AZ-305 Multi-region writes Practice Question
Which Azure service can be used to implement a globally distributed database that supports multi-region writes and provides low-latency access to users worldwide?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates may mistake Azure SQL Database's active geo-replication and failover groups as supporting multi-region writes. However, it only allows writes in one region at a time after failover, not concurrent writes. Azure Cosmos DB with multi-master is the only service that provides true multi-region write capability.
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 Cosmos DB with multi-master enabled.
Azure Cosmos DB with multi-master enabled (Option C) is the only Azure service among the options that natively supports multi-region write operations, allowing data to be written to any Azure region simultaneously with automatic conflict resolution and low-latency access globally. Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and failover groups (Option E) does not support concurrent multi-region writes; it enables read-only replicas in secondary regions and failover to a single writable region, which does not meet the requirement for multi-region writes. Other options either don't support multi-region writes or aren't database services.
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 Storage with geo-redundant storage (GRS).
Why it's wrong here
Azure Storage with geo-redundant storage (GRS) replicates data to a secondary region for disaster recovery but does not support multi-region writes or function as a globally distributed database with low-latency access for writes.
- ✗
Azure Cache for Redis with geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Cache for Redis with geo-replication provides read replicas in secondary regions but does not support multi-region writes; it is a caching service, not a fully managed database.
- ✓
Azure Cosmos DB with multi-master enabled.
Why this is correct
Correct. Azure Cosmos DB with multi-master enabled natively supports multi-region writes with automatic conflict resolution and low-latency access worldwide.
- ✗
Azure Database for PostgreSQL with geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Database for PostgreSQL with geo-replication creates read-only replicas in secondary regions; it does not support writes in those regions.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and failover groups.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and failover groups provides readable secondary replicas and failover capability, but writes are only possible in one region at a time (the primary), not concurrently across multiple regions.
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