DP-300 Configure and manage automation of tasks Practice Question
You are troubleshooting a failed automated backup for an Azure SQL Database. The backup policy is configured for geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS). You notice that the last successful backup was 48 hours ago. The database is still online and accessible. What is the most likely cause of the backup failure?
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
✓
The database is experiencing high transaction log generation, exceeding the backup throughput limit.
Azure SQL Database automated backups can fail if the database generates a high volume of transaction logs, causing the backup process to exceed its throughput limit or timeout. This can happen even if the database is online and accessible. Option A (storage account issues) would likely cause persistent failures for all backups, not just a single one. Option C (geo-replication link) is unrelated to backup failure. Option D (paused state) would prevent backups entirely. Therefore, B is the correct answer.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The backup storage account has been deleted or has incorrect firewall rules.
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Database manages backup storage; the user does not have direct access to delete it. Firewall rules are irrelevant.
- ✓
The database is experiencing high transaction log generation, exceeding the backup throughput limit.
Why this is correct
High log generation can cause backup jobs to time out or fail, especially if the log backup rate is insufficient.
- ✗
The geo-replication link is broken, causing backup failures.
Why it's wrong here
Geo-replication is separate from backup. Backup failure is not directly caused by geo-replication issues.
- ✗
The database is in a paused state due to serverless compute.
Why it's wrong here
A paused database would not be accessible. Since the database is online, this is not the cause.
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
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