Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment →easyMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
DP-300 Practice Question: Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment
You are planning high availability for an Azure SQL Database that runs an e-commerce application. The database uses the Business Critical service tier. Which TWO features are automatically enabled to provide high availability within a single region? (Choose two.)
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
✓
Automatic failover to a secondary replica if the primary becomes unavailable.
Options A and B are correct. Business Critical includes multiple replicas (one primary and two secondary) that are automatically managed, and zone-redundant configuration is optional but not automatic. Option C is wrong because active geo-replication is a separate DR feature. Option D is wrong because auto-failover groups are for DR. Option E is wrong because read scale-out is an optional feature, not automatic for HA.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Automatic failover to a secondary replica if the primary becomes unavailable.
Why this is correct
The service automatically fails over to a secondary replica within seconds.
- ✓
Multiple synchronous replicas (one primary, two secondary) in the same region.
Why this is correct
Business Critical provides 4 replicas by default: 1 primary, 2 secondary, and 1 for backups.
- ✗
Auto-failover groups with a secondary in another region.
Why it's wrong here
Auto-failover groups are a DR feature, not automatically enabled for HA.
- ✗
Active geo-replication to a paired region.
Why it's wrong here
Geo-replication is a separate feature for disaster recovery, not automatic high availability.
- ✗
Read scale-out with a readable secondary replica.
Why it's wrong here
Read scale-out is an optional configuration, not automatic.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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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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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on DP-300
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. You have an Azure SQL Database that uses the Business Critical service tier with zone redundancy enabled. The database is deployed in a single region. You want to ensure that if a zone fails, the database remains available with minimal downtime. How does zone redundancy achieve this?
easy- ✓ A.It maintains multiple synchronous replicas in different availability zones within the region.
- B.It creates read-only replicas in other zones that can be promoted to primary.
- C.It replicates data to a secondary region for failover.
- D.It uses asynchronous replication to a standby replica in another zone.
Why A: Zone redundancy for Azure SQL Database Business Critical tier maintains multiple synchronous replicas in different availability zones within the same region. If one zone fails, another replica automatically becomes the primary, ensuring minimal downtime. Option B is incorrect because read-only replicas are not promoted to primary; all replicas are read/write capable and failover is automatic. Option C is incorrect as it describes geo-replication to a secondary region, not zone redundancy. Option D is incorrect because replicas are kept synchronous, not asynchronous.
Variation 2. You have an Azure SQL Database in the Business Critical tier with zone redundancy enabled. The database experiences a brief outage due to a zone failure. How does the platform automatically recover?
easy- A.You must perform a manual failover to a secondary replica.
- ✓ B.A replica in another availability zone is automatically promoted to primary.
- C.The database is restored from the latest backup.
- D.The database becomes read-only until the zone is restored.
Why B: The Business Critical tier with zone redundancy automatically fails over to a replica in another zone without data loss. Option A is wrong because the service heals itself without manual intervention. Option C is wrong because no data loss occurs (zero data loss is guaranteed). Option D is wrong because automatic failover happens within seconds.
JA
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.