The answer is active geo-replication with an auto-failover group, as this combination meets the strict RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 1 minute while also supporting read-only secondary queries. Active geo-replication asynchronously replicates transactions to a secondary region with sub-5-second latency, and when paired with an auto-failover group, it enables automatic, coordinated failover of the entire database group within the configured grace period—typically achieving the required RTO. Crucially, the secondary replica can serve read-only workloads by connecting with `ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly`, fulfilling the reporting requirement without impacting primary performance. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between high-availability features: a common trap is choosing geo-replication alone (which lacks automatic failover) or failover groups without understanding read-scale capability. Remember the mnemonic “GRAF” for Geo-Replication + Auto-Failover: it gives you the Grace period for RTO, Read-only secondary, Asynchronous replication for low RPO, and automatic Failover.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 web application on Azure VMs that uses Azure SQL Database. They need a disaster recovery solution that provides automatic failover to a secondary region with an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 minute. The secondary region must also be able to serve read-only queries for reporting purposes. Which Azure SQL Database feature should they use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and an auto-failover group
Active geo-replication with an auto-failover group is the correct choice because it provides automatic, asynchronous replication of data to a secondary region with an RPO of 5 seconds (typically under 5 seconds) and an RTO of 1 minute when the failover group is configured with a grace period. Additionally, the secondary replica can be used for read-only queries by connecting with ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly, meeting the reporting requirement.
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 SQL Database with active geo-replication and an auto-failover group
Why this is correct
This enables automatic failover with low RPO/RTO and allows the secondary to be used for read-only queries.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure SQL Database with geo-restore
Why it's wrong here
Geo-restore restores from a geo-redundant backup and has a much higher RPO (typically hours) and RTO (hours to days).
✗
Azure SQL Database with a standby replica
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Database does not have a standby replica feature; it uses active geo-replication for DR.
✗
Azure SQL Database with cross-region failover
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region failover is not a distinct feature; it is achieved through failover groups with geo-replication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'geo-restore' (manual, backup-based) with 'active geo-replication' (continuous replication) or assume a 'standby replica' works across regions, when it is actually a single-region high-availability feature.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous replication with a typical RPO of 5 seconds, but under heavy load or network latency, the actual RPO can be higher; the auto-failover group adds a health probe and grace period to control failover timing. The read-only secondary is accessed by adding 'ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly' to the connection string, which routes queries to the secondary without impacting primary performance. In a real-world scenario, if the primary region fails, the auto-failover group automatically promotes the secondary to primary within 1 minute (if the grace period is set to 0), and the connection string remains unchanged for applications using the failover group listener.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
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 SQL Database with active geo-replication and an auto-failover group — Active geo-replication with an auto-failover group is the correct choice because it provides automatic, asynchronous replication of data to a secondary region with an RPO of 5 seconds (typically under 5 seconds) and an RTO of 1 minute when the failover group is configured with a grace period. Additionally, the secondary replica can be used for read-only queries by connecting with ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly, meeting the reporting requirement.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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