Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a SQL Server database on an Azure virtual machine in a single region. They need to increase storage capacity and improve I/O performance for their transaction-intensive workload. They also want to ensure high availability within the same datacenter (99.99% SLA). What should they do?
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
Use Azure Premium SSD v2 managed disks in a storage pool with mirroring across multiple disks.
Premium SSD v2 provides high IOPS and throughput, and multiple disks can be pooled in the OS (e.g., Storage Spaces) to increase capacity and performance. The VM should be in an availability set to meet the SLA.
B
Distractor review
Use Azure Ultra Disk storage attached to the VM.
Ultra Disk provides extremely high performance but is significantly more expensive than Premium SSD v2. It may be unnecessary for the stated requirement for many transaction-intensive workloads.
C
Distractor review
Deploy the SQL Server on an availability set and use Storage Spaces Direct with multiple disks.
Storage Spaces Direct is a feature for building clustered storage across multiple nodes, not for a single VM. It would require additional VMs and complexity.
D
Distractor review
Enable Azure SQL Managed Instance with auto-failover groups.
This migrates the database to a PaaS service, which is a significant change and may not be desired. It also does not directly address increasing storage capacity on the current VM.
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: Use Azure Premium SSD v2 managed disks in a storage pool with mirroring across multiple disks. — Using Premium SSD v2 managed disks in a storage pool with mirroring across multiple disks provides both increased capacity and improved IOPS/throughput, and the disks are independently durable. Placing the VM in an availability set ensures high availability for the VM, not storage. Ultra Disk offers high performance but is more expensive than needed. Storage Spaces Direct is for clustered storage, not simple single-VM storage. Azure SQL Managed Instance changes the platform and introduces migration effort.
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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