Quick Answer
The answer is active geo-replication, long-term retention, and auto-failover groups. These three features combine to meet an RPO of 5 minutes and an RTO of 1 hour for Azure SQL Database because active geo-replication continuously replicates transactions to a secondary region with near-zero data loss, auto-failover groups automate the failover process to meet the strict RTO, and long-term retention ensures archival compliance beyond the automated backup window. On the DP-300 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between backup features and high-availability solutions—a common trap is selecting point-in-time restore, which only recovers to a specific moment and does not provide automated failover, or the Azure Backup service, which is not used for Azure SQL Database. Remember the mnemonic “GAL” for Geo-replication, Auto-failover, and Long-term retention to quickly recall the trio that delivers both low RPO and low RTO.
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of configure and manage automation of tasks. 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 need to automate the backup strategy for an Azure SQL Database to meet a recovery point objective (RPO) of 5 minutes and a recovery time objective (RTO) of 1 hour. Which THREE features should you combine? (Choose three.)
Long-term retention (LTR) backup policy.
LTR provides archival backups beyond the PITR retention.
Active geo-replication.
Provides low RPO by replicating transactions synchronously.
Azure Backup service.
Why wrong: Azure Backup is not designed for Azure SQL Database.
Auto-failover group.
Automates failover to achieve RTO of 1 hour.
Point-in-time restore (PITR).
Why wrong: PITR is for backward recovery, not for automated failover.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Long-term retention (LTR) backup policy.
Options A, C, and D are correct. Active geo-replication provides automatic failover with low RPO, long-term retention for archival, and auto-failover groups for automated failover. Option B is wrong because point-in-time restore does not provide automated failover. Option E is wrong because Azure Backup service is not used for Azure SQL Database.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Long-term retention (LTR) backup policy.
Why this is correct
LTR provides archival backups beyond the PITR retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Active geo-replication.
Why this is correct
Provides low RPO by replicating transactions synchronously.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Azure Backup service.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup is not designed for Azure SQL Database.
Auto-failover group.
Why this is correct
Automates failover to achieve RTO of 1 hour.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Point-in-time restore (PITR).
Why it's wrong here
PITR is for backward recovery, not for automated failover.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which DP-300 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Configure and manage automation of tasks — This question tests Configure and manage automation of tasks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Long-term retention (LTR) backup policy. — Options A, C, and D are correct. Active geo-replication provides automatic failover with low RPO, long-term retention for archival, and auto-failover groups for automated failover. Option B is wrong because point-in-time restore does not provide automated failover. Option E is wrong because Azure Backup service is not used for Azure SQL Database.
Identify which DP-300 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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