- A
Use a provisioned General Purpose tier with read scale-out enabled to offload read traffic to a secondary replica.
Why wrong: Incorrect: This is a provisioned tier solution, not serverless; read scale-out helps read-heavy but not serverless burst.
- B
Set the serverless auto-pause delay to 0 (disabled) and configure a maximum vCore count equal to the expected burst peak.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Disabling auto-pause increases cost; maximum vCores alone do not prevent cold start latency.
- C
Enable auto-pause with a 1-minute delay and configure the maximum vCore count to handle bursts.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Short auto-pause delay causes frequent cold starts, increasing latency during bursts.
- D
Set the serverless auto-pause delay to a high value (e.g., 24 hours) and configure a minimum vCore count that matches the expected baseline load.
Correct: High auto-pause delay prevents frequent cold starts, and minimum vCores guarantee baseline performance for bursts.
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. 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. 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.
A company is designing a new Azure SQL Database for an e-commerce application. The database will experience variable workloads with frequent read-heavy operations. To optimize performance and cost, the company wants to use a serverless compute tier. However, they also need to ensure the database can handle sudden bursts of user activity without significant latency. Which configuration should the team 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
Set the serverless auto-pause delay to a high value (e.g., 24 hours) and configure a minimum vCore count that matches the expected baseline load.
Option D is correct because setting a high auto-pause delay (e.g., 24 hours) prevents the serverless database from pausing during idle periods, avoiding cold-start latency. Configuring a minimum vCore count that matches the expected baseline load ensures the database always has sufficient resources for steady-state read-heavy operations, while the maximum vCore count can scale up to handle sudden bursts without significant latency.
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 a provisioned General Purpose tier with read scale-out enabled to offload read traffic to a secondary replica.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: This is a provisioned tier solution, not serverless; read scale-out helps read-heavy but not serverless burst.
- ✗
Set the serverless auto-pause delay to 0 (disabled) and configure a maximum vCore count equal to the expected burst peak.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Disabling auto-pause increases cost; maximum vCores alone do not prevent cold start latency.
- ✗
Enable auto-pause with a 1-minute delay and configure the maximum vCore count to handle bursts.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Short auto-pause delay causes frequent cold starts, increasing latency during bursts.
- ✓
Set the serverless auto-pause delay to a high value (e.g., 24 hours) and configure a minimum vCore count that matches the expected baseline load.
Why this is correct
Correct: High auto-pause delay prevents frequent cold starts, and minimum vCores guarantee baseline performance for bursts.
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 assume a short auto-pause delay (e.g., 1 minute) saves more cost, but they overlook the cold-start latency penalty that makes it unsuitable for bursty workloads requiring immediate responsiveness.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Azure SQL Database serverless, the compute resources scale automatically based on workload demand, with a configurable auto-pause delay (minimum 60 minutes) that determines how long the database remains idle before pausing. When paused, the first connection triggers a cold start that can take 30-60 seconds, which is unacceptable for bursty e-commerce workloads. By setting a high auto-pause delay and a minimum vCore count equal to baseline load, the database stays warm and can scale up to the maximum vCore count (up to 40 vCores) within seconds, leveraging the serverless compute's rapid scaling capability.
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 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.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
What to study next
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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 — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set the serverless auto-pause delay to a high value (e.g., 24 hours) and configure a minimum vCore count that matches the expected baseline load. — Option D is correct because setting a high auto-pause delay (e.g., 24 hours) prevents the serverless database from pausing during idle periods, avoiding cold-start latency. Configuring a minimum vCore count that matches the expected baseline load ensures the database always has sufficient resources for steady-state read-heavy operations, while the maximum vCore count can scale up to handle sudden bursts without significant latency.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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