DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You are a database administrator for a large e-commerce platform using Azure SQL Database. You notice that a specific query frequently causes high CPU usage during peak hours. The query is a SELECT with multiple JOINs and a WHERE clause on a non-clustered index. You have already updated statistics and rebuilt indexes. What should you do next to optimize performance?
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
✓
Use Query Store to identify and force a better execution plan.
Query Store can identify query performance regressions and provide plan forcing. Option B is wrong because automatic tuning might not address the specific query without Query Store data. Option C is wrong because index tuning may not help if the query plan is suboptimal. Option D is wrong because read replicas offload read traffic but do not optimize CPU usage of a single query on the primary.
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 Query Store to identify and force a better execution plan.
Why this is correct
Query Store captures plan history and allows forced plan to stabilize performance.
- ✗
Enable automatic tuning to let Azure SQL Database handle the issue.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic tuning may eventually correct the plan, but it's slower than manual intervention via Query Store.
- ✗
Add more indexes on the columns used in JOINs and WHERE clause.
Why it's wrong here
Indexes already exist; more indexes may increase overhead without fixing the plan.
- ✗
Create a read replica and offload the query to it.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas do not reduce CPU on the primary; they only distribute read workload.
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.
Key term
Azure SQL Indexes
Structures in Azure SQL Database that speed up data retrieval by providing quick access paths to rows, similar to a book index.
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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.