DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You are responsible for an Azure SQL Database that hosts a reporting application. Users complain that queries are slow during business hours. You run a query against sys.dm_db_resource_stats and see that the average CPU percentage is consistently above 90%, while other metrics are low. You need to identify the queries contributing most to CPU usage. What should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is relying on sys.dm_exec_query_stats, which only shows currently cached plans and lacks historical context, potentially missing the actual CPU-consuming queries.
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's Top Resource Consuming Queries report.
Query Store's Top Resource Consuming Queries report aggregates query performance data and ranks queries by resource usage, including CPU time. It retains historical data, so even if plans are evicted, the information remains. This makes it the best tool to identify which queries are responsible for sustained high CPU in the database.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Query Store's Top Resource Consuming Queries report.
Why this is correct
Query Store captures query execution statistics, including CPU time, duration, and execution count. The Top Resource Consuming Queries report in the Azure portal or via Query Store catalog views ranks queries by resource consumption, making it ideal for identifying which queries are driving high CPU usage. This directly addresses the need to pinpoint CPU-intensive queries.
- ✗
Extended Events session capturing sql_statement_completed events.
Why it's wrong here
Extended Events can capture detailed query execution data, but it requires you to set up a session and analyze the output. It does not provide a pre-built ranking of top CPU consumers. While powerful for deep diagnostics, it is not the most efficient first step for quickly identifying the queries causing high CPU.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database Intelligent Insights.
Why it's wrong here
Intelligent Insights detects performance issues and provides root cause analysis, but it does not list individual top CPU-consuming queries. It focuses on overall database health and anomalies. For query-level CPU attribution, Query Store is more direct and detailed.
- ✗
Dynamic management view sys.dm_exec_query_stats.
Why it's wrong here
sys.dm_exec_query_stats provides aggregated performance statistics for cached query plans, including total worker time. While it can show CPU usage, it only covers currently cached plans and lacks historical data. If a problematic query's plan was evicted, it would not appear, making it less reliable for identifying top CPU consumers over time compared to Query Store.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Environment Configurations and Resource Governance
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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JA
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.