The correct choice is Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and automatic failover because this configuration, when used within a failover group, guarantees an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of approximately 30 seconds during a regional outage. Active geo-replication continuously replicates transactions to a secondary region, and the auto-failover policy triggers a seamless switch that meets these strict recovery targets for transactional workloads. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to match specific SLAs to Azure data services, often appearing as a direct comparison between Azure SQL Database failover groups and Azure SQL Managed Instance failover groups, where the latter has a higher RTO. A common trap is confusing the RPO of auto-failover groups (5 seconds) with the RTO, or selecting a non-SQL service like PostgreSQL. Memory tip: think “5 and 30” for “SQL Database geo-replication” — the RPO is the same as the number of fingers on one hand, and the RTO is the number of days in a month.
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 business continuity plan for a financial services company that uses Azure SQL Database for its transactional workloads. The solution must meet an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 30 seconds during a regional outage. What should you use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and automatic failover
Option C is correct because Azure SQL Database failover groups with active geo-replication provide an RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of about 30 seconds when using automatic failover. Option A is wrong because auto-failover groups have an RPO of 5 seconds. Option B is wrong because Azure SQL Managed Instance failover groups have a higher RTO. Option D is wrong because Azure Database for PostgreSQL is not the same service.
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 Database for PostgreSQL with read replicas in another region
Why it's wrong here
Not the correct service for the workload.
✗
Azure SQL Database auto-failover group with a secondary in a paired region
Why it's wrong here
This meets the RPO/RTO, but the description is incomplete and could be confused with manual failover.
✓
Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and automatic failover
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication in a failover group provides exactly 5 sec RPO and ~30 sec RTO.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure SQL Managed Instance with failover group
Why it's wrong here
Managed Instance failover groups have a higher RTO (typically 1-2 minutes).
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.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
This meets the RPO/RTO, but the description is incomplete and could be confused with manual failover.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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: Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and automatic failover — Option C is correct because Azure SQL Database failover groups with active geo-replication provide an RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of about 30 seconds when using automatic failover. Option A is wrong because auto-failover groups have an RPO of 5 seconds. Option B is wrong because Azure SQL Managed Instance failover groups have a higher RTO. Option D is wrong because Azure Database for PostgreSQL is not the same service.
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 →
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. A company needs to design a disaster recovery solution for a multi-tier application that includes a web tier, a business tier, and a database tier. The solution must meet the following requirements:
- RPO of 15 minutes for the database
- RTO of 1 hour for the entire application
- Automatic failover for the database
- No data loss for the web and business tiers (stateless)
Which TWO services should be included in the solution? (Choose two.)
medium
A.Azure Backup
✓ B.Azure Traffic Manager
C.Azure Site Recovery for VM replication
D.Azure Front Door
✓ E.Azure SQL Database active geo-replication
Why B: Option B and Option D are correct. Azure SQL Database active geo-replication provides automatic failover with an RPO of 5 seconds, well within 15 minutes. Azure Traffic Manager can route traffic to the secondary region stateless tiers. Option A is wrong because Azure Site Recovery is not needed for stateless tiers; they can be redeployed. Option C is wrong because Azure Front Door is not necessary for a simple DR scenario. Option E is wrong because Azure Backup does not provide automatic failover.
Variation 2. Which THREE components are required to implement a disaster recovery solution for Azure SQL Database using failover groups? (Choose three.)
hard
✓ A.A failover group that includes both servers
✓ B.A secondary Azure SQL Database server in another region
C.Zone-redundant configuration on the primary database
✓ D.A primary Azure SQL Database server in one region
E.Active geo-replication configured on the primary database
Why A: Failover groups require a primary server, a secondary server in a different region, and the failover group itself. Option A is incorrect because zone redundancy is optional. Option D is incorrect because active geo-replication is a separate feature; failover groups can be used without it. Option E is incorrect because it is a specific configuration.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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