DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are deploying a new Azure SQL Database for a line-of-business application. The application's workload is unpredictable, with periods of near-zero activity overnight and heavy transactional bursts during business hours. You need to choose a purchasing model and service tier that minimizes cost while automatically scaling compute resources based on demand. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any vCore-based tier supports automatic scaling, when in fact only the Serverless compute tier provides that 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
✓
Deploy the database using the vCore purchasing model with the Serverless compute tier and set the minimum and maximum vCores.
The Serverless compute tier in the vCore purchasing model is designed for databases with intermittent, unpredictable usage. It automatically scales compute up during active periods and down or pauses during inactivity, billing only for resources consumed. Setting minimum and maximum vCores provides cost control while enabling automatic scaling. This aligns with the need to minimize cost while handling variable demand, unlike fixed DTU or provisioned vCore tiers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Deploy the database using the vCore purchasing model with the Serverless compute tier and set the minimum and maximum vCores.
Why this is correct
The Serverless compute tier automatically scales compute based on workload demand and can pause during inactive periods, billing only for storage while paused. By setting minimum and maximum vCores, you control cost boundaries while allowing automatic scaling during bursts. This directly meets the requirement to minimize cost while handling unpredictable activity, making it the appropriate choice for this scenario.
- ✗
Deploy the database using the DTU purchasing model with the Standard service tier.
Why it's wrong here
The DTU purchasing model with the Standard tier provides a fixed amount of compute and storage, so it cannot automatically scale during bursts. You would have to manually change the service tier or DTU level, which introduces downtime and does not meet the requirement for automatic scaling based on demand. This model is better suited to predictable workloads with steady resource consumption.
- ✗
Deploy the database using the vCore purchasing model with the General Purpose service tier and configure auto-scaling.
Why it's wrong here
The General Purpose service tier in the vCore model offers predictable performance and separate compute and storage scaling, but it does not include built-in automatic scaling of compute resources. You can manually scale vCores, but the database will not automatically adjust to workload bursts. This makes it a poor fit for unpredictable workloads requiring automatic scaling.
- ✗
Deploy the database using the vCore purchasing model with the Business Critical service tier and enable geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
The Business Critical tier provides high performance and low latency with local SSD storage, but it is significantly more expensive and does not offer automatic scaling or pausing. Geo-replication adds disaster recovery capabilities, not cost optimization for variable workloads. This option would result in higher costs and does not address the need for automatic compute scaling.
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 |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Deploying and Configuring SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
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.