DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are deploying an Azure SQL Database for a development environment. The database will be used for testing and will be deleted after three months. You want to minimize costs while ensuring the database can be restored to any point within the retention period. Which backup retention policy should you configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume a longer retention period (14 days or 1 year) is always better, but the question explicitly asks to minimize costs while meeting the restore requirement, making the default 7-day retention the most cost-effective choice.
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
✓
Configure short-term backup retention to 7 days.
The scenario specifies a development database that will be deleted after three months, with the requirement to restore to any point within the retention period. The default short-term backup retention for Azure SQL Database is 7 days, which provides point-in-time restore (PITR) capability within that window. Since the database is temporary and cost minimization is key, 7 days meets the requirement without incurring extra storage costs for longer retention or geo-redundancy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure geo-redundant backup storage.
Why it's wrong here
Geo-redundancy adds cost and is not required for dev.
- ✓
Configure short-term backup retention to 7 days.
Why this is correct
7-day retention is the default and meets the need for point-in-time restore within retention.
- ✗
Configure short-term backup retention to 14 days.
Why it's wrong here
14-day retention adds cost unnecessarily.
- ✗
Configure long-term backup retention (LTR) for 1 year.
Why it's wrong here
LTR is not needed for a short-lived dev database.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
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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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.