DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You are configuring automatic tuning for an Azure SQL Database. Which THREE recommendations can be applied automatically without manual approval?
⚠ Common exam trap
DP-300 often tests the exact set of automatic tuning options — candidates include 'modify statistics' or 'compression' because they sound like tuning actions, but only CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX, and FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN are automatic tuning recommendations.
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
✓
FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN
Azure SQL Database automatic tuning can automatically apply three types of recommendations: FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN (A), which reverts a query to a previously known good execution plan when a plan regression is detected; CREATE INDEX (C), which adds missing indexes identified by the query optimizer; and DROP INDEX (D), which removes redundant or unused indexes. These three are the built-in automatic tuning actions that Azure SQL Database can execute without manual approval, provided automatic tuning is enabled. Modifying statistics (B) is not an automatic tuning action — statistics updates are handled separately by the database engine's automatic statistics maintenance, not by the automatic tuning feature. Enabling database compression (E) is a manual performance optimization and is not part of the automatic tuning recommendation set.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN
Why this is correct
FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN automatically reverts a query to its previous good execution plan when a regression is detected, and it is applied without approval once automatic tuning is enabled. It satisfies the stem's constraint of recommendations applied automatically.
- ✗
Modify statistics
Why it's wrong here
Modify statistics is not an automatic tuning action; Azure SQL Database handles statistics maintenance internally. Automatic tuning applies CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX and FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN. Statistics modification would be relevant when manually tuning query plans, not through automatic tuning.
- ✓
CREATE INDEX
Why this is correct
CREATE INDEX is applied automatically by Azure SQL Database's automatic tuning when it identifies a missing index that would improve workload performance. It satisfies the stem's constraint of recommendations applied without manual approval, unlike options requiring human verification.
- ✓
DROP INDEX
Why this is correct
DROP INDEX is applied automatically when automatic tuning detects a redundant or unused index harming write performance. It satisfies the stem's constraint of recommendations applied without manual approval, running alongside CREATE INDEX and FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN.
- ✗
Enable database compression
Why it's wrong here
Compression is not one of the automatic tuning recommendations Azure SQL Database applies; it is configured manually. Automatic tuning covers CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX and FORCE LAST GOOD PLAN. Compression would be chosen deliberately when reducing storage footprint, not via automatic tuning.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Optimizing Database Query and Index Performance
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.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.