DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You are managing an Azure SQL Database that experiences periods of high CPU usage. You need to identify the top resource-consuming queries and their execution plans to optimize performance. You want to use a built-in feature that provides historical query performance data with minimal configuration. What should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that DMVs provide historical data, when they only show current cached statistics and lose history on restart.
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
✓
Query Store
Query Store is a built-in feature that captures query execution history, plans, and runtime statistics. It requires minimal setup and provides the historical data needed to identify top CPU-consuming queries and analyze their execution plans, making it the best choice for performance tuning.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Dynamic management views (DMVs) such as sys.dm_exec_query_stats
Why it's wrong here
DMVs provide real-time query statistics but do not retain historical data. They reset when the server restarts or the plan cache is cleared. While they can show current top queries, they lack the historical perspective needed to identify patterns over time. They also require manual querying and do not automatically capture execution plans for all queries.
- ✗
Azure SQL Analytics
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Analytics is a monitoring solution that provides insights into resource utilization and query performance, but it requires configuration of diagnostic settings and Log Analytics. It is not built into the database and has additional cost. It is more complex than Query Store and does not automatically capture execution plans for individual queries.
- ✗
Automatic tuning
Why it's wrong here
Automatic tuning can automatically create and drop indexes and force plans, but it does not provide a detailed historical view of query performance. It relies on Query Store internally, but it is an automation feature rather than an analysis tool. It does not let you directly identify top resource-consuming queries with their plans.
- ✓
Query Store
Why this is correct
Query Store automatically captures query execution history, including execution plans, runtime statistics, and wait categories. It is built into Azure SQL Database and requires minimal configuration—just enabling it on the database. It allows you to identify top resource-consuming queries and analyze plan changes over time, making it ideal for performance tuning.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Overview of Azure Data Platform Options
Key term
Query Store
Query Store is a built-in SQL Server feature that captures and stores a history of query execution plans and performance data for easy monitoring and troubleshooting.
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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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.