SK0-005 server-administration Practice Question
A SQL Server database administrator wants to backup a large database (500 GB) with minimal impact on transaction log growth and recovery time. Which TWO backup strategies should the administrator implement? (Choose two.)
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Perform weekly full backups
Options A and D are correct. A: A full backup copies the entire database, and is needed as a base. D: Transaction log backups control log growth and allow point-in-time recovery. Option B is wrong because differential backups depend on a recent full backup. Option C is wrong because copy-only backups do not affect the log sequence, but they don't control log growth. Option E is wrong because tail-log backups are taken just before disaster recovery, not regularly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform a tail-log backup before each full backup
Why it's wrong here
Tail-log backups are used for point-in-time recovery after a failure, not as a regular strategy to manage log growth.
- ✓
Perform weekly full backups
Why this is correct
Full backups provide a complete copy of the database and are required as a base for differential and log backups.
- ✓
Perform transaction log backups every 15 minutes
Why this is correct
Frequent log backups truncate the transaction log, preventing it from growing too large, and enable point-in-time recovery.
- ✗
Perform daily differential backups
Why it's wrong here
Differential backups reduce time but still require a full backup; they don't control log growth.
- ✗
Perform hourly copy-only backups
Why it's wrong here
Copy-only backups do not truncate the transaction log, so they do not help manage log growth.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning
Key term
Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery is a set of policies, procedures, and tools that help an organization restore critical IT systems and data after a disruptive event.
Key term
Business Continuity Planning
Business Continuity Planning is the process of creating a strategy to keep an organization's essential functions running during and after a major disruption.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SK0-005
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company wants to protect its Microsoft SQL Server database with a backup strategy that provides point-in-time recovery up to every 15 minutes. The database is critical and runs on a dedicated server. Which backup schedule should be implemented?
easy- A.Use storage-level snapshots every 15 minutes on a SAN.
- B.Full backup daily, differential backup hourly.
- ✓ C.Full backup weekly, differential daily, transaction log backups every 15 minutes.
- D.Set up database mirroring with automatic failover and full weekly backups.
Why C: Option B (Full backup weekly, differential daily, transaction log backups every 15 minutes) is correct because full and differential backups provide a base, while frequent transaction log backups enable granular point-in-time restore. Option A lacks transaction log backups, so recovery granularity is limited to daily. Option C uses mirroring, which is high availability (not a backup) and does not protect against logical corruption. Option D uses snapshot technology but snapshots alone are not a backup and may impact performance if taken every 15 minutes.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed July 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This SK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SK0-005 exam.