AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
A company plans to migrate on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure. They need to minimize changes to existing applications and want to use the latest features of SQL Server. Which Azure data service should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose Azure SQL Database thinking it is the most modern PaaS option, but they overlook the requirement to minimize application changes, which SQL Managed Instance satisfies by offering the highest compatibility with on-premises SQL Server.
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
✓
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure SQL Managed Instance is the correct choice because it provides near 100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server, enabling a lift-and-shift migration with minimal application changes. It also supports the latest SQL Server features, such as native JSON support, temporal tables, and intelligent query processing, while offloading infrastructure management to Azure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
Why it's wrong here
While it offers the highest level of control and almost complete SQL Server compatibility, it is an infrastructure-as-a-service solution: you must manage the OS, install and patch SQL Server, configure backups, and maintain high availability. This operational overhead makes it less suitable when you want to offload database administration to Azure.
- ✓
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Why this is correct
As a PaaS offering, Azure SQL Managed Instance delivers near-virtual-machine-level compatibility with instance-scoped features such as SQL Server Agent, linked servers, and CLR, allowing most databases to be migrated with minimal or no application changes. It also offloads administrative tasks—like patching, backups, and availability—to Azure while keeping the database in a VNet for isolated networking.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Database is a fully managed elastic single-database service, but it does not support instance-level features such as SQL Agent, linked servers, or cross-database queries, which are common in on-premises environments. Migrating a workload that depends on these capabilities would require rewriting parts of the application or refactoring data access, so it is not the best fit for a direct lift-and-shift.
- ✗
Azure Cosmos DB
Why it's wrong here
Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model NoSQL database that uses document (JSON) and key-value stores, not the SQL Server relational engine. It does not support T-SQL, stored procedures (in the same way), ACID transactions with the same semantics, or the relational schema structure, so it cannot serve as a target for a SQL Server database migration without a complete data-model redesign.
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