The answer is to configure short-term backup retention to 7 days. This is correct because Azure SQL Database’s default short-term backup retention policy provides point-in-time restore (PITR) capability within a 7-day window, which fully satisfies the requirement to restore the database to any point within the retention period while minimizing costs. For a development environment that will be deleted after three months, extending retention beyond 7 days would incur unnecessary storage charges, and geo-redundant backups are not needed for a temporary, non-production workload. On the DP-300 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of balancing recovery requirements with cost optimization, often using a development or test database as a trap to avoid over-provisioning. A common mistake is selecting long-term retention or geo-redundancy, but the key is that short-term backup retention is the only feature that enables granular point-in-time restores without extra cost. Memory tip: “Dev needs 7 days, not 7 years”—short-term retention for temporary databases keeps costs low and restores precise.
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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 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?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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.
Option B is correct because 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.
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.
✗
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.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure SQL Database automatically creates full backups weekly, differential backups every 12 hours, and transaction log backups every 5-10 minutes. The short-term retention policy controls how long these backups are kept for point-in-time restore (PITR). The default retention is 7 days, and you can configure it up to 35 days. For a dev/test database with a three-month lifespan, 7 days is sufficient to restore to any point within the retention window, and extending it only increases backup storage costs without benefit.
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
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-300 question in full detail.
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: Configure short-term backup retention to 7 days. — Option B is correct because 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.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.