- A
Use an Auto-Failover Group with a secondary in West US 2
Correct. Auto-Failover Group to another region provides automatic failover and can meet strict RPO and RTO with proper configuration.
- B
Deploy the database in the Business Critical tier with zone-redundant configuration in West US
Why wrong: Incorrect. Zone-redundant configuration within the same region does not protect against a full regional outage.
- C
Enable geo-zone-redundant backup storage and perform point-in-time restore
Why wrong: Incorrect. Geo-zone-redundant backup storage and point-in-time restore have much higher RTO (hours) and cannot meet 5-second RPO.
- D
Configure Active Geo-Replication with a readable secondary in East US
Why wrong: Incorrect. Active Geo-Replication requires manual failover, which typically takes several minutes, failing the RTO of 30 seconds.
DP-300 Auto-Failover Group Practice Question
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. A key principle to apply: auto-Failover Group. 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 runs a critical Azure SQL Database in the West US region. To meet a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 5 seconds and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 30 seconds during a regional outage, which deployment option should be used?
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
Use an Auto-Failover Group with a secondary in West US 2
For a regional outage, you need a secondary in a different Azure region. Auto-Failover Groups provide automatic failover with a configurable data loss threshold. The RPO of 5 seconds can be achieved by setting the grace period appropriately, and automatic failover can typically occur within seconds to meet the RTO of 30 seconds. The Business Critical tier with zone-redundant configuration only protects against availability zone failures within the same region, not a full regional outage. Other options either have longer RTO (point-in-time restore) or require manual failover (Active Geo-Replication with readable secondary without automatic failover).
Key principle: Auto-Failover Group
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 Auto-Failover Group with a secondary in West US 2
Why this is correct
Correct. Auto-Failover Group to another region provides automatic failover and can meet strict RPO and RTO with proper configuration.
Related concept
Auto-Failover Group
- ✗
Deploy the database in the Business Critical tier with zone-redundant configuration in West US
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Zone-redundant configuration within the same region does not protect against a full regional outage.
- ✗
Enable geo-zone-redundant backup storage and perform point-in-time restore
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Geo-zone-redundant backup storage and point-in-time restore have much higher RTO (hours) and cannot meet 5-second RPO.
- ✗
Configure Active Geo-Replication with a readable secondary in East US
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Active Geo-Replication requires manual failover, which typically takes several minutes, failing the RTO of 30 seconds.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates may incorrectly assume that zone-redundant configuration within the same region can protect against a regional outage, but it only protects against zone failures. For a full regional outage, cross-region failover is necessary, and Auto-Failover Groups provide the required automatic failover capability.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Business Critical tier with zone redundancy leverages Always On Availability Groups with synchronous commit across three replicas in different availability zones, ensuring that a transaction is committed only when hardened on all replicas. This provides an effective RPO of 0, and the automatic failover is triggered by a lease-based mechanism that detects zone-level failures within seconds. In a real-world scenario, if a datacenter in one zone experiences a power outage, the zone-redundant configuration automatically promotes a replica in another zone without any data loss, while cross-region options would require manual or scripted failover and incur replication lag.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Auto-Failover Group
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
- Zone Redundancy
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 Group
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 Group, then practise related DP-300 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
- →
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DP-300 questions
963 questions across all exam domains
- →
Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate DP-300 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DP-300 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DP-300 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment.
Plan and implement data platform resources practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Plan and implement data platform resources.
Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources.
Configure and manage automation of tasks practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Configure and manage automation of tasks.
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery.
Implement a secure environment practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Implement a secure environment.
DP-300 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to DP-300 fundamentals.
DP-300 scenario practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to DP-300 scenario.
DP-300 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to DP-300 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DP-300 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-300 question test?
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — This question tests Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — Auto-Failover Group.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use an Auto-Failover Group with a secondary in West US 2 — For a regional outage, you need a secondary in a different Azure region. Auto-Failover Groups provide automatic failover with a configurable data loss threshold. The RPO of 5 seconds can be achieved by setting the grace period appropriately, and automatic failover can typically occur within seconds to meet the RTO of 30 seconds. The Business Critical tier with zone-redundant configuration only protects against availability zone failures within the same region, not a full regional outage. Other options either have longer RTO (point-in-time restore) or require manual failover (Active Geo-Replication with readable secondary without automatic failover).
What should I do if I get this DP-300 question wrong?
Review auto-Failover Group, then practise related DP-300 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Auto-Failover Group
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More DP-300 practice questions
- A DBA needs to create a new Azure SQL Database and wants to ensure that the database automatically fails over to a secon…
- A company uses Azure SQL Managed Instance for its line-of-business applications. They need to ensure that backups are re…
- Refer to the exhibit. A DBA is creating an Azure SQL Managed Instance using the ARM template snippet shown. The DBA need…
- A company is planning to migrate their on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance. They have a datab…
- A company has an Azure SQL Database with a large table that is frequently updated. They notice performance degradation d…
- Which THREE of the following are valid options for migrating an on-premises SQL Server database to Azure SQL Database?
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.