Question 529 of 161
SQL Server Always On Availability Groups for Zero Data Loss DR
A financial services company runs a critical application on Azure VMs with SQL Server Always On availability groups. The primary region is East US, and the secondary region is West US. The business requires automatic failover with zero data loss in case of a regional disaster. Which configuration should you recommend for the availability group?
Quick Answer
The correct configuration is synchronous commit mode with automatic failover, as this combination guarantees zero data loss and automated recovery during a regional disaster. Synchronous commit ensures that every transaction is written to both the primary and secondary replicas before being acknowledged, eliminating any possibility of data loss, while automatic failover allows the secondary replica to become the primary without manual intervention when the primary region fails. On the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of high-availability and disaster recovery trade-offs, often appearing as a trap where candidates confuse synchronous commit with manual failover or mistakenly pair asynchronous commit with automatic failover, which risks data loss. A key memory tip is to remember that “synchronous equals safe” for zero data loss, and “automatic equals hands-off” for failover, so together they form the only pair that meets both requirements.
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse synchronous commit with automatic failover, mistakenly thinking that synchronous commit alone enables automatic failover, or they assume asynchronous commit can achieve zero data loss if the network is fast, but the exam strictly requires synchronous commit for zero data loss and automatic failover for the failover mode.
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
✓
Use synchronous commit mode with automatic failover
The requirement for automatic failover with zero data loss in a disaster recovery scenario necessitates synchronous commit mode, which ensures that transactions are committed on both the primary and secondary replicas before the primary acknowledges the commit. Automatic failover is only supported with synchronous commit mode when both replicas are in a healthy state, allowing the secondary to automatically become the primary without manual intervention. This configuration meets the business need for zero data loss (RPO=0) and minimal downtime (RTO) during a regional disaster.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use synchronous commit mode with manual failover
Why it's wrong here
Manual failover does not meet automatic requirement.
- ✗
Use asynchronous commit mode with automatic failover
Why it's wrong here
Asynchronous commit may cause data loss.
- ✓
Use synchronous commit mode with automatic failover
Why this is correct
Synchronous commit ensures zero data loss; automatic failover meets RTO.
- ✗
Use asynchronous commit mode with manual failover
Why it's wrong here
Asynchronous commit may cause data loss.
Visual reference
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on AZ-305
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a critical application on Azure VMs in a single region. The database tier uses SQL Server on Azure VMs. They need to implement disaster recovery to a secondary region with an RPO of 30 seconds and an RTO of 10 minutes for the database, and an RPO of 5 minutes and RTO of 1 hour for the VMs. The solution must minimize data loss and be cost-effective. Which combination should they use?
hard- A.Azure Site Recovery for VMs and SQL Server Always On Availability Groups with synchronous commit
- B.Azure Site Recovery for VMs and SQL Server log shipping
- C.Azure Backup for VMs and SQL Server database mirroring
- ✓ D.Azure Site Recovery for VMs and SQL Server Always On Availability Groups with asynchronous commit
Why D: Azure Site Recovery (ASR) provides VM replication to a secondary region with an RPO of 5 minutes and RTO of 1 hour, meeting the VM requirements. SQL Server Always On Availability Groups with asynchronous commit can achieve an RPO of 30 seconds (or less) while minimizing cost by avoiding synchronous replication overhead, and it supports automatic failover for the database tier, meeting the 10-minute RTO.
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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