The answer is point-in-time restore (PITR). This feature is the correct choice because Azure SQL Database automatically performs full backups weekly, differential backups every 12 hours, and transaction log backups every 5–10 minutes, which together enable restoration to any second within the retention window. Since the requirement specifies a granularity of 1 minute for the last 90 minutes, PITR’s log backup frequency directly satisfies this need without any additional configuration beyond setting the retention period. On the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of built-in backup capabilities versus features like geo-replication or long-term retention, which address different requirements. A common trap is confusing PITR with active geo-replication—remember that PITR is for time-based recovery within a single region, while geo-replication handles regional failover. Memory tip: PITR = “Point In Time Restore” = “Pinpoint the second.”
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 an Azure SQL Database in a single region. They need to ensure that the database can be restored to any point in time within the last 90 minutes with a granularity of 1 minute. Which feature should they enable?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Point-in-time restore
Point-in-time restore (PITR) for Azure SQL Database automatically creates backups every 5-10 minutes and retains them for the default retention period of 7 days (configurable up to 35 days). This allows restoring the database to any second within the retention window, meeting the requirement of 1-minute granularity for the last 90 minutes. The feature is built-in and does not require any additional configuration beyond setting the desired retention period.
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.
✗
Active geo-replication
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication provides continuous replication to a secondary region but does not allow restoring to a specific past point in time.
✗
Auto-failover groups
Why it's wrong here
Auto-failover groups manage group failover but are not a backup/restore feature.
✓
Point-in-time restore
Why this is correct
Point-in-time restore allows restoring a database to any second within the retention period, meeting the requirement of 1-minute granularity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Long-term backup retention
Why it's wrong here
LTR provides weekly and monthly backups for long-term retention, but does not offer minute-level granularity for recent points.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse point-in-time restore with disaster recovery features like geo-replication or failover groups, but the question specifically asks for restoring to a point in time within 90 minutes with 1-minute granularity, which is exclusively provided by PITR.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure SQL Database uses full, differential, and transaction log backups to enable PITR. Transaction log backups are taken every 5-10 minutes, allowing restoration to any point in time within the retention period. The restore operation creates a new database as a copy of the source at the specified timestamp, which can be used for recovery or auditing scenarios. The default PITR retention is 7 days, but it can be configured up to 35 days for DTU-based or vCore-based databases.
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
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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: Point-in-time restore — Point-in-time restore (PITR) for Azure SQL Database automatically creates backups every 5-10 minutes and retains them for the default retention period of 7 days (configurable up to 35 days). This allows restoring the database to any second within the retention window, meeting the requirement of 1-minute granularity for the last 90 minutes. The feature is built-in and does not require any additional configuration beyond setting the desired retention period.
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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Question Discussion
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