The answer is to configure active geo-replication with a readable secondary and a failover group. This combination directly meets both requirements because the readable secondary offloads read workloads for read scaling while the failover group provides automated, orchestrated high availability across Azure regions. On the DP-300 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that a standalone geo-replication secondary is readable but lacks automatic failover, whereas a failover group adds that critical orchestration—a common trap is selecting only geo-replication without the failover group. The exam expects you to recognize that for both high availability and read scale, you need the pair: active geo-replication for the readable copy and a failover group for seamless failover. A helpful memory tip is “Geo for reads, Group for failover”—if you need both, you need both features together.
DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and implement data platform 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 planning to deploy Azure SQL Database for a new application. The application requires high availability and the ability to scale out read workloads. You need to choose the appropriate deployment option and feature. Which TWO options should you select? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure a failover group with a readable secondary.
Option C is correct because a failover group with a readable secondary provides both high availability and read-scale capabilities. The readable secondary allows read-only workloads to be offloaded, while automatic failover ensures business continuity during an outage.
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.
✗
Use an elastic pool to group databases for resource sharing.
Why it's wrong here
Elastic pools are for resource management, not read scaling.
✗
Enable zone redundancy for the database.
Why it's wrong here
Provides high availability but not read scaling.
✓
Configure a failover group with a readable secondary.
Why this is correct
Provides high availability and read scaling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy a single Azure SQL Database with locally redundant backup storage.
Why it's wrong here
Does not provide read scaling.
✓
Configure active geo-replication with a readable secondary.
Why this is correct
Provides read scaling and disaster recovery.
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 zone redundancy (which provides HA within a region but no read scaling) with geo-replication or failover groups (which provide both HA and read scaling), leading them to select option B instead of C or E.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active geo-replication creates up to four readable secondaries in different Azure regions, each with its own connection string, enabling global read scale and disaster recovery. Failover groups build on geo-replication by managing automatic failover and providing a single listener endpoint, simplifying application connectivity. Both features use asynchronous replication, which introduces a potential RPO of up to 5 seconds, so they are not suitable for zero-data-loss scenarios.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-300 question in full detail.
Plan and implement data platform resources — This question tests Plan and implement data platform resources — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a failover group with a readable secondary. — Option C is correct because a failover group with a readable secondary provides both high availability and read-scale capabilities. The readable secondary allows read-only workloads to be offloaded, while automatic failover ensures business continuity during an outage.
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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Question Discussion
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