Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a critical SQL Server database on an Azure virtual machine. They need a backup strategy that supports point-in-time restore down to the second and long-term retention of backups for 7 years to meet compliance. They want to offload backup management to Azure. Which backup solution should they use?
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
Best answer
Azure Backup for SQL Server on Azure VM
Azure Backup provides a fully managed backup solution for SQL Server VMs, including point-in-time restore and long-term retention, meeting all requirements.
B
Distractor review
Azure Site Recovery
Site Recovery is designed for disaster recovery and replication, not for long-term backup with point-in-time restore capabilities.
C
Distractor review
SQL Server managed backup to Azure
While SQL Server managed backup stores backups in Azure, it still requires manual configuration and does not provide the same level of automation and long-term retention management as Azure Backup.
D
Distractor review
Azure Disk Backup
Disk Backup captures crash-consistent snapshots of virtual disks, not SQL database-consistent backups, and cannot perform point-in-time restore for database transactions.
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: Azure Backup for SQL Server on Azure VM — Azure Backup for SQL Server running on Azure VMs provides application-consistent backups, automated point-in-time restore (down to the second), and long-term retention (up to 10 years). It is a fully managed solution that offloads backup management. Azure Site Recovery is for disaster recovery, not backup. SQL Server managed backup to Azure is a manual configuration that still requires management, and Azure Disk Backup captures disk snapshots but does not provide SQL-consistent point-in-time restore.
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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