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DP-300 · topic practice

Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources practice questions

This domain covers monitoring and tuning Azure SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure VMs. Expect questions on Query Store, DMVs, Azure Monitor metrics, Intelligent Insights, automatic tuning, resource governance, and scaling tiers when CPU, log write throughput, or storage limits are hit.

Courseiva uses original exam-style practice questions designed for learning and revision. The goal is to understand the concepts, recognise exam patterns, and improve through explanations — not memorise copied exam dumps.

Editorial oversight:Johnson Ajibi· MSc IT Security, IEEE Senior Member
20 questionsDomain: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources

What the exam tests

What to know about Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources

Be able to interpret wait statistics and Query Store data, then act: scale the service tier or vCore count for log write throughput, tune queries or indexes for IO waits, and wire Azure Monitor and Log Analytics for ongoing storage and performance tracking.

Reading sys.dm_os_wait_stats and sys.dm_db_wait_stats to interpret PAGEIOLATCH_SH, WRITELOG, and RESOURCE_GOVERNOR waits

Using Query Store and sys.dm_exec_query_stats to find regressed plans and top resource consumers

Configuring Azure Monitor metrics, diagnostic settings, and Log Analytics for Azure SQL Database

Choosing tiers and configuring TDE with customer-managed keys in Azure Key Vault

Watch out for

Common Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources exam traps

  • ▸Assuming PAGEIOLATCH_SH means CPU pressure; it indicates waiting on data page reads from storage, pointing to IO or missing indexes.
  • ▸Scaling compute to fix log write throughput throttling when the log rate limit is tied to the service tier and requires a tier change.
  • ▸Confusing Azure Monitor platform metrics with Query Store; Query Store captures query-level runtime stats while metrics show resource utilization.

Practice set

Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources questions

20 questions · select your answer, then reveal the explanation

You manage an Azure SQL Managed Instance with a large database. You notice that the automatic tuning recommendations are not being applied. You need to ensure that automatic tuning is enabled for the instance. Which PowerShell cmdlet should you run?

You have an Azure SQL Database that uses the General Purpose service tier. You notice that the log write throughput is consistently near the limit. What should you do to improve log write performance?

You have an Azure SQL Database in the Hyperscale service tier. You need to ensure that read-only workloads are offloaded to a readable secondary. Which configuration should you set?

Which TWO actions can help reduce `PAGEIOLATCH_UP` waits on an Azure SQL Database?

Which THREE metrics should you monitor to detect a memory pressure issue in Azure SQL Database?

Which THREE factors should you consider when choosing between vCore and DTU purchase models for Azure SQL Database performance optimization?

You are the database administrator for a large e-commerce company. The production Azure SQL Database (Business Critical, 16 vCores) hosts the order processing system. Recently, users report that order submissions are slow during peak hours. You examine the wait statistics and find that `LCK_M_IX` waits are the top wait type. You also notice that the stored procedure `usp_PlaceOrder` performs an `UPDATE` on the `Orders` table, and there is a high volume of concurrent transactions. The table has a clustered index on `OrderID` and a nonclustered index on `CustomerID`. The procedure uses serializable isolation level. Which action will most effectively reduce the blocking?

You manage an Azure SQL Database (General Purpose, S2) used by a reporting application. The database has a table `FactSales` with 500 million rows. Queries that aggregate sales by date are slow. The execution plan shows a clustered index scan on `FactSales`. The table has a clustered index on `SaleID` and a nonclustered index on `DateKey`. The queries filter by `DateKey` and `ProductKey`. You need to improve query performance without changing the service tier. Which action should you take?

You are the database administrator for an Azure SQL Managed Instance hosting a data warehouse workload. You notice that the storage space consumed by the database is significantly larger than expected. The database has multiple large tables with clustered columnstore indexes. You suspect that the columnstore indexes have become fragmented and that deleted rows are consuming space. You need to reclaim storage space with minimal impact on query performance during business hours. What should you do?

A company has an Azure SQL Database that experiences periodic performance degradation. The database uses the General Purpose service tier. You need to identify the most common performance bottlenecks. You enable the Query Store and collect data for a week. Which Query Store view should you query to find queries that have the highest total resource consumption over time?

You are the database administrator for an Azure SQL Database used by a financial trading application. The database is in the Business Critical service tier with 16 vCores. The application executes thousands of small, high-frequency transactions per second. Recently, the application's response time has increased, and you observe high PAGELATCH_EX waits in sys.dm_os_waiting_tasks. The database is 500 GB with a single data file (tempdb.mdf) and a single log file (tempdb_log.ldf). TempDB is configured with the default settings. You need to reduce PAGELATCH_EX contention in TempDB. What should you do?

A company runs a critical SQL Server database on Azure Virtual Machines. The database experiences intermittent performance degradation during peak hours. The database administrator notices high I/O latency on the data drive. The current disk configuration uses Standard HDDs. What is the most cost-effective action to reduce I/O latency without changing the virtual machine size?

You are monitoring an Azure SQL Database using Query Performance Insight and notice that a specific query has a high average duration and high CPU usage. The query plan shows a clustered index scan on a large table. Which two actions should you take to optimize performance? (Choose two.)

Match each Azure SQL Database backup type to its description.

Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.

Concepts
Matches

Complete copy of the database

Changes since the last full backup

All log records since the last log backup

You manage an Azure SQL Database with the Premium service tier. You need to reduce storage costs by automatically deleting old audit logs that are older than 90 days. What should you configure?

You have an Azure SQL Database that is experiencing performance degradation. You suspect that parameter sniffing is causing suboptimal execution plans. What should you do to mitigate this issue without changing application code?

You are monitoring an Azure SQL Database using Intelligent Insights. You receive an alert that resource usage has exceeded 90% for the past hour. What is the recommended first step to troubleshoot?

You have an Azure SQL Database that uses the Hyperscale service tier. You notice that during peak hours, the log rate is throttled frequently. You need to reduce log write throttling. What should you do?

You run the KQL query shown in the exhibit. The query returns a list of query IDs. What is the purpose of this query?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

```kql
AzureDiagnostics
| where ResourceProvider == "MICROSOFT.SQL"
| where Category == "QueryStoreRuntimeStatistics"
| summarize avg(avg_duration) by query_id
| top 10 by avg_duration desc
```

You are configuring Azure SQL Database automatic tuning. You want to enable the feature that automatically creates and drops indexes based on workload patterns. Which option should you enable?

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Frequently asked questions

What does the DP-300 exam test about Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources?
Be able to interpret wait statistics and Query Store data, then act: scale the service tier or vCore count for log write throughput, tune queries or indexes for IO waits, and wire Azure Monitor and Log Analytics for ongoing storage and performance tracking.
How should I use these practice questions?
Select your answer before revealing the explanation. Then read why each option is right or wrong — this active recall approach builds retention far faster than re-reading notes.
Can I practise just Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources questions in a focused session?
Yes — the session launcher on this page draws every question from the Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources domain. Use a 10-question session first to gauge your baseline, then move to 20 or 30 once the weak spots are clear.
Where can I practise other DP-300 topics?
Use the topic links above to move to related areas, or go back to the DP-300 question bank to see all topics.
Are these real exam questions or dumps?
These are original practice questions written to test the same concepts the DP-300 exam covers. They are not copied from any real exam or dump site.