DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You are monitoring an Azure SQL Database and notice that the average CPU usage is consistently above 90%. The database is using the S3 service tier. What should you do first to resolve this performance issue?
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
✓
Scale up to a higher service tier
Scaling up to a higher service tier (e.g., S4) provides more CPU resources, which directly addresses the high CPU usage. Option D is correct. Option A is incorrect because enabling read scale-out does not increase CPU capacity. Option B is incorrect because automatic tuning may provide recommendations, but it is not the first action to take for immediate CPU pressure. Option C is incorrect because scaling down to a lower tier would reduce CPU resources, making the problem worse.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable read scale-out
Why it's wrong here
Read scale-out does not increase CPU capacity.
- ✗
Wait for Automatic tuning to provide recommendations
Why it's wrong here
Automatic tuning may not resolve immediate CPU pressure.
- ✗
Scale down to a lower service tier
Why it's wrong here
Scaling down would worsen CPU pressure.
- ✓
Scale up to a higher service tier
Why this is correct
Provides more CPU resources to handle the load.
Visual reference
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.