Question 247 of 1,031

Describe cloud concepts →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

AZ-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question

This AZ-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe cloud concepts. 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.

A company is migrating a web application to Azure. The web tier will run on Azure App Service (PaaS) and the database tier will use Azure SQL Database (PaaS). The company's IT team wants to understand their patching responsibilities for the underlying operating system (OS) of each service. According to the shared responsibility model, which statement is correct?

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

A
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database.
Why wrong: This is incorrect. In PaaS, the cloud provider manages the operating system patching for both services. The customer is not responsible for OS-level patching.
B
Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure App Service, and the customer is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure SQL Database.
Why wrong: This is incorrect. For Azure SQL Database, Microsoft also manages the operating system patching. The customer does not have access to the OS and is not responsible for its maintenance.
C
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure App Service, and Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure SQL Database.
Why wrong: This is incorrect. For Azure App Service (PaaS), Microsoft manages the OS patching. The customer only manages the application code and configuration.
D
Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database.
This is correct. Both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database are Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings. In PaaS, Microsoft handles the underlying infrastructure, including OS patching, security updates, and hardware maintenance. The customer focuses on managing their application and data.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database.

In the shared responsibility model, Microsoft manages the underlying infrastructure for Platform as a Service (PaaS) services. Both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database are PaaS offerings, meaning Microsoft handles OS patching, updates, and security for the host OS. The customer is responsible only for their application code and data, not the OS. Therefore, option D is correct.

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.

✗
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. In PaaS, the cloud provider manages the operating system patching for both services. The customer is not responsible for OS-level patching.
✗
Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure App Service, and the customer is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure SQL Database.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. For Azure SQL Database, Microsoft also manages the operating system patching. The customer does not have access to the OS and is not responsible for its maintenance.
✗
The customer is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure App Service, and Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of Azure SQL Database.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect. For Azure App Service (PaaS), Microsoft manages the OS patching. The customer only manages the application code and configuration.
✓
Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database.
Why this is correct
This is correct. Both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database are Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings. In PaaS, Microsoft handles the underlying infrastructure, including OS patching, security updates, and hardware maintenance. The customer focuses on managing their application and data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse IaaS responsibilities (where customers patch the OS) with PaaS responsibilities, leading them to incorrectly assign OS patching to the customer for services like Azure App Service or Azure SQL Database.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, Azure App Service runs on a multi-tenant or App Service Environment (ASE) where Microsoft applies OS patches via automated update cycles, often using Azure Update Manager or WSUS internally. For Azure SQL Database, Microsoft manages the OS and SQL Server patches through a rolling update process that ensures high availability, with no customer access to the underlying OS. A real-world scenario where this matters is during a critical security patch (e.g., for a zero-day vulnerability) — the customer does not need to schedule downtime for OS patching, as Microsoft handles it transparently.

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.

TExam Day Tips

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 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

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this AZ-900 question test?

Describe cloud concepts — This question tests Describe cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Microsoft is responsible for patching the operating system of both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database. — In the shared responsibility model, Microsoft manages the underlying infrastructure for Platform as a Service (PaaS) services. Both Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database are PaaS offerings, meaning Microsoft handles OS patching, updates, and security for the host OS. The customer is responsible only for their application code and data, not the OS. Therefore, option D is correct.

What should I do if I get this AZ-900 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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