- A
Deploy Azure SQL Database in a zone-redundant configuration within a single region.
Zone-redundant configuration replicates across availability zones for HA.
- B
Enable read scale-out to distribute read queries to a secondary replica.
Why wrong: Read scale-out improves performance, not availability.
- C
Enable active geo-replication with a readable secondary in the same region.
Active geo-replication within the same region provides HA with synchronous replication.
- D
Use Azure Backup to copy database backups to another region.
Why wrong: Backup is for point-in-time restore, not HA.
- E
Configure auto-failover groups with a secondary in another region.
Why wrong: This is a disaster recovery strategy, not high availability (HA). HA typically refers to within-region.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is active geo-replication with a readable secondary in the same region and zone-redundant configuration. Active geo-replication provides readable secondaries and supports manual failover, ensuring high availability by maintaining a synchronized copy that can be promoted during an outage. Zone-redundant configuration protects against a full datacenter failure within a region by distributing replicas across availability zones. On the AZ-305 exam, this distinction tests your ability to separate high availability strategies from disaster recovery or scalability features—a common trap is confusing geo-replication for disaster recovery with zone redundancy for high availability. Remember that high availability focuses on resilience within a region, while disaster recovery spans regions. A useful memory tip: think of zone redundancy as your “local safety net” and geo-replication as your “regional escape plan.”
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Which TWO of the following are valid strategies for achieving high availability for Azure SQL Database?
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
Deploy Azure SQL Database in a zone-redundant configuration within a single region.
Options B and D are correct. Active geo-replication provides readable secondaries and supports manual failover. Zone-redundant configuration protects against datacenter failure within a region. Option A (auto-failover groups) is a strategy but is a superset; the question asks for strategies. Option C (backup to another region) is for disaster recovery, not high availability. Option E (read scale-out) is for read scalability, not availability.
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.
- ✓
Deploy Azure SQL Database in a zone-redundant configuration within a single region.
Why this is correct
Zone-redundant configuration replicates across availability zones for HA.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable read scale-out to distribute read queries to a secondary replica.
Why it's wrong here
Read scale-out improves performance, not availability.
- ✓
Enable active geo-replication with a readable secondary in the same region.
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication within the same region provides HA with synchronous replication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Azure Backup to copy database backups to another region.
Why it's wrong here
Backup is for point-in-time restore, not HA.
- ✗
Configure auto-failover groups with a secondary in another region.
Why it's wrong here
This is a disaster recovery strategy, not high availability (HA). HA typically refers to within-region.
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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Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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Design business continuity solutions practice questions
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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: Deploy Azure SQL Database in a zone-redundant configuration within a single region. — Options B and D are correct. Active geo-replication provides readable secondaries and supports manual failover. Zone-redundant configuration protects against datacenter failure within a region. Option A (auto-failover groups) is a strategy but is a superset; the question asks for strategies. Option C (backup to another region) is for disaster recovery, not high availability. Option E (read scale-out) is for read scalability, not availability.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 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 of the following are valid options to achieve high availability for Azure SQL Database? (Choose two.)
easy- A.Deploy a single database with locally redundant storage (LRS)
- ✓ B.Deploy a zone-redundant Azure SQL Database
- C.Configure manual failover to a secondary replica in the same region
- D.Configure SQL Server Always On availability groups
- ✓ E.Configure active geo-replication to a secondary database in a different region
Why B: Options B and D are correct. Zone-redundant deployment (B) provides high availability within a region by replicating across availability zones. Active geo-replication (D) provides cross-region high availability and disaster recovery. Option A is wrong because a single database with locally redundant storage offers no high availability. Option C is wrong because Azure SQL Database does not support manual failover to a replica without geo-replication. Option E is wrong because always on availability groups are for SQL Server on VMs, not Azure SQL Database.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This AZ-305 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-305 exam.
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