- A
Use active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region.
Correct: Active geo-replication provides a readable secondary with RPO of 5 seconds and manual failover in seconds.
- B
Use an auto-failover group with a readable secondary in a different region.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Auto-failover groups provide readable secondary but default RTO is about 1 minute, not less than 1 minute.
- C
Use Azure SQL Database backup to a second region and restore on demand.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Backup restore has RTO of hours and RPO of up to 1 hour, not meeting requirements.
- D
Use an auto-failover group with a read-scale secondary in the same region.
Why wrong: Incorrect: The secondary must be in a different region for disaster recovery; same region does not protect against region failure.
Quick Answer
The answer is active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region. This solution meets the strict requirements of cross-region disaster recovery with low RPO and RTO because it uses asynchronous replication that typically achieves an RPO of less than 5 seconds, and failover can be completed in under one minute, while the secondary database remains fully available for read-only workloads during normal operation. On the Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate DP-300 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between active geo-replication and failover groups—a common trap is choosing failover groups, which also offer readable secondaries but require a listener and can have slightly higher RTO due to the group-level orchestration. Remember that active geo-replication gives you direct control over individual database failover and is the go-to when you need the absolute lowest RPO and RTO for a single database with read-scale capability. A helpful memory tip: think “active geo for single DB speed, failover groups for multiple DBs with a listener.”
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. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 deploying a new Azure SQL Database that will be used by an application requiring high availability and automatic failover across Azure regions. The RPO must be less than 5 seconds, and the RTO must be less than 1 minute. You also need to ensure that the secondary region can be used for read-only workloads during normal operation. Which solution should you implement?
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
Use active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region.
Active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region meets the requirements because it provides an asynchronous replication mechanism with an RPO of less than 5 seconds and an RTO of less than 1 minute during failover. The secondary database is fully readable for read-only workloads, supporting the application's need for read-scale in the secondary region during normal operation.
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.
- ✓
Use active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region.
Why this is correct
Correct: Active geo-replication provides a readable secondary with RPO of 5 seconds and manual failover in seconds.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use an auto-failover group with a readable secondary in a different region.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Auto-failover groups provide readable secondary but default RTO is about 1 minute, not less than 1 minute.
- ✗
Use Azure SQL Database backup to a second region and restore on demand.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Backup restore has RTO of hours and RPO of up to 1 hour, not meeting requirements.
- ✗
Use an auto-failover group with a read-scale secondary in the same region.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: The secondary must be in a different region for disaster recovery; same region does not protect against region failure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse auto-failover groups with active geo-replication, assuming that auto-failover groups automatically provide a readable secondary, but in fact, the secondary in an auto-failover group is not readable unless you explicitly configure it as a readable secondary, which is not the default behavior.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous database-level replication with a configurable replication lag that typically stays under 5 seconds in healthy network conditions, leveraging SQL Server's log stream transport. The secondary database is continuously updated and can be used for read-only queries by connecting with ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly, which is transparent to the application. In a real-world scenario, if the primary region experiences a full outage, you can manually initiate a forced failover to the secondary, achieving an RTO of under a minute because the secondary is already online and synchronized.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-300 question test?
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: Use active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region. — Active geo-replication with a readable secondary in a different Azure region meets the requirements because it provides an asynchronous replication mechanism with an RPO of less than 5 seconds and an RTO of less than 1 minute during failover. The secondary database is fully readable for read-only workloads, supporting the application's need for read-scale in the secondary region during normal operation.
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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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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