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 provides a read-only replica for offloading reads.
- ✗
Automatic tuning.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic tuning optimizes query performance, not offloading.
- ✗
Connection pooling.
Why it's wrong here
Connection pooling manages connections, not replicas.
- ✗
Active geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
Geo-replication is for disaster recovery, not read offloading.
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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