The correct answer combines Azure Site Recovery for VM replication with SQL Server Always On Availability Groups for database-level failover, using premium storage for performance. Azure Site Recovery handles the web and app tier VMs by replicating them to a secondary region with a low RPO, while Always On Availability Groups provide automatic, synchronous or asynchronous database failover to meet the 15-minute RPO and 1-hour RTO requirements. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between disaster recovery tools: Azure Backup is a trap because its RPO is too high for critical databases, and read-scale replicas only offload reads, not failover. The key insight is that ASR protects the infrastructure, but SQL Server needs its own native high-availability feature for the data tier. Remember the mnemonic “ASR for VMs, AAG for DBs” to avoid mixing up backup, replication, and read-scale options.
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.
You are designing a disaster recovery solution for a multi-tier web application on Azure VMs. The solution must meet an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of 1 hour. The application includes a SQL Server database. Which THREE actions should you take? (Choose THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Azure Premium SSD managed disks for the VMs to ensure low latency replication.
Options A, C, and E are correct. Azure Site Recovery can replicate the VMs with low RPO. For SQL Server, Always On Availability Groups provide automatic failover with minimal data loss. Using premium storage ensures performance. Option B is wrong because Azure Backup has a higher RPO. Option D is wrong because read-scale replicas do not provide failover.
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.
✗
Use Azure Backup for the SQL Server database with 1-hour backup frequency.
Why it's wrong here
1-hour backup frequency does not meet 15-minute RPO.
✓
Use Azure Premium SSD managed disks for the VMs to ensure low latency replication.
Why this is correct
Premium disks support higher IOPS and lower latency for replication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure SQL Server Always On Availability Groups with synchronous commit between regions.
Why this is correct
Always On with synchronous commit provides RPO=0 and automatic failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy read-scale replicas of the SQL Server in the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
Read-scale replicas are for read-only, not failover.
✓
Configure Azure Site Recovery to replicate the web and app tier VMs to a secondary region.
Why this is correct
ASR meets the RPO/RTO requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
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.
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: Use Azure Premium SSD managed disks for the VMs to ensure low latency replication. — Options A, C, and E are correct. Azure Site Recovery can replicate the VMs with low RPO. For SQL Server, Always On Availability Groups provide automatic failover with minimal data loss. Using premium storage ensures performance. Option B is wrong because Azure Backup has a higher RPO. Option D is wrong because read-scale replicas do not provide failover.
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.
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Question Discussion
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