DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are deploying an Azure SQL Database for a new line-of-business application. The application's usage pattern is unpredictable, with long idle periods and occasional bursts of heavy read/write activity. You need to minimize compute cost while ensuring the database automatically scales compute resources based on workload demand. The database must remain online during scaling operations. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that high-availability features like zone redundancy or read-scale out provide automatic cost-saving compute scaling, when they address resilience or read performance instead.
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 the database with the General Purpose service tier and the Serverless compute tier, setting an appropriate auto-pause delay.
The Serverless compute tier in Azure SQL Database is designed for intermittent, unpredictable workloads. It automatically scales compute based on demand and can pause during inactivity, reducing cost. Configuring an appropriate auto-pause delay ensures the database pauses when idle and resumes on the next connection, keeping the database available during scaling 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.
- ✓
Configure the database with the General Purpose service tier and the Serverless compute tier, setting an appropriate auto-pause delay.
Why this is correct
The Serverless compute tier automatically scales vCores based on workload and can pause the database during idle periods, reducing cost. Setting an auto-pause delay allows the database to go offline after inactivity, and it resumes automatically on the next connection. This matches the requirement to minimize cost while handling bursts and staying online during scaling.
- ✗
Configure the database with the Basic service tier and set a maximum database size of 2 GB.
Why it's wrong here
The Basic service tier offers fixed, low compute resources and does not automatically scale with workload demand. It is intended for small, light workloads and would not handle bursts of heavy activity. There is no auto-pause or serverless capability, so costs remain constant even during idle periods, failing the requirement.
- ✗
Configure the database with the Hyperscale service tier and enable read-scale out.
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale is designed for very large databases and rapid scale-out of storage and read replicas, but it does not provide automatic compute scaling down to zero or pause during idle periods. It is more expensive and not optimized for sporadic workloads. Enabling read-scale out only helps read-heavy workloads and does not address compute cost during idle times.
- ✗
Configure the database with the Business Critical service tier and enable zone redundancy.
Why it's wrong here
Business Critical provides low-latency local SSD and high availability, but it does not automatically scale compute based on demand. Zone redundancy increases resilience to datacenter failures, not cost efficiency during idle periods. This choice would result in higher fixed costs and no serverless auto-scaling behavior, making it unsuitable for unpredictable workloads.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DP-300 question from scratch — 574 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.