The answer is the Serverless tier with General Purpose and auto-pause enabled. This configuration minimizes cost for variable workloads because Serverless automatically scales compute resources based on demand and pauses databases during inactivity, charging only for storage and used vCores rather than a fixed compute capacity. On the Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate DP-300 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of elastic pool cost optimization for SaaS applications with unpredictable usage patterns, where the common trap is selecting a provisioned tier that wastes money on idle capacity. Remember that Serverless is ideal for intermittent or low-activity workloads, while auto-pause ensures you never pay for compute when databases are idle. A useful memory tip is “Pause to save, scale to behave”—auto-pause cuts costs, while automatic scaling meets baseline performance without over-provisioning.
DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and implement data platform resources. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
You are configuring an Azure SQL Database elastic pool for a SaaS application. The pool will host 50 databases with varying workloads. You need to minimize cost while ensuring performance meets baseline requirements. Which tier and configuration should you choose?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Serverless tier with General Purpose and auto-pause enabled
Option C is correct because the Serverless tier with General Purpose and auto-pause enabled is the most cost-effective choice for a pool of 50 databases with varying workloads. Serverless automatically scales compute based on demand and pauses databases during inactivity, charging only for storage and used vCores, which minimizes cost while meeting baseline performance requirements.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Hyperscale tier with 4 vCores
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale is not supported in elastic pools and is intended for large, high-throughput databases.
✗
Provisioned tier with General Purpose and 2 vCores
Why it's wrong here
Provisioned tier charges for allocated vCores continuously, even during idle periods, leading to higher costs.
✓
Serverless tier with General Purpose and auto-pause enabled
Why this is correct
Serverless tier auto-scales and auto-pauses, reducing costs for variable workloads.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
DTU-based elastic pool with 200 DTUs
Why it's wrong here
DTU-based pools are older and may not offer the same cost flexibility as Serverless.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the Provisioned tier (Option B) is always cheaper for predictable workloads, but they overlook that the Serverless tier with auto-pause can dramatically reduce costs for variable or idle databases, which is the key requirement in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Serverless tier in Azure SQL Database uses a compute autoscaling range (e.g., 0.5 to 4 vCores) and a per-second billing model, with auto-pause after a configurable period of inactivity (default 1 hour). Under the hood, the compute resources are deallocated during pause, so you pay only for storage and not for vCores, making it ideal for SaaS environments with many databases that have sporadic or unpredictable usage patterns. A real-world scenario is a multi-tenant app where tenants access their database only during business hours, allowing significant cost savings overnight.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-300 question in full detail.
Plan and implement data platform resources — This question tests Plan and implement data platform resources — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Serverless tier with General Purpose and auto-pause enabled — Option C is correct because the Serverless tier with General Purpose and auto-pause enabled is the most cost-effective choice for a pool of 50 databases with varying workloads. Serverless automatically scales compute based on demand and pauses databases during inactivity, charging only for storage and used vCores, which minimizes cost while meeting baseline performance requirements.
What should I do if I get this DP-300 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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