during normal operation. Option D (active geo-replication) is for single databases and elastic pools, not managed instances, and does not provide automatic failover.

Answer

Create an auto-failover group with active geo-replication.

Answer

Use log shipping to a secondary managed instance.

Answer

Enable active geo-replication on the database.

Question 6

You have an Azure SQL Database configured with active geo-replication to a secondary region. A regional outage occurs in the primary region. You need to manually fail over to the secondary database with the least amount of data loss. Which PowerShell cmdlet should you run?

Accepted Answer

Set-AzSqlDatabaseSecondary -ResourceGroupName ... -ServerName ... -DatabaseName ... -PartnerResourceGroupName ... -Failover. Set-AzSqlDatabaseSecondary with -Failover initiates a planned failover that synchronizes data before failing over, minimizing data loss. Option A (Start-AzSqlDatabaseFailover) is for failing over a single database within the same region, not geo-failover. Option C (Invoke-AzSqlDatabaseFailover) does not exist. Option D (Switch-AzSqlDatabaseSecondary) is not a valid cmdlet.

Answer

Start-AzSqlDatabaseFailover -ResourceGroupName ... -ServerName ... -DatabaseName ...

Answer

Invoke-AzSqlDatabaseFailover -ResourceGroupName ... -ServerName ... -DatabaseName ... -Secondary

Answer

Switch-AzSqlDatabaseSecondary -ResourceGroupName ... -ServerName ... -DatabaseName ...

Question 7

You are designing a high availability solution for a mission-critical Azure SQL Database. The database must have an uptime SLA of 99.995% and automatically recover from zone-level failures without data loss. Which service tier and redundancy option should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Business Critical tier with zone redundancy. The Business Critical tier with zone redundancy provides an SLA of 99.995% and automatic recovery from zone-level failures without data loss. The Basic tier does not support zone redundancy. The General Purpose tier with zone redundancy offers a 99.99% SLA. The Hyperscale tier with zone redundancy offers a 99.95% SLA for zone-redundant configurations. Therefore, only the Business Critical tier meets the 99.995% uptime requirement with zone redundancy.

Answer

Basic tier with zone redundancy

Answer

General Purpose tier with zone redundancy

Answer

Hyperscale tier with zone redundancy

Question 8

You have an Azure SQL Managed Instance configured with a failover group for disaster recovery. The primary instance is in the East US region and the secondary is in West US. You need to perform a planned failover for maintenance with zero data loss. What is the correct sequence of steps?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

The failover changed the secondary instance to primary, and read-only routing is not configured for the new secondary.. After failover, the secondary role changes to primary, and the database becomes writable. Read-only routing must be reconfigured or the connection string must specify ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly to reach the new secondary. Option A (secondary is not readable) is false because failover groups support readable secondary. Option B (firewall rules) would cause a different error. Option D (license type) does not affect read access.

Answer

The secondary instance is not in the same license type as the primary.

Answer

The firewall rules on the secondary instance do not allow the client IP.

Answer

The secondary instance is not configured to allow read-only access.

Question 9

You need to design a high availability solution for an Azure SQL Database that supports an online transaction processing (OLTP) application. The solution must provide automatic failover within seconds in case of a node failure and guarantee zero data loss. Which deployment option should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Business Critical tier with zone redundancy. (Business Critical tier with zone redundancy) is correct because the Business Critical tier uses synchronous replication and a quorum-based commit to replicas, ensuring zero data loss on failover and failover within seconds. Option A (Basic tier) does not support zone redundancy or automatic failover with zero data loss. Option B (General Purpose tier) uses asynchronous replication, which may result in data loss during failover. Option C (Hyperscale tier) uses a log-based service with a buffer, which can lead to data loss on failover.

Answer

Basic tier with zone redundancy

Answer

General Purpose tier with zone redundancy

Answer

Hyperscale tier with zone redundancy

Question 10

You have an Azure SQL Database in the General Purpose tier. You need to implement a disaster recovery solution that provides an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 hour. The solution must use Azure PaaS features only. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Configure active geo-replication to a secondary server in a different region.. Active geo-replication provides asynchronous replication with a typical RPO of 5 seconds, and manual failover can be completed within the 1‑hour RTO window. Failover groups (Option A) are fully supported for Azure SQL Database (not limited to managed instances) and also meet the RPO/RTO targets, but they are designed to manage multiple databases as a group and introduce additional overhead for a single‑database scenario. Geo‑restore (Option C) has an RPO of up to one hour and a much longer RTO. Copy‑only backups (Option D) are not a disaster recovery solution.

