DP-300 Configure and manage automation of tasks Practice Question
You are a database administrator for a financial services company. The company has multiple Azure SQL Managed Instances in different regions for disaster recovery. Each Managed Instance hosts several databases. You need to automate the process of backing up all databases and copying the backup files to a central Azure Blob Storage account for long-term retention. The backup must be taken daily at 10 PM local time for each region. The solution must be resilient to regional outages and must not use native backup retention more than 7 days. Additionally, you must ensure that backup files are encrypted at rest and in transit. What should you do?
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
✓
Create an Azure Automation account in each region with a PowerShell runbook that connects to the local Managed Instance, performs a full database backup to a local blob container, and then copies the backup file to the central storage account using AzCopy. Schedule the runbook to run daily at 10 PM local time.
Azure Automation accounts in each region with PowerShell runbooks can be scheduled to run daily at 10 PM local time. The runbook connects to the local Managed Instance, performs a full database backup to a local blob container (using BACKUP TO URL or similar), and then uses AzCopy to copy the backup file to the central storage account. This approach is resilient to regional outages because each region has its own automation account. Option A is incorrect because managing SQL Agent jobs manually across instances is less automated and less resilient; also, backing up directly to a central storage account may be affected by network issues. Option C is incorrect because Elastic Database Jobs are not available for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Option D is incorrect because Azure Backup for SQL Server is designed for SQL Server on Azure VMs, not for 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.
- ✗
Configure a SQL Agent job on each Managed Instance to perform backups to the central storage account directly using BACKUP TO URL.
Why it's wrong here
SQL Agent jobs are local and not resilient to regional outages.
- ✓
Create an Azure Automation account in each region with a PowerShell runbook that connects to the local Managed Instance, performs a full database backup to a local blob container, and then copies the backup file to the central storage account using AzCopy. Schedule the runbook to run daily at 10 PM local time.
Why this is correct
Azure Automation runbooks can be scheduled per region and provide resiliency.
- ✗
Use Elastic Database Jobs to schedule backups across all databases in all Managed Instances.
Why it's wrong here
Elastic Database Jobs is not supported for Managed Instance.
- ✗
Enable Azure Backup for SQL Server in Azure Backup vault and configure backup policies for each Managed Instance.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup for SQL Server is for SQL Server on Azure VMs, not Managed Instance.
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
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.
Key term
Azure SQL Database Backup
Azure SQL Database Backup is a fully managed, automated service that creates and stores copies of your SQL database data and transaction logs in Azure storage, enabling point-in-time recovery and long-term retention for data protection and business continuity.
About these practice questions
This DP-300 question is part of Courseiva's 906-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.