DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
Which TWO features can help you monitor and troubleshoot a query performance issue in Azure SQL Database without making changes to the application code?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse features that improve security (Always Encrypted, application roles) with performance monitoring tools, or assume that migration tools (Data Migration Assistant) are used for ongoing performance troubleshooting.
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
✓
Enabling Automatic Tuning to force plan corrections.
Automatic Tuning in Azure SQL Database can automatically identify and force plan corrections for regressed query execution plans without requiring any application code changes. It uses the Query Store to detect plan regressions and applies the last known good plan, improving query performance transparently. Option E is correct because Query Store captures query execution statistics and plan history, allowing you to review regressed queries and manually force a better plan without modifying the application.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Using sp_setapprole to set application roles.
Why it's wrong here
Requires application code changes.
- ✓
Enabling Automatic Tuning to force plan corrections.
Why this is correct
Automatic Tuning works without code changes.
- ✗
Implementing Always Encrypted for sensitive columns.
Why it's wrong here
No impact on query performance monitoring.
- ✗
Using Azure Data Migration Assistant for performance assessment.
Why it's wrong here
For migration, not runtime monitoring.
- ✓
Enabling Query Store and reviewing regressed queries.
Why this is correct
Query Store is built-in and requires no code changes.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
Key term
Query Store
Query Store is a built-in SQL Server feature that captures and stores a history of query execution plans and performance data for easy monitoring and troubleshooting.
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
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