Quick Answer
The answer is failover groups with active geo-replication. This configuration meets the stringent Azure SQL Database disaster recovery RPO of 5 seconds and RTO under 1 hour because active geo-replication continuously and asynchronously replicates every transaction to a secondary region, typically achieving an RPO of five seconds or less, while failover groups automate the coordinated failover of the entire database group, ensuring the RTO stays under one hour by handling DNS updates and connection string redirection transparently to applications. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to match business continuity requirements with the correct Azure SQL replication tier, and a common trap is choosing standard geo-replication alone, which lacks the automated orchestration needed for the sub-hour RTO. Remember the memory tip: “Active for the RPO, Groups for the RTO” — active geo-replication gives you the near-zero data loss, and failover groups give you the fast, coordinated recovery.
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is designing a disaster recovery strategy for a mission-critical Azure SQL Database. They require a recovery point objective (RPO) of 5 seconds and a recovery time objective (RTO) of 1 hour. Which replication option should they use?
Zone-redundant deployment
Why wrong: Protects within region, not disaster recovery.
Failover groups with active geo-replication
Meets RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 1 hour.
Auto-failover groups with active geo-replication
Why wrong: RTO is typically minutes, but the question specifies 1 hour.
Geo-restore
Why wrong: RPO is 1 hour, not 5 seconds.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Failover groups with active geo-replication
Failover groups with active geo-replication provide the lowest RPO (typically 5 seconds or less) and RTO (under 1 hour) for Azure SQL Database. Active geo-replication asynchronously replicates transactions to a secondary region, and failover groups orchestrate a coordinated, application-transparent failover that meets the stringent RTO requirement.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Zone-redundant deployment
Why it's wrong here
Protects within region, not disaster recovery.
Failover groups with active geo-replication
Why this is correct
Meets RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 1 hour.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Auto-failover groups with active geo-replication
Why it's wrong here
RTO is typically minutes, but the question specifies 1 hour.
Geo-restore
Why it's wrong here
RPO is 1 hour, not 5 seconds.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'failover groups' with 'auto-failover groups' (which is not an official Azure term) and may incorrectly choose option C, or they underestimate the RPO/RTO of geo-restore and pick option D, not realizing that geo-restore is a backup-based solution with much higher latency.
Detailed technical explanation
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous log shipping with a typical lag of 5 seconds under normal conditions, but the actual RPO can increase during high write loads. Failover groups manage the entire logical server and database set, using a listener endpoint to redirect connections automatically, which helps achieve the 1-hour RTO by eliminating manual DNS changes. In a real-world scenario, if the primary region suffers a catastrophic failure, the failover group can be initiated manually or automatically (with a grace period), and the RTO includes detection time, failover execution, and application reconnection.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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FAQ
Design data storage solutions — This question tests Design data storage solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Failover groups with active geo-replication — Failover groups with active geo-replication provide the lowest RPO (typically 5 seconds or less) and RTO (under 1 hour) for Azure SQL Database. Active geo-replication asynchronously replicates transactions to a secondary region, and failover groups orchestrate a coordinated, application-transparent failover that meets the stringent RTO requirement.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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