DP-300 PAGELATCH_EX Practice Question
You are troubleshooting a performance issue on an Azure SQL Database. The database is experiencing high PAGELATCH_EX waits. Which TWO measures can help reduce these waits?
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
✓
Partition the table to distribute inserts
PAGELATCH_EX waits are caused by contention on the last page of an index, often due to sequential inserts. Two effective measures in Azure SQL Database are partitioning the table (option C) to spread inserts across multiple pages and using OPTIMIZE_FOR_SEQUENTIAL_KEY index option (option D) to reduce page latch contention. Option A is incorrect because hash or round-robin distribution is a feature of Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools, not Azure SQL Database. Option B is incorrect because increasing MAXDOP can increase parallelism and potentially worsen latch contention. Option E is incorrect because snapshot isolation does not reduce page latch waits.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a hash distribution or round-robin distribution in a table design
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Hash or round-robin distribution is specific to Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools and is not applicable to Azure SQL Database. These distributions do not reduce PAGELATCH_EX waits in this context.
- ✗
Increase MAXDOP for the queries
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Increasing MAXDOP can lead to more parallelism, which may exacerbate page latch contention rather than reduce it.
- ✓
Partition the table to distribute inserts
Why this is correct
Correct. Partitioning a table spreads insert activity across multiple pages, reducing contention on the last page and decreasing PAGELATCH_EX waits.
- ✓
Use OPTIMIZE_FOR_SEQUENTIAL_KEY index option
Why this is correct
Correct. The OPTIMIZE_FOR_SEQUENTIAL_KEