- A
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and active geo-replication for the database
Why wrong: Active geo-replication is only available for Azure SQL Database (single), not for Azure SQL Managed Instance.
- B
Azure Backup for VMs and auto-failover groups for the database
Why wrong: Azure Backup is designed for data backup and restore, not for replication with an RTO of 2 hours, and does not provide automatic VM orchestration.
- C
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and auto-failover groups for the database
Azure Site Recovery replicates VMs to a secondary region with RPO of seconds to minutes and RTO of hours, and auto-failover groups provide geo-replication and automatic failover for Azure SQL Managed Instance with RPO of seconds.
- D
Deploy a second region with VMs and database replicas manually configured and Azure Traffic Manager
Why wrong: Manual deployment does not provide automated replication and failover, and does not meet the RPO/RTO requirements as efficiently as native Azure services.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is Azure Site Recovery for VMs paired with auto-failover groups for SQL Managed Instance. This combination works because Azure Site Recovery orchestrates VM replication and failover to meet the 2-hour RTO for the entire stack, while auto-failover groups leverage built-in distributed availability groups to achieve an RPO as low as 5 minutes for the database, using synchronous or asynchronous replication natively without custom scripting. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to pair infrastructure-level DR (ASR) with PaaS-level DR (auto-failover groups) to satisfy both RTO and RPO requirements cost-effectively. A common trap is choosing a single service like Always On availability groups for the database alone, which fails to address VM recovery, or over-engineering with manual scripts. Memory tip: think "VMs need ASR, databases need auto-failover" — the two services together cover the full stack without overlap.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity 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 runs a critical application on Azure VMs and an Azure SQL Managed Instance in a single region. They need a disaster recovery solution with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 5 minutes for the database and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 2 hours for the entire stack. They want to minimize cost and use native Azure services. Which combination should they implement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 Site Recovery for VMs and auto-failover groups for the database
Option C is correct because Azure Site Recovery (ASR) provides orchestrated replication and failover for Azure VMs, meeting the 2-hour RTO for the entire stack, while auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Managed Instance enable automatic, synchronous or asynchronous replication with an RPO as low as 5 minutes using the built-in distributed availability groups feature. This combination uses native Azure services without manual scripting, minimizing cost and complexity.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and active geo-replication for the database
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication is only available for Azure SQL Database (single), not for Azure SQL Managed Instance.
- ✗
Azure Backup for VMs and auto-failover groups for the database
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup is designed for data backup and restore, not for replication with an RTO of 2 hours, and does not provide automatic VM orchestration.
- ✓
Azure Site Recovery for VMs and auto-failover groups for the database
Why this is correct
Azure Site Recovery replicates VMs to a secondary region with RPO of seconds to minutes and RTO of hours, and auto-failover groups provide geo-replication and automatic failover for Azure SQL Managed Instance with RPO of seconds.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deploy a second region with VMs and database replicas manually configured and Azure Traffic Manager
Why it's wrong here
Manual deployment does not provide automated replication and failover, and does not meet the RPO/RTO requirements as efficiently as native Azure services.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing active geo-replication (which only applies to Azure SQL Database) with auto-failover groups (which are required for Azure SQL Managed Instance), leading candidates to incorrectly select Option A.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Managed Instance use the underlying Always On Availability Groups technology, supporting a maximum of one readable secondary replica in a different region with continuous data synchronization. The RPO of 5 minutes is achievable with asynchronous commit mode, but for stricter RPOs, synchronous commit can be used within the same region; however, for cross-region DR, asynchronous is typical to avoid latency impact. Azure Site Recovery orchestrates VM replication using the Azure Site Recovery Mobility Service, which captures disk writes and sends them to a cache storage account in the target region, enabling failover within minutes.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Design business continuity solutions practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Design business continuity solutions — This question tests Design business continuity solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Site Recovery for VMs and auto-failover groups for the database — Option C is correct because Azure Site Recovery (ASR) provides orchestrated replication and failover for Azure VMs, meeting the 2-hour RTO for the entire stack, while auto-failover groups for Azure SQL Managed Instance enable automatic, synchronous or asynchronous replication with an RPO as low as 5 minutes using the built-in distributed availability groups feature. This combination uses native Azure services without manual scripting, minimizing cost and complexity.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-305 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-305 exam.
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