Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a critical Azure SQL Database in a single region. They need to ensure availability if an entire Azure datacenter fails. They require automatic failover with zero data loss and an RTO of 30 seconds. They also want to use the secondary database for read-only query offloading during normal operations. Which Azure SQL Database feature should they enable?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Active geo-replication
Active geo-replication is asynchronous; during a failover, some data loss may occur, and it does not provide automatic failover with the specified RTO.
B
Best answer
Auto-failover groups with read-scale enabled
This feature uses synchronous replication (in the Business Critical or Premium tier) to ensure zero data loss, automatic failover within 30 seconds, and allows read-only queries on the secondary.
C
Distractor review
Zone-redundant database
Zone redundancy protects against a single datacenter failure within the same region but does not protect against a full regional outage.
D
Distractor review
Point-in-time restore
Point-in-time restore is used to recover from accidental data deletion or corruption, not for disaster recovery from a regional outage.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company is designing hub-and-spoke networking. Spoke VNets must use a central Azure Firewall for outbound internet traffic. Which two configurations are required?
Question 2
A company is designing private access to a PaaS database from workloads in a VNet. The database should not be reachable over its public endpoint. What should be recommended?
Question 3
A data platform must support analytical queries over petabytes of files in a data lake, while preserving hierarchical namespaces and fine-grained ACLs. Which storage service should you design around?
Question 4
A database workload has an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of 4 hours. Cost is more important than near-zero data loss. Which design is usually more appropriate than synchronous multi-region replication?
Question 5
A hub-and-spoke Azure network must centralize outbound inspection and still allow spokes to resolve private endpoint DNS names. Which two components are commonly required? (Choose 2.)
Question 6
A multinational company uses Microsoft Entra ID and several Azure subscriptions. Security administrators need to review privileged role assignments every month and require justification for continued access. Which design should be recommended?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Auto-failover groups with read-scale enabled — Auto-failover groups with read-scale (Business Critical tier) provide synchronous replication to a secondary region, ensuring zero data loss, automatic failover with RTO of 30 seconds, and allow read-only connections to the secondary. Active geo-replication is asynchronous and may lose data. Zone-redundant databases protect within a region against datacenter failure but not region failure. Point-in-time restore is for recovery from user errors, not regional disasters.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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