The correct answer is to configure both active geo-replication and a failover group. Active geo-replication creates up to four readable secondary databases in different Azure regions, enabling manual or automatic cross-region failover for disaster recovery, while a failover group wraps this replication into an automated, coordinated unit with a defined policy and a single writable endpoint. Together, they provide the high availability and disaster recovery required for a Premium-tier financial application that demands regional resilience. On the DP-300 exam, this pairing tests your understanding that failover groups manage multiple databases and offer automated failover, whereas active geo-replication alone requires manual intervention—a common trap is choosing only one. Remember the mnemonic “GRAF” for Geo-replication plus Automated Failover group: the group automates what geo-replication enables.
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 for a financial application that requires high availability and disaster recovery across regions. The database is in the Premium service tier. Which TWO configurations should you implement to meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a failover group that includes the primary and secondary.
Option C is correct because a failover group in Azure SQL Database provides automated, coordinated failover of multiple databases across regions, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery with a defined replication policy and a readable secondary endpoint. Option D is correct because active geo-replication allows you to create up to four readable secondary databases in different Azure regions, enabling manual or automatic failover for cross-region disaster recovery, which is essential for a financial application requiring regional resilience.
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.
✗
Enable automatic tuning for the database.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic tuning optimizes performance, not HA/DR.
✗
Enable zone redundancy within the primary region.
Why it's wrong here
Zone redundancy is intra-region HA, not cross-region DR.
✓
Create a failover group that includes the primary and secondary.
Why this is correct
Failover group enables automatic failover across regions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure active geo-replication to a secondary region.
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication provides cross-region DR with readable secondary.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse zone redundancy (which is intra-region HA) with cross-region DR solutions like failover groups or geo-replication, leading them to select option B instead of the correct cross-region options.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Failover groups use the underlying active geo-replication technology but add a group-level endpoint and automatic failover policy, allowing you to specify a grace period (e.g., 1 hour) before automatic failover triggers. Active geo-replication replicates transactions asynchronously using the Always On availability groups technology, with a typical replication lag of seconds to minutes depending on network latency and workload. In a real-world scenario, a financial application might use a failover group with a secondary in a paired region (e.g., East US to West US) to meet an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 hour, while active geo-replication allows manual failover for more granular control during planned maintenance.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: Create a failover group that includes the primary and secondary. — Option C is correct because a failover group in Azure SQL Database provides automated, coordinated failover of multiple databases across regions, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery with a defined replication policy and a readable secondary endpoint. Option D is correct because active geo-replication allows you to create up to four readable secondary databases in different Azure regions, enabling manual or automatic failover for cross-region disaster recovery, which is essential for a financial application requiring regional resilience.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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