Plan and implement data platform resources →hardMultiple Choice

DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

```powershell
$params = @{
    ResourceGroupName = 'rg-sql'
    ServerName = 'sqlserver1'
    DatabaseName = 'db1'
    Edition = 'GeneralPurpose'
    ComputeGeneration = 'Gen5'
    VCores = 4
    MaxVCores = 8
    MinVCores = 0.5
    AutoPauseDelayInMinutes = 60
}
New-AzSqlDatabase @params
```

You are deploying an Azure SQL Database using PowerShell as shown in the exhibit. The database will be used by a development team that works intermittently. You need to ensure the database is cost-effective while being available on demand. What is the purpose of the AutoPauseDelayInMinutes parameter?

⚠ Common exam trap

A common mix-up: candidates confuse the auto-pause feature with a manual pause/resume operation or with a scheduled shutdown, and they incorrectly assume AutoPauseDelayInMinutes controls resume speed or maximum pause duration, when in fact it only defines the inactivity threshold before automatic pausing occurs.

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

✓

It controls the automatic pausing of the database after a period of inactivity to save costs.

The AutoPauseDelayInMinutes parameter is used with Azure SQL Database serverless compute tier. It specifies the number of minutes of inactivity (no CPU usage or active sessions) after which the database automatically pauses, stopping compute billing while storage remains billed. This makes the database cost-effective for intermittent development workloads because it eliminates compute costs during idle periods and automatically resumes on the first connection.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
It configures the database to pause during a disaster recovery scenario.
Why it's wrong here
AutoPauseDelayInMinutes sets the idle interval before a serverless database auto-pauses; it has no disaster-recovery role, since geo-failover is handled by failover groups or active geo-replication. It is tempting because pause and failover both concern availability, but the parameter purely governs serverless idle suspension.
✓
It controls the automatic pausing of the database after a period of inactivity to save costs.
Why this is correct
AutoPauseDelayInMinutes sets the inactivity period before serverless compute auto-pauses, so the intermittently used development database stops incurring compute charges while remaining available on demand. This directly satisfies the cost-effectiveness requirement without deleting or reprovisioning the database.
✗
It sets the maximum duration for which the database can be paused.
Why it's wrong here
The parameter specifies the idle period before auto-pause triggers, not a cap on pause duration; a paused serverless database stays paused until a connection resumes it. It is tempting because the name suggests a pause timeout, but the value is a delay before pausing, not a maximum pause length.
✗
It determines how long the database takes to resume after a pause.
Why it's wrong here
Resume time is determined by the service, not configured by this parameter, which sets how many minutes of inactivity precede auto-pause. It is tempting because both values are expressed in minutes and concern the pause cycle, but the parameter controls the idle delay before pausing, not the resume duration.

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

DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

Cloud Service Model Comparison

Related to this question