DP-300 Maintenance window Practice Question
You are a database administrator for a company that uses Azure SQL Managed Instance. You need to automate the process of patching the operating system and SQL Server engine for all managed instances in a specific region. The automation must minimize downtime and ensure high availability. Which two actions should you include in your automation strategy?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may think that Azure Automation runbooks are necessary for patching automation, but patching is managed by Microsoft. They may also incorrectly believe that enabling Azure Update Manager applies to Azure SQL Managed Instance.
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
✓
Configure a maintenance window using Azure Portal or PowerShell.
Correct options are C and D. Configure a maintenance window (C) to control when patching occurs, minimizing disruption. Deploy a failover group to another region with read-scale replicas (D) to redirect traffic during patching, ensuring high availability. Option A is incorrect because scaling up does not relate to patching; Azure Policy is for governance. Option B is incorrect because Microsoft manages patching for Azure SQL Managed Instance; manual patching is not supported. Option E is incorrect because Azure Update Manager is for IaaS VMs, not for Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Azure Policy to automatically scale up the instance before patching.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Scaling up does not relate to patching automation; Azure Policy is used for governance, not scaling.
- ✗
Create an Azure Automation runbook to manually apply OS and SQL patches.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Manual patching is not supported for Azure SQL Managed Instance; Microsoft manages patching.
- ✓
Configure a maintenance window using Azure Portal or PowerShell.
Why this is correct
Correct. Configuring a maintenance window allows you to control when patching occurs, minimizing impact.
- ✓
Deploy a failover group to another region and enable read-scale replicas.
Why this is correct
Correct. A failover group with read-scale replicas ensures traffic can be redirected during patching, maintaining availability.
- ✗
Enable Azure Update Manager for the managed instances.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Azure Update Manager is for IaaS VMs, not applicable to Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
Key term
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure SQL Managed Instance is a fully managed cloud database service that gives you nearly all the features of Microsoft SQL Server on your own server, without you having to manage the hardware or operating system.
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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.