Quick Answer
The answer is active geo-replication and failover groups, as these are the two primary disaster recovery options for Azure SQL Database. Active geo-replication creates a readable, continuously synchronized secondary database in a different Azure region, enabling manual failover for recovery, while failover groups build on this by managing multiple databases and automating failover with a single endpoint. On the DP-300 exam, this question tests your understanding of native PaaS DR features versus legacy or VM-based solutions—common traps include confusing these with log shipping, which is unsupported, or Always On availability groups, which are reserved for SQL Server on Azure VMs. A helpful memory tip is to think of “Geo-Fail” as a single concept: geo-replication provides the replication engine, and failover groups provide the orchestration, so if you see either term as an option for Azure SQL Database DR, both are correct together.
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Which TWO disaster recovery options are available for Azure SQL Database? (Choose two.)
Database mirroring.
Why wrong: Database mirroring is deprecated.
Auto-failover groups.
Failover groups provide automatic failover with multiple databases.
Always On availability groups.
Why wrong: Availability groups are for SQL Server on VMs.
Log shipping.
Why wrong: Log shipping is not supported in Azure SQL Database.
Active geo-replication.
Active geo-replication creates a readable secondary in another region.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Auto-failover groups.
Options A and C are correct. Active geo-replication and failover groups are the two main DR options for Azure SQL Database. Option B is wrong because log shipping is not supported. Option D is wrong because availability groups are for SQL Server VMs, not Azure SQL Database. Option E is wrong because database mirroring is deprecated.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Database mirroring.
Why it's wrong here
Database mirroring is deprecated.
Auto-failover groups.
Why this is correct
Failover groups provide automatic failover with multiple databases.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Always On availability groups.
Why it's wrong here
Availability groups are for SQL Server on VMs.
Log shipping.
Why it's wrong here
Log shipping is not supported in Azure SQL Database.
Active geo-replication.
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication creates a readable secondary in another region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Identify which DP-300 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment — This question tests Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Auto-failover groups. — Options A and C are correct. Active geo-replication and failover groups are the two main DR options for Azure SQL Database. Option B is wrong because log shipping is not supported. Option D is wrong because availability groups are for SQL Server VMs, not Azure SQL Database. Option E is wrong because database mirroring is deprecated.
Identify which DP-300 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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