- A
Configure active geo-replication to East US
Why wrong: Active geo-replication uses asynchronous replication and requires manual failover. While RPO is similar, the lack of automatic failover means potential for more data loss if failover is delayed.
- B
Configure an auto-failover group with a readable secondary in East US
Auto-failover group with a readable secondary uses asynchronous replication but provides automatic failover. You can configure a grace period to minimize data loss, making it the best option for minimal data loss and automatic recovery.
- C
Enable zone redundancy for the database
Why wrong: Zone redundancy protects against zone failures within a region, not a full regional outage. It does not provide disaster recovery across regions.
- D
Configure geo-restore from the West US database
Why wrong: Geo-restore uses backup files and has a higher RPO (hours or days). It requires manual initiation and is not suitable for minimal data loss.
Implementing Active Geo-Replication for Business Critical Tier Azure SQL Database
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. A key principle to apply: auto-failover groups. 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 designing a disaster recovery plan for an Azure SQL Database that uses the Business Critical tier. The database is deployed in the West US region. You need to ensure that if the entire West US region becomes unavailable, the database can be failed over to a secondary region with minimal data loss. What should you implement?
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
Configure an auto-failover group with a readable secondary in East US
Auto-failover groups with a readable secondary in East US provide automatic and manual failover capabilities. For Business Critical tier, the secondary is readable and uses asynchronous replication, typically achieving an RPO of 5 seconds or less. This meets the requirement for minimal data loss. Active geo-replication also uses asynchronous replication with similar RPO but requires manual failover and does not support automatic failover. Zone redundancy protects against within-region failures, not regional outages. Geo-restore has a higher RPO and requires manual recovery.
Key principle: Auto-failover groups
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure active geo-replication to East US
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous replication and requires manual failover. While RPO is similar, the lack of automatic failover means potential for more data loss if failover is delayed.
- ✓
Configure an auto-failover group with a readable secondary in East US
Why this is correct
Auto-failover group with a readable secondary uses asynchronous replication but provides automatic failover. You can configure a grace period to minimize data loss, making it the best option for minimal data loss and automatic recovery.
Related concept
Auto-failover groups
- ✗
Enable zone redundancy for the database
Why it's wrong here
Zone redundancy protects against zone failures within a region, not a full regional outage. It does not provide disaster recovery across regions.
- ✗
Configure geo-restore from the West US database
Why it's wrong here
Geo-restore uses backup files and has a higher RPO (hours or days). It requires manual initiation and is not suitable for minimal data loss.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Candidates often choose active geo-replication, thinking it offers lower RPO because it is a dedicated replication feature. However, both active geo-replication and auto-failover groups use asynchronous replication with similar RPO (typically less than 5 seconds). The key advantage of auto-failover groups is automatic failover and the ability to group multiple databases, making them more suitable for region-level disaster recovery with minimal data loss.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous replication and requires manual failover. While RPO is similar, the lack of automatic failover means potential for more data loss if failover is delayed.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous log shipping with a configurable secondary type (readable or non-readable), and for Business Critical, the secondary is always readable; the RPO is typically under 5 seconds but can be higher under heavy write loads. Under the hood, Azure SQL Database streams transaction log records to the secondary region, and during a failover, the secondary applies all received log records before coming online, ensuring no data loss beyond the last committed transaction that was replicated. In a real-world scenario, if a regional outage occurs during a peak transaction period, active geo-replication might lose only the last few milliseconds of writes, whereas geo-restore could lose up to an hour of data.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Auto-failover groups
- Active geo-replication
- RPO (Recovery Point Objective)
- Business Critical tier
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
Auto-failover groups
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.
Review auto-failover groups, then practise related DP-300 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-300 question test?
Plan and implement data platform resources — This question tests Plan and implement data platform resources — Auto-failover groups.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure an auto-failover group with a readable secondary in East US — Auto-failover groups with a readable secondary in East US provide automatic and manual failover capabilities. For Business Critical tier, the secondary is readable and uses asynchronous replication, typically achieving an RPO of 5 seconds or less. This meets the requirement for minimal data loss. Active geo-replication also uses asynchronous replication with similar RPO but requires manual failover and does not support automatic failover. Zone redundancy protects against within-region failures, not regional outages. Geo-restore has a higher RPO and requires manual recovery.
What should I do if I get this DP-300 question wrong?
Review auto-failover groups, then practise related DP-300 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Auto-failover groups
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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