- A
Add a second secondary replica to the auto-failover group in the same region.
Why wrong: During a regional outage, all replicas in the same region are affected.
- B
Deploy an additional readable secondary replica in the Business Critical tier in a different Azure region and configure active geo-replication to that region. Update the connection string to use the geo-secondary for reads.
This provides additional read capacity and disaster recovery.
- C
Increase the service objective of the secondary replica in the auto-failover group to a higher DTU or vCore to handle the read load.
Why wrong: Scaling up does not add additional read replicas; the secondary still has limited capacity.
- D
Change the database to the Hyperscale tier, which supports multiple readable replicas and automatic failover.
Why wrong: Hyperscale does not support auto-failover groups with the same RTO/RPO and changes the architecture.
Quick Answer
The answer is to deploy an additional readable secondary replica in the Business Critical tier in a different Azure region via active geo-replication and update the connection string to use that geo-secondary for reads. This is correct because it separates read traffic from the write-primary even after a regional failover, preventing the single secondary from being overwhelmed by read-heavy workloads while maintaining the required RTO of 30 seconds and RPO of 5 seconds. On the DP-300 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the difference between auto-failover group secondaries (which are for HA within a region) and geo-replicated secondaries (which provide DR and read scalability across regions). A common trap is assuming that adding more read-scale replicas within the same auto-failover group solves the problem, but those replicas are lost during a regional outage. Remember the key distinction: auto-failover groups handle local HA, while active geo-replication handles regional DR and read scale—think “local for HA, global for reads.”
DP-300 Practice Question: Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 the database administrator for a global e-commerce company. They run a mission-critical application on Azure SQL Database in the Business Critical tier. The database is 2 TB and experiences high write throughput. The current setup uses an auto-failover group with a secondary in the same region (West US) for high availability. The client application uses the auto-failover group listener with ReadScale=1 to route read-only queries to the secondary. Recently, during a regional outage that affected West US, the failover to the secondary succeeded, but the application experienced significant performance degradation and many timeouts for read operations. Investigation reveals that the secondary replica was overwhelmed with read traffic after failover. The business requires an RTO of 30 seconds and RPO of 5 seconds. The application must be able to handle read-heavy workloads even during a failover. You need to recommend a solution to improve read scalability and disaster recovery without changing the application code. What should you do?
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
Deploy an additional readable secondary replica in the Business Critical tier in a different Azure region and configure active geo-replication to that region. Update the connection string to use the geo-secondary for reads.
Option B is correct because deploying an additional readable secondary replica in a different Azure region via active geo-replication provides both disaster recovery and read scalability. After a regional failover, the geo-secondary can serve read traffic without overwhelming the primary, meeting the RTO of 30 seconds and RPO of 5 seconds. The application can use the geo-secondary for reads by updating the connection string, without changing application code, ensuring read-heavy workloads are handled during failover.
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.
- ✗
Add a second secondary replica to the auto-failover group in the same region.
Why it's wrong here
During a regional outage, all replicas in the same region are affected.
- ✓
Deploy an additional readable secondary replica in the Business Critical tier in a different Azure region and configure active geo-replication to that region. Update the connection string to use the geo-secondary for reads.
Why this is correct
This provides additional read capacity and disaster recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the service objective of the secondary replica in the auto-failover group to a higher DTU or vCore to handle the read load.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up does not add additional read replicas; the secondary still has limited capacity.
- ✗
Change the database to the Hyperscale tier, which supports multiple readable replicas and automatic failover.
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale does not support auto-failover groups with the same RTO/RPO and changes the architecture.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think adding more replicas in the same region (Option A) or scaling the secondary (Option C) solves the problem, but they fail to recognize that a regional outage requires a geographically separate replica to ensure read scalability and disaster recovery.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active geo-replication in Azure SQL Database creates a readable secondary in a different region using asynchronous replication, with an RPO of up to 5 seconds. The Business Critical tier provides three readable replicas in the same region, but during a regional failover, only one replica remains, which can be overwhelmed by read traffic. By adding a geo-secondary, read traffic can be offloaded to that replica, and the application can use the connection string with ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly to route reads to the geo-secondary, ensuring performance even during failover.
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
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All DP-300 questions
953 questions across all exam domains
- →
Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate DP-300 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
DP-300 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related DP-300 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment.
Plan and implement data platform resources practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Plan and implement data platform resources.
Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources.
Configure and manage automation of tasks practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Configure and manage automation of tasks.
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery.
Implement a secure environment practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to Implement a secure environment.
DP-300 fundamentals practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to DP-300 fundamentals.
DP-300 scenario practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to DP-300 scenario.
DP-300 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise DP-300 questions linked to DP-300 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free DP-300 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-300 question test?
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — This question tests Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy an additional readable secondary replica in the Business Critical tier in a different Azure region and configure active geo-replication to that region. Update the connection string to use the geo-secondary for reads. — Option B is correct because deploying an additional readable secondary replica in a different Azure region via active geo-replication provides both disaster recovery and read scalability. After a regional failover, the geo-secondary can serve read traffic without overwhelming the primary, meeting the RTO of 30 seconds and RPO of 5 seconds. The application can use the geo-secondary for reads by updating the connection string, without changing application code, ensuring read-heavy workloads are handled during failover.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.