Quick Answer
Active geo-replication is the correct configuration because it meets the strict RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 minutes required for critical Azure SQL Database disaster recovery. This feature continuously replicates transactions to a secondary database in a different Azure region, ensuring near-zero data loss with an RPO as low as 5 seconds, and allows you to initiate a manual failover that typically completes within 30 minutes. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to differentiate between active geo-replication and auto-failover groups; the key trap is that auto-failover groups offer a similar RPO but a slightly higher RTO due to the automatic orchestration overhead, making active geo-replication the better fit when the RTO must be strictly under 30 minutes. Remember the mnemonic “Active for Accuracy” — active geo-replication gives you direct control over failover timing, which is essential when every second counts for both RPO and RTO.
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 critical application running in Azure. The application uses Azure SQL Database. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 5 seconds, and the recovery time objective (RTO) is 30 minutes. Which Azure SQL Database configuration should you recommend?
Point-in-time restore to a different region
Why wrong: RPO of minutes to hours.
Active geo-replication
Meets RPO of 5 seconds and RTO within 30 minutes.
Auto-failover groups
Why wrong: RPO may be higher than 5 seconds.
Azure Backup for SQL Server in Azure VM
Why wrong: Not applicable to Azure SQL Database.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Active geo-replication
Option A is correct because active geo-replication provides continuous replication with RPO of 5 seconds and supports failover within 30 minutes. Option B is wrong because auto-failover groups have similar RPO but slightly higher RTO. Option C is wrong because point-in-time restore cannot meet the RPO of 5 seconds. Option D is wrong because Azure Backup has higher RPO.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Point-in-time restore to a different region
Why it's wrong here
RPO of minutes to hours.
Active geo-replication
Why this is correct
Meets RPO of 5 seconds and RTO within 30 minutes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Auto-failover groups
Why it's wrong here
RPO may be higher than 5 seconds.
Azure Backup for SQL Server in Azure VM
Why it's wrong here
Not applicable to Azure SQL Database.
Common exam traps
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
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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
Design infrastructure solutions — This question tests Design infrastructure solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Active geo-replication — Option A is correct because active geo-replication provides continuous replication with RPO of 5 seconds and supports failover within 30 minutes. Option B is wrong because auto-failover groups have similar RPO but slightly higher RTO. Option C is wrong because point-in-time restore cannot meet the RPO of 5 seconds. Option D is wrong because Azure Backup has higher RPO.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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