AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
A healthcare organization stores patient records in Azure SQL Database. They need to ensure that all read queries against the database are directed to a read-only replica to offload the primary. Which feature should you configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Active geo-replication (which also provides readable secondaries) with Read scale-out, but Active geo-replication requires explicit connection string changes per replica, whereas Read scale-out automatically routes read-only queries via the same logical server endpoint.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Read scale-out
Read scale-out in Azure SQL Database allows you to direct read-only queries to a read-only replica, offloading the primary database. By setting the `ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly` connection string parameter, queries are automatically routed to the secondary replica, which is ideal for read-heavy workloads like patient record queries.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Elastic database queries
Why it's wrong here
Elastic database queries in Azure SQL Database enable T-SQL queries to span multiple databases by defining external tables and using either elastically pooled or sharded mappings. While this is useful for federating data from several databases, it does not create or route traffic to a read-only secondary replica, so it cannot offload read-only workloads from a primary database.
- ✗
Failover groups
Why it's wrong here
Failover groups group one primary and one secondary Azure SQL Database into a single logical endpoint, automating failover and preserving the connection string during geo-DR events. Though the secondary in a failover group can be readable when the databases are also geo-replicated, failover groups themselves do not route read-only queries off the primary; they manage availability transitions, not load distribution for reads.
- ✓
Read scale-out
Why this is correct
Read scale-out in Azure SQL Database uses a readable secondary replica created automatically in the Premium/Business Critical or Hyperscale service tiers, and it routes sessions that specify ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly to that replica. This lets BI and reporting workloads query the secondary while transactional workloads use the primary, and read-only queries are guaranteed to see a transactionally consistent snapshot at the time of the replica's last commit. It is specifically designed to offload reads, not to provide failover or cross-region DR.
- ✗
Active geo-replication
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication maintains an asynchronous readable replica in a different Azure region for disaster recovery and geo-distribution, with its own distinct connection endpoint. Although you could point read-only reporting at that geo replica, it is not a read-scale solution for the primary because reads still consume the primary unless you manually redirect clients, and replication lag means the data may be stale; it is built for regional resilience rather than read offloading.
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