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Design business continuity solutions →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is a failover group that includes both databases, because this is the only Azure construct that orchestrates automatic, coordinated failover between primary and secondary replicas while preserving transaction consistency. Without a failover group, the secondary replica exists as a passive copy but cannot automatically take over with zero data loss—manual initiation or application-level logic would be required, risking data divergence. On the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of high-availability patterns for Azure SQL Database, specifically the distinction between geo-replication (manual failover) and failover groups (automatic failover with zero data loss). A common trap is assuming zone redundancy or read scale-out provides automatic failover, but zone redundancy only protects within a region, and read scale-out is for offloading read workloads. Remember the memory tip: “Geo-replication gives you the button; a failover group pushes it for you.”

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.

Exhibit

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
      "apiVersion": "2021-11-01",
      "name": "server1/contosodb",
      "location": "[parameters('location1')]",
      "properties": {
        "createMode": "Default",
        "readScaleOut": "Enabled",
        "zoneRedundant": false
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
      "apiVersion": "2021-11-01",
      "name": "server2/contosodb-dr",
      "location": "[parameters('location2')]",
      "properties": {
        "createMode": "Secondary",
        "sourceDatabaseId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases', 'server1', 'contosodb')]"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Refer to the exhibit. You deploy an Azure SQL Database with a secondary replica in another region using the ARM template shown. You need to ensure that the database can fail over automatically with zero data loss. What is missing?

Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →

Exhibit

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
      "apiVersion": "2021-11-01",
      "name": "server1/contosodb",
      "location": "[parameters('location1')]",
      "properties": {
        "createMode": "Default",
        "readScaleOut": "Enabled",
        "zoneRedundant": false
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
      "apiVersion": "2021-11-01",
      "name": "server2/contosodb-dr",
      "location": "[parameters('location2')]",
      "properties": {
        "createMode": "Secondary",
        "sourceDatabaseId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases', 'server1', 'contosodb')]"
      }
    }
  ]
}

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

✓

Create a failover group that includes both databases.

Option B (failover group) is required to orchestrate automatic failover. Option A (zone redundancy) not needed. Option C (read scale) not needed. Option D (backup) irrelevant.

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.

  • ✗

    Configure long-term backup retention.

    Why it's wrong here

    Backup retention does not provide automatic failover.

  • ✗

    Disable readScaleOut on the primary database.

    Why it's wrong here

    Read scale-out is unrelated to failover.

  • ✓

    Create a failover group that includes both databases.

    Why this is correct

    Failover group enables automatic failover with zero data loss.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    Set zoneRedundant to true on the primary database.

    Why it's wrong here

    Zone redundancy does not provide cross-region failover.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
  • Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

  • Underline the problem statement mentally.
  • 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

An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which AZ-305 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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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: Create a failover group that includes both databases. — Option B (failover group) is required to orchestrate automatic failover. Option A (zone redundancy) not needed. Option C (read scale) not needed. Option D (backup) irrelevant.

What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?

Identify which AZ-305 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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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Same concept, more angles

2 more ways 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. Which TWO features should you use to meet an RPO of 0 seconds for an Azure SQL Database that is part of a critical application?

medium
  • A.Azure Site Recovery for SQL VMs.
  • B.Azure SQL Database backups with short-term retention.
  • ✓ C.Failover group with readable secondary.
  • ✓ D.Active geo-replication with auto-failover group.
  • E.Auto-failover group with asynchronous replication.

Why C: Option B (active geo-replication with auto-failover group) and Option D (failover group) provide synchronous replication with RPO=0. Option A (backup) has higher RPO. Option C (ASR) not for databases. Option E (auto-failover group) includes active geo-replication.

Variation 2. Which TWO Azure services can be used together to provide a disaster recovery solution for an on-premises SQL Server database with an RPO of 5 minutes and an RTO of 30 minutes? (Select TWO.)

medium
  • ✓ A.Azure SQL Database failover groups
  • B.Azure Backup for SQL Server
  • ✓ C.Azure SQL Managed Instance failover groups
  • D.SQL Server Log Shipping to Azure
  • E.Azure Site Recovery

Why A: Options A and D are correct. Azure SQL Managed Instance has a failover group feature that can replicate the database to a secondary region with automatic failover, meeting RPO/RTO. Alternatively, SQL Server Stretch Database is outdated; the correct answer is Azure SQL Database Managed Instance failover groups. Option B is wrong because Azure Site Recovery replicates VMs, not databases directly. Option C is wrong because Azure Backup has a higher RPO. Option E is wrong because Log Shipping is an on-premises feature.

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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026

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