DP-300 Practice Question: Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment
Which THREE components are required to configure an auto-failover group for Azure SQL Database? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
DP-300 often tests the misconception that active geo-replication must be configured separately before creating an auto-failover group, or that an availability group listener is needed, confusing Azure SQL Database with SQL Server Always On.
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
✓
A failover group name
A failover group is a named resource, so option B (a failover group name) is required to create and reference it. Option C (a secondary logical server in a different region) is required because the failover group replicates databases to a partner server, and placing it in a different Azure region provides the geo-redundancy that failover groups are designed for. Option D (the primary logical server) is required because the failover group is defined between a primary and secondary server, with the primary hosting the read-write databases. Option A is not required because failover groups automatically manage the geo-replication relationship; you do not manually configure active geo-replication as a prerequisite. Option E is not applicable because an availability group listener is an Always On availability group concept for SQL Server, not an Azure SQL Database auto-failover group component.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Active geo-replication
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication is the underlying replication mechanism that failover groups build upon, but it is configured separately and is not itself a required component of the group definition. It is tempting because failover groups depend on geo-replication, yet the group requires a primary and secondary server plus the databases to be placed in it.
- ✓
A failover group name
Why this is correct
A failover group name is mandatory because it identifies the group and forms the read-write listener endpoint (server.database.windows.net). Without this unique name, Azure cannot create the group or route connections, so it is one of the three required components alongside the primary and secondary servers.
- ✓
Secondary logical server in a different region
Why this is correct
Auto-failover groups require a secondary logical server in a different Azure region, satisfying the geo-replication constraint. The group replicates databases from the primary server to this secondary server, enabling automatic failover during regional outages. Without a distinct secondary server, the group cannot be created.
- ✓
Primary logical server
Why this is correct
An auto-failover group requires a primary logical server to host the read-write database and act as the failover origin. The logical server, not the database alone, is the resource that failover groups bind, so it satisfies the requirement for defining the primary side of the group.
- ✗
An availability group listener
Why it's wrong here
An availability group listener is a SQL Server Always On concept for on-premises or IaaS clusters, not an Azure SQL Database auto-failover group component. It is tempting because both provide a stable connection endpoint, but the failover group supplies its own read-write and read-only listener endpoints automatically, requiring no separate listener object.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Environment Configurations and Resource Governance
Key term
Azure SQL Performance Tuning
Azure SQL Performance Tuning is the process of optimizing the speed and efficiency of queries and database operations in Microsoft Azure SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance to reduce latency and improve throughput.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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