DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
Which TWO conditions must be met to use Azure SQL Database serverless compute tier?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume serverless is tied to a specific service tier (like Hyperscale) or purchasing model (like DTU), when in fact it requires the vCore model, General Purpose tier, single database, and Gen5 hardware—and the question asks for two conditions, so you must pick both C and E, not just one.
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
✓
The database must be a single database, not part of an elastic pool
Azure SQL Database serverless compute tier is designed only for single databases, not for databases in elastic pools. The serverless tier auto-scales compute resources based on workload demand and pauses during idle periods, which is incompatible with the shared resource model of elastic pools where multiple databases share a fixed set of resources.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The database must use the DTU purchasing model
Why it's wrong here
Serverless uses the vCore model.
- ✗
The database must be in the Hyperscale service tier
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale does not support serverless.
- ✓
The database must be a single database, not part of an elastic pool
Why this is correct
Serverless is only for single databases.
- ✗
The database must be in the General Purpose service tier
Why it's wrong here
Serverless supports General Purpose and Business Critical.
- ✓
The database must be on a Gen5 hardware
Why this is correct
Serverless requires Gen5.
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 |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
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 by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.