- A
Azure Backup with the MARS agent.
The MARS agent can back up on-premises SQL Server databases to a Recovery Services vault in Azure. It supports encryption with a user-provided passphrase and allows long-term retention (7 years is easily configurable). Restores can be done to the original or alternate on-premises server.
- B
Azure Site Recovery.
Why wrong: Azure Site Recovery is a disaster recovery service that replicates entire VMs or servers to Azure for failover. It is not a backup solution for long-term retention and does not provide the file-level restore capabilities needed for a single database.
- C
Azure Database Migration Service.
Why wrong: The Database Migration Service helps migrate databases from on-premises to Azure with minimal downtime. It is not designed for ongoing backups and does not support restoring to on-premises.
- D
Azure Storage with incremental snapshots.
Why wrong: While you could manually take snapshots of VMs or disks, this is not a managed backup solution for SQL Server databases. It lacks application-consistent backup of SQL databases, integrated retention policies, and easy restore workflows.
Quick Answer
The answer is Azure Backup with the MARS agent. This is the correct choice because the MARS agent is purpose-built for backing up on-premises SQL Server databases directly to Azure, supporting file- and application-consistent backups while encrypting data at rest with a user-defined passphrase. For your Azure Backup on-premises SQL Server long-term retention scenario, the MARS agent allows retention up to 99 years, easily covering the 7-year compliance requirement, and it enables restoration directly back to an on-premises server for disaster recovery. On the AZ-305 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between Azure Backup agents—the MARS agent for on-premises workloads versus the Azure Backup Server for hybrid environments—and a common trap is selecting Azure Site Recovery, which handles replication and failover, not long-term backup retention. Remember the mnemonic: MARS for “Move and Retain SQL” to keep your backups encrypted and compliant for decades.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 wants to back up on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure and be able to restore them to an on-premises server in case of a disaster. The backup must be encrypted and retained for 7 years for compliance. Which Azure service should they use?
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
Azure Backup with the MARS agent.
Azure Backup with the MARS agent is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to back up on-premises SQL Server databases directly to Azure, supports encryption at rest using a passphrase, and allows long-term retention (up to 99 years) to meet the 7-year compliance requirement. The MARS agent performs file- and application-consistent backups and can restore data to an on-premises server, fulfilling the disaster recovery scenario.
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.
- ✓
Azure Backup with the MARS agent.
Why this is correct
The MARS agent can back up on-premises SQL Server databases to a Recovery Services vault in Azure. It supports encryption with a user-provided passphrase and allows long-term retention (7 years is easily configurable). Restores can be done to the original or alternate on-premises server.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Site Recovery.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Site Recovery is a disaster recovery service that replicates entire VMs or servers to Azure for failover. It is not a backup solution for long-term retention and does not provide the file-level restore capabilities needed for a single database.
- ✗
Azure Database Migration Service.
Why it's wrong here
The Database Migration Service helps migrate databases from on-premises to Azure with minimal downtime. It is not designed for ongoing backups and does not support restoring to on-premises.
- ✗
Azure Storage with incremental snapshots.
Why it's wrong here
While you could manually take snapshots of VMs or disks, this is not a managed backup solution for SQL Server databases. It lacks application-consistent backup of SQL databases, integrated retention policies, and easy restore workflows.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Site Recovery (a replication/failover tool) with Azure Backup (a backup/restore tool), overlooking that Site Recovery does not support long-term retention or granular database restore to on-premises servers.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The MARS agent uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to ensure application-consistent backups of SQL Server databases, and it encrypts backup data using a user-provided passphrase with AES-256 before uploading to Azure. For long-term retention, Azure Backup supports a grandfather-father-son (GFS) retention policy, allowing daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly backup points to be retained for up to 99 years, which easily covers the 7-year compliance requirement. In a real-world scenario, if the on-premises server fails, the MARS agent can restore the database directly to a different on-premises server using the same passphrase, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
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: Azure Backup with the MARS agent. — Azure Backup with the MARS agent is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to back up on-premises SQL Server databases directly to Azure, supports encryption at rest using a passphrase, and allows long-term retention (up to 99 years) to meet the 7-year compliance requirement. The MARS agent performs file- and application-consistent backups and can restore data to an on-premises server, fulfilling the disaster recovery scenario.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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