A company plans to migrate a multi-tier web application to Azure. The frontend web tier must automatically scale out based on CPU utilization, and Microsoft must manage the underlying virtual machines and operating system. The backend tier requires a relational database with built-in high availability and automatic backups. The company wants to minimize administrative overhead. Which two Azure services should the company use?
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.
Distractor review
Azure Virtual Machines and Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure Virtual Machines (IaaS) require the customer to manage the guest OS and scaling. SQL Managed Instance is a PaaS database but the compute tier (VMs) is not managed by Microsoft for the frontend, contradicting the requirement.
Best answer
Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database
Azure App Service is a PaaS compute service that automatically scales based on CPU utilization and handles OS management. Azure SQL Database is a PaaS relational database with built-in high availability and automatic backups, meeting all stated needs.
Distractor review
Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Cosmos DB
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed container orchestration service, but the customer is still responsible for managing the containerized application and scaling configurations, and the OS is abstracted but not fully managed at the virtual machine level. Azure Cosmos DB is a NoSQL database, not relational.
Distractor review
Azure Functions and Azure Table Storage
Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that scales based on events, not CPU utilization for a web tier. Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL key-value store, not a relational database with high availability and backups.
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.
Related practice questions
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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 App Service and Azure SQL Database — Azure App Service is a fully managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering that automatically handles scaling, load balancing, and OS patching. Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database-as-a-service (DBaaS) that provides built-in high availability, automated backups, and patch management. This combination allows the company to focus on application code and data without managing any infrastructure. The other options either use Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) where Microsoft does not manage the guest OS, use a non-relational database, or use a serverless compute model that may not be ideal for a multi-tier web application requiring automatic CPU-based scaling.
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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