DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
A company runs a critical SQL Server database on Azure Virtual Machines. The database experiences intermittent performance degradation during peak hours. The database administrator notices high I/O latency on the data drive. The current disk configuration uses Standard HDDs. What is the most cost-effective action to reduce I/O latency without changing the virtual machine size?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often choose Standard SSD (Option D) thinking it is a sufficient upgrade, but they overlook that Premium SSD is required to achieve the low latency needed for critical databases, and that Standard SSD still uses HDD-like latency profiles under sustained load.
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
✓
Migrate the data files to Premium SSD managed disks.
Migrating the data files to Premium SSD managed disks is the most cost-effective action to reduce I/O latency without changing the virtual machine size. Premium SSDs provide consistent low-latency performance and higher IOPS/throughput compared to Standard HDDs, directly addressing the high I/O latency during peak hours. This change does not require resizing the VM, keeping compute costs unchanged while improving storage performance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable instant file initialization in SQL Server.
Why it's wrong here
Instant file initialization helps with file growth, not I/O latency.
- ✗
Increase the virtual machine size to a series with higher I/O limits.
Why it's wrong here
This may not directly address disk latency and increases cost.
- ✓
Migrate the data files to Premium SSD managed disks.
Why this is correct
Premium SSD provides lower latency and is cost-effective without changing VM size.
- ✗
Migrate the data files to Standard SSD managed disks.
Why it's wrong here
Standard SSD still has higher latency than Premium SSD.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DP-300 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 DP-300 exam.