Answer

Create a failover group between two servers in different regions.

Answer

Use geo-restore to recover the database from the latest geo-replicated backup.

Answer

Configure copy-only backups to a secondary region.

Question 11

Your company has an Azure SQL Managed Instance in the General Purpose tier. You need to configure a failover group for disaster recovery. The secondary managed instance must be in a different region and must also be used for read-only workloads. During a failover, you want to minimize data loss. Which configuration should you use?

Accepted Answer

Create a failover group and configure the secondary instance to allow read-only connections.. Failover groups for Azure SQL Managed Instance allow you to configure the secondary instance to allow read-only connections, enabling it to serve read-only workloads. This minimizes data loss by using automatic replication with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 1 second. Option A (zone redundancy) provides high availability within a region, not disaster recovery across regions. Option C (log shipping) is not a built-in feature for managed instances and does not support automatic failover. Option D (active geo-replication) is not supported for managed instances; failover groups are the recommended solution.

Answer

Enable zone redundancy on the primary and secondary instances.

Answer

Configure log shipping between the primary and secondary instances.

Answer

Use active geo-replication instead of a failover group.

Question 12

You have an Azure SQL Database in the Hyperscale service tier. You need to ensure that the database remains available during a single Azure zone failure. The solution must not require manual intervention. What should you configure?

Accepted Answer

Enable zone redundancy on the Hyperscale database.. Hyperscale databases support zone redundancy, which automatically places database replicas in different availability zones, ensuring availability during a single zone failure without manual intervention. Option A is incorrect because failover groups with a secondary in a different zone are used for SQL Managed Instance or other service tiers, not for Hyperscale zone redundancy. Option C is incorrect because active geo-replication is for disaster recovery across regions, not for zone-level failures. Option D is incorrect because auto-failover groups are for SQL Managed Instance or other tiers, and zone redundancy is the native solution for Hyperscale.

Answer

Create a failover group with a secondary in a different zone.

Answer

Configure active geo-replication to a secondary server in a different zone.

Answer

Configure an auto-failover group with a secondary in a different zone.

Question 13

You are planning a disaster recovery solution for an Azure SQL Managed Instance. The solution must meet the following requirements: provide automatic failover to a secondary region, support read-only workloads on the secondary, and allow manual failback. Which TWO features should you include? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Failover group. Options C and D are correct. Failover groups provide automatic failover to a secondary region, support readable secondary workloads, and allow manual failback by initiating a failover in the opposite direction. Option A (Active geo-replication) is not supported for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Option B (Geo-restore) does not provide automatic failover. Option E (Log shipping) is not built-in for managed instances and does not meet the requirements.

Answer

Active geo-replication

Answer

Geo-restore

Answer

Log shipping

Question 14

You have an Azure SQL Database in the Business Critical tier with zone redundancy enabled. You need to maintain high availability during a planned patching event. Which THREE actions should you take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Verify that zone redundancy is enabled on the database.. To maintain high availability during a planned patching event on a Business Critical tier with zone redundancy enabled, you should first verify that zone redundancy is enabled (B) to confirm the configuration. Perform a planned failover test (D) to ensure the failover mechanism works correctly. Ensure the database has a read-scale replica configured (E) to offload read workloads and maintain performance. Option A (enable active geo-replication) is not required for high availability during patching; it is for disaster recovery. Option C (scale to lower tier) would reduce availability and is unnecessary.

Answer

Enable active geo-replication to a secondary region.

Answer

Scale the database to a lower tier to reduce cost.

Question 15

You need to configure high availability for an Azure SQL Database that supports a critical application. The database must be resilient to a single compute node failure. Which TWO options should you consider? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Use the Business Critical service tier.. Options D and E are correct. The Business Critical service tier provides synchronous replicas that automatically failover on node failure, ensuring high availability within a single region. Zone redundancy, when enabled in the Business Critical tier, places replicas across different availability zones, adding resilience to zone-level failures. Option A (Hyperscale read replicas) are for read scaling, not high availability. Option B (active geo-replication) is for disaster recovery across regions, not single node failure. Option C (auto-failover group) is for managing failover of multiple databases, not directly for compute node resilience.

Answer

Configure Hyperscale read replicas.

Answer

Enable active geo-replication.

Answer

Create an auto-failover group.