- A
Configure a new long-term retention policy that retains monthly backups for 7 years.
Correct. A new LTR policy with monthly backups for 7 years meets compliance and reduces costs by not retaining weekly/daily backups for the full 10 years.
- B
Disable long-term backup retention and rely solely on point-in-time restore backups.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Disabling LTR entirely removes the ability to retain backups for 7 years, failing compliance.
- C
Set the point-in-time restore retention period to 7 years.
Why wrong: Incorrect. PITR retention is limited to 35 days, far short of 7 years.
- D
Migrate the database to Azure SQL Database and use geo-redundant storage.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Migrating to Azure SQL Database does not directly reduce storage costs and may not be necessary.
DP-300 Long-term retention (LTR) Practice Question
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of monitor, configure, and optimize database resources. 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: long-term retention (LTR). 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.
Your Azure SQL Managed Instance is configured with a long-term backup retention policy of 10 years. You need to reduce storage costs while still meeting a compliance requirement to retain monthly backups for 7 years. What should you do?
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 a new long-term retention policy that retains monthly backups for 7 years.
Option A is correct because configuring a new long-term retention (LTR) policy that retains monthly backups for 7 years meets the compliance requirement while reducing storage costs compared to keeping weekly/daily backups for 10 years. LTR allows you to specify retention periods for weekly, monthly, and yearly backups; setting monthly backups to 7 years satisfies the requirement without extra cost. Option B is incorrect because disabling LTR entirely would lose the compliance capability. Option C is incorrect because point-in-time restore (PITR) retention is limited to 35 days, not 7 years. Option D is incorrect because migrating to Azure SQL Database does not inherently reduce costs and may introduce other issues.
Key principle: Long-term retention (LTR)
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 a new long-term retention policy that retains monthly backups for 7 years.
Why this is correct
Correct. A new LTR policy with monthly backups for 7 years meets compliance and reduces costs by not retaining weekly/daily backups for the full 10 years.
Related concept
Long-term retention (LTR)
- ✗
Disable long-term backup retention and rely solely on point-in-time restore backups.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Disabling LTR entirely removes the ability to retain backups for 7 years, failing compliance.
- ✗
Set the point-in-time restore retention period to 7 years.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. PITR retention is limited to 35 days, far short of 7 years.
- ✗
Migrate the database to Azure SQL Database and use geo-redundant storage.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Migrating to Azure SQL Database does not directly reduce storage costs and may not be necessary.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Long-term retention (LTR)
- Point-in-time restore (PITR)
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
Long-term retention (LTR)
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review long-term retention (LTR), then practise related DP-300 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources — study guide chapter
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Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources practice questions
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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 — Long-term retention (LTR).
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure a new long-term retention policy that retains monthly backups for 7 years. — Option A is correct because configuring a new long-term retention (LTR) policy that retains monthly backups for 7 years meets the compliance requirement while reducing storage costs compared to keeping weekly/daily backups for 10 years. LTR allows you to specify retention periods for weekly, monthly, and yearly backups; setting monthly backups to 7 years satisfies the requirement without extra cost. Option B is incorrect because disabling LTR entirely would lose the compliance capability. Option C is incorrect because point-in-time restore (PITR) retention is limited to 35 days, not 7 years. Option D is incorrect because migrating to Azure SQL Database does not inherently reduce costs and may introduce other issues.
What should I do if I get this DP-300 question wrong?
Review long-term retention (LTR), then practise related DP-300 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Long-term retention (LTR)
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 21, 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.
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