DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are deploying an Azure SQL Database that will be used by a global application. You need to ensure that read-intensive workloads are offloaded from the primary database to improve performance. Which feature should you enable?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse Active geo-replication with read scale-out, but the key distinction is that read scale-out is a single-database feature within the same region that transparently routes read-only connections, whereas geo-replication requires explicit connection string changes and is designed for cross-region disaster recovery.
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
✓
Read scale-out.
Read scale-out (A) is the correct feature because it allows you to offload read-only workloads to a read-only replica of the Azure SQL Database. By enabling the 'Read scale-out' property, the database automatically routes connections with `ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly` to a secondary replica, freeing the primary from read-intensive queries and improving overall performance for write operations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Read scale-out.
Why this is correct
Read scale-out uses the built-in read-only replica, routing read-intensive connections to it via the ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly parameter, so the primary replica handles writes only. This directly satisfies the stem's requirement to offload read workloads and improve performance, without extra cost or configuration on Business Critical or Hyperscale tiers.
- ✗
Automatic tuning.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic tuning adjusts indexes and plans to improve query performance on the primary replica; it does not create readable secondaries, so reads still hit the primary. It is tempting because it targets performance, and it would be correct when the goal is automatic index or plan correction rather than offloading reads.
- ✗
Connection pooling.
Why it's wrong here
Connection pooling reuses open connections to cut connection overhead; it does not redirect read queries to another replica. It is tempting because it improves application throughput, and it would be the right choice when the bottleneck is frequent connection opening and closing rather than read load on the primary.
- ✗
Active geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication creates a readable secondary in another region for disaster recovery and manual failover; it does not automatically route read-only workloads. It is tempting because the secondary is readable, and it would be correct when the requirement is cross-region business continuity rather than read offloading.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Optimizing Database Query and Index Performance
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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