Question 251 of 963

Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Azure SQL Database Automatic Index Management: Enabling Create Index and Drop Index

This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of monitor, configure, and optimize database resources. 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.

You are configuring Azure SQL Database automatic tuning. You want to enable the feature that automatically creates and drops indexes based on workload patterns. Which option should you enable?

A
CREATE INDEX
Why wrong: CREATE INDEX is not the correct option because Azure SQL Database's automatic tuning feature includes both index creation and index dropping. Enabling only the creation part would not manage unused indexes, which is essential for complete tuning.
B
Force Parameterization
Why wrong: Forces parameterized queries.
C
Create Index and Drop Index
Create Index and Drop Index is the correct option because this setting allows Azure SQL Database to automatically create indexes to improve query performance and drop unused or duplicate indexes based on workload patterns, thereby optimizing indexing dynamically.
D
Force Last Good Plan
Why wrong: Addresses plan regression, not index management.

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

✓

Create Index and Drop Index

Option C is correct because Azure SQL Database's automatic tuning includes the 'Create Index' and 'Drop Index' options, which together automatically create indexes to improve query performance and drop unused or duplicate indexes to reduce overhead based on workload patterns. This feature analyzes query execution plans and index usage statistics to dynamically adjust indexing without manual intervention.

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.

✗
CREATE INDEX
Why it's wrong here
CREATE INDEX is not the correct option because Azure SQL Database's automatic tuning feature includes both index creation and index dropping. Enabling only the creation part would not manage unused indexes, which is essential for complete tuning.
✗
Force Parameterization
Why it's wrong here
Forces parameterized queries.
✓
Create Index and Drop Index
Why this is correct
Create Index and Drop Index is the correct option because this setting allows Azure SQL Database to automatically create indexes to improve query performance and drop unused or duplicate indexes based on workload patterns, thereby optimizing indexing dynamically.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Force Last Good Plan
Why it's wrong here
Addresses plan regression, not index management.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may think 'CREATE INDEX' alone is sufficient for automatic tuning, but Azure SQL Database requires both creation and dropping to fully manage indexes, and the exam often tests the exact naming of the feature as 'Create Index and Drop Index'.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, Azure SQL Database's automatic index management uses the Database Engine Tuning Advisor (DTA) algorithms and monitors index operational stats like seeks, scans, and updates to decide when to create or drop indexes. A subtle behavior is that the system waits for a verification period after creating an index to ensure it improves performance before marking it as beneficial; if not, it may be automatically dropped. In a real-world scenario, this feature is critical for OLTP workloads with fluctuating query patterns, where manual index tuning would be impractical.

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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

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 DP-300 question test?

Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources — This question tests Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Create Index and Drop Index — Option C is correct because Azure SQL Database's automatic tuning includes the 'Create Index' and 'Drop Index' options, which together automatically create indexes to improve query performance and drop unused or duplicate indexes to reduce overhead based on workload patterns. This feature analyzes query execution plans and index usage statistics to dynamically adjust indexing without manual intervention.

What should I do if I get this DP-300 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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Same concept, more angles

2 more ways this is tested on DP-300

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. You are monitoring an Azure SQL Database using the Automatic Tuning feature. The database has a workload that is read-intensive. You enable the CREATE INDEX and DROP INDEX options. After a week, you observe that the database has created several new indexes automatically. However, you notice that one of the new indexes is causing increased write latency for an application that performs frequent updates. What should you do to resolve the issue without losing the benefits of automatic tuning for other indexes?

medium

A.Use the Azure portal to revert all automatic tuning recommendations for the past week.
B.Manually create the missing indexes that were dropped by automatic tuning.
C.Disable automatic tuning for the entire database.
✓ D.Manually drop the problematic index using a DROP INDEX command.

Why D: Option D is correct because manually dropping the problematic index allows you to resolve the specific performance issue caused by increased write latency while retaining the benefits of automatic tuning for other indexes. The Automatic Tuning feature in Azure SQL Database can create indexes to improve read performance, but these indexes may introduce overhead on write operations. By issuing a DROP INDEX command, you surgically remove only the offending index without disabling the overall tuning mechanism.

Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. You have configured the automatic tuning policy as shown. After a week, you notice that an index has been dropped automatically, causing a critical query to run slowly. What should you do to prevent this in the future while still benefiting from automatic tuning?

hard

A.Manually create the dropped index and mark it as a required index.
B.Enable Query Store to track index usage.
✓ C.Set the dropIndex option state to Disabled in the tuning policy.
D.Disable automatic tuning entirely.

Why C: Option C is correct because disabling the dropIndex option prevents automatic index drops while keeping forcePlan and createIndex enabled. Option A is wrong because manually creating an index and marking it as required does not prevent future automatic drops. Option B is wrong because Query Store does not prevent index drops; it only tracks usage. Option D is wrong because disabling all automatic tuning removes all benefits, including forcePlan and createIndex.

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