DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are configuring Azure SQL Database for an e-commerce application that experiences variable traffic. You need to ensure that the database can automatically scale resources based on demand without manual intervention. The solution must also support scaling to zero compute when not in use to save costs. Which Azure SQL Database offering should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the auto-scaling of serverless with the resource pooling of elastic pools, or assume Hyperscale's high performance includes cost-saving idle scaling, but only serverless offers the specific 'scale to zero' capability.
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
✓
Azure SQL Database serverless.
Azure SQL Database serverless is the correct choice because it automatically scales compute resources based on demand and supports pausing the database when idle, effectively scaling to zero compute to save costs. This aligns perfectly with the requirements of variable traffic and cost optimization without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Azure SQL Database serverless.
Why this is correct
Azure SQL Database serverless automatically scales compute based on workload demand and can pause, scaling compute to zero during inactivity, billing only for storage while paused. This satisfies both constraints: no manual intervention for variable e-commerce traffic, and cost savings through zero-compute scaling when the database is unused.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database elastic pool.
Why it's wrong here
Elastic pools share resources across several databases and scale eDTUs on a schedule or via automation, but they do not scale to zero compute; idle databases still consume provisioned capacity. They suit many databases with unpredictable, staggered demand, not a single workload requiring serverless pause.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database Hyperscale.
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale scales storage and read replicas rapidly, but its compute tiers remain provisioned and cannot scale to zero when idle. It suits very large databases needing fast storage growth, not cost-saving pause during quiet periods.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database Business Critical tier.
Why it's wrong here
Business Critical provides in-memory OLTP and local read replicas for low-latency workloads, yet its compute stays provisioned and never scales to zero. It suits latency-sensitive applications needing high IOPS, not variable demand with idle periods.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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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.