Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company manages 50 Azure SQL Databases, each used by a different department. Each database experiences low average usage (less than 5 DTU on average) but unpredictable hourly peaks that can reach up to 50 DTU for short bursts. The company wants to minimize total cost while ensuring every database can handle its peak load without performance degradation. Which Azure SQL Database deployment option should the company choose?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Azure SQL Database elastic pool
Correct. An elastic pool allows multiple databases to share a pool of resources (DTUs or vCores). Each database can burst up to the pool's limit, accommodating peak loads cost-effectively because the pooled resources are larger than any single database's average but smaller than the sum of all peaks.
B
Distractor review
Azure SQL Database single database with 50 DTU
Incorrect. A single database with 50 DTU provisioned for each of the 50 databases would be extremely expensive because most of the time the databases use only 5 DTU. The cost would be far higher than an elastic pool while not providing additional benefit.
C
Distractor review
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Incorrect. Azure SQL Managed Instance offers instance-level compatibility and is optimized for migrations from on-premises SQL Server. It does not provide the granular resource-sharing model of elastic pools for many small databases. It would be overprovisioned and more costly for this use case.
D
Distractor review
SQL Server on an Azure virtual machine
Incorrect. Running SQL Server on an Azure VM is an IaaS solution that requires manual management of SQL Server licenses, patching, and scaling. It offers more control but is less cost-effective and more complex to manage than a PaaS elastic pool for this pattern of many small databases with variable peaks.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer is building a serverless application that requires integration with an on-premises SQL Server database for real-time data processing. The on-premises network is connected to Azure via a site-to-site VPN. Which Azure service would allow the function to securely access the on-premises database without exposing it to the public internet?
Question 2
A solutions architect is designing a storage solution for a large media company. The company needs to store video files that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for several years for compliance. Which two Azure storage options meet these requirements? (Select two.)
Question 3
A company deploys a multi-tier application using Azure virtual machines. The web tier VMs must be evenly distributed across two distinct data centers within an Azure region to avoid a single point of failure from an infrastructure outage. Which Azure construct should they use to meet this requirement?
Question 4
A company wants to enforce a set of security policies across all their Azure subscriptions. They have created several individual policy definitions. Which Azure construct should they use to group these policies together and assign them as a single package?
Question 5
A company deploys a line-of-business application on an Azure virtual machine. The IT team wants to ensure the application remains secure. According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the sole responsibility of the customer (the company)?
Question 6
A company develops a web API that runs on Azure App Service. The development team wants to deploy a new version of the API to a staging environment, run integration tests against it, and then gradually shift production traffic to the new version. If any issues are detected, they want to immediately roll back to the previous version without redeploying. Which Azure App Service feature should the team use to meet these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure SQL Database elastic pool — Azure SQL Database elastic pools are designed for SaaS-like scenarios where multiple databases have varying usage patterns with infrequent but significant peaks. By pooling resources, the total DTU/vCore capacity required is less than the sum of individual peak demands, leading to cost savings. Each database in the pool can automatically consume resources up to the pool's limit, handling its peak without performance issues. Single databases with high DTU would be wasteful on average. SQL Managed Instance is a PaaS option with more SQL Server instance-level features but does not offer the same resource-sharing model for many small databases. SQL Server on a VM is IaaS, requiring more management and higher costs for this scenario.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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