Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A software company runs 50 small Azure SQL databases for different clients. Each database has low average usage but unpredictable spikes. The company wants to minimize cost while providing resources for peak loads and easily adding new databases without manual sizing. Which Azure data service 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
Distractor review
Azure SQL Database single databases
Single databases would require over-provisioning for each database to handle peaks, leading to higher costs. They do not pool resources across databases.
B
Best answer
Azure SQL Database elastic pool
Elastic pools allow sharing of resources across databases, ideal for variable workloads. They provide cost efficiency and the ability to handle spikes without over-provisioning each database.
C
Distractor review
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Managed Instance is suitable for lift-and-shift migrations requiring instance-level features, but it is more expensive and does not offer the same resource pooling across multiple databases as elastic pools.
D
Distractor review
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
Running SQL Server on VMs requires manual management of licenses, patching, and scaling, which adds overhead and does not provide the automated pooling and cost optimization of elastic pools.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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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?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure SQL Database elastic pool — Azure SQL Database elastic pools allow multiple databases to share a fixed pool of resources, optimizing cost for databases with variable usage patterns. Databases within an elastic pool can automatically scale within the pool limits, and new databases can be added with minimal administrative overhead. Azure SQL Database single instances would require over-provisioning, SQL Managed Instance is for larger instances with more features, and SQL Server on VMs involves management overhead.
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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