Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
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 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 SQL Database with active geo-replication and an auto-failover group
This enables automatic failover with low RPO/RTO and allows the secondary to be used for read-only queries.
B
Distractor review
Azure SQL Database with geo-restore
Geo-restore restores from a geo-redundant backup and has a much higher RPO (typically hours) and RTO (hours to days).
C
Distractor review
Azure SQL Database with a standby replica
Azure SQL Database does not have a standby replica feature; it uses active geo-replication for DR.
D
Distractor review
Azure SQL Database with cross-region failover
Cross-region failover is not a distinct feature; it is achieved through failover groups with geo-replication.
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 SQL Database with active geo-replication and an auto-failover group — Active geo-replication and auto-failover groups provide automatic failover with an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 minute. The secondary database can be used for read-only queries. Geo-restore (option B) has a higher RPO and RTO. Standby replica (option C) is not a feature in Azure SQL Database. Cross-region failover (option D) is not a specific feature; it is part of failover groups.
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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