The correct choice is to deploy the database with a zone-redundant configuration in the primary region. This option meets the stringent RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 seconds because Azure SQL Database’s zone-redundant configuration replicates data synchronously across three Availability Zones within the same region, achieving an RPO of 0 seconds and an RTO typically between 10 and 30 seconds through automatic failover. On the DP-300 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to balance recovery objectives with deployment options; a common trap is assuming cross-region geo-replication is required for low RPO/RTO, but that introduces asynchronous lag and higher latency. Remember that zone redundancy handles regional zonal failures, not full region outages, so it’s ideal for ultra-low recovery targets within a single region. A useful memory tip: “Zero RPO, zero cross-region—zone redundancy is the low-latency champion.”
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 designing a disaster recovery strategy for an Azure SQL Database in the West US region. The database is used by a mission-critical application with an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 30 seconds. Which deployment option should you choose?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deploy the database with zone-redundant configuration in the primary region
Option C is correct because zone-redundant configuration for Azure SQL Database replicates the database across three Azure Availability Zones within the same region, providing automatic failover with an RPO of 0 seconds and an RTO of typically 10-30 seconds. This meets the stringent RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 seconds without relying on cross-region replication, which would introduce higher latency and potential data loss.
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.
✗
Use active geo-replication with a readable secondary in another Azure region
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication requires manual failover and typically has RTO of 1 hour.
✗
Use a failover group with a secondary in a paired region
Why it's wrong here
Failover groups improve RTO but still rely on geo-replication; cannot meet 30-second RTO.
✓
Deploy the database with zone-redundant configuration in the primary region
Why this is correct
Zone-redundant configuration provides automatic failover within the same region with RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 seconds.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Deploy the database with an auto-failover group to a secondary region
Why it's wrong here
Auto-failover group to secondary region cannot achieve 30-second RTO due to geo-replication lag and failover time.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume cross-region disaster recovery (like geo-replication or failover groups) is always required for mission-critical apps, but they overlook that zone-redundant configuration within a single region can achieve lower RPO and RTO than any cross-region solution, and the question's extreme RPO/RTO targets force an intra-region choice.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Zone-redundant configuration uses Azure SQL Database's built-in high availability model, which leverages Always On Availability Groups across three zones within a region, ensuring synchronous data replication with zero data loss (RPO=0) and automatic failover within seconds. This is distinct from geo-replication, which uses asynchronous replication and introduces a replication lag that can exceed 5 seconds under load, making it unsuitable for the given RPO/RTO targets. In a real-world scenario, if the primary region experiences a full outage, zone-redundant configuration would still fail because all zones are in the same region, but the question's RPO/RTO requirements are so low that only intra-region zone redundancy can satisfy them.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: Deploy the database with zone-redundant configuration in the primary region — Option C is correct because zone-redundant configuration for Azure SQL Database replicates the database across three Azure Availability Zones within the same region, providing automatic failover with an RPO of 0 seconds and an RTO of typically 10-30 seconds. This meets the stringent RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 seconds without relying on cross-region replication, which would introduce higher latency and potential data loss.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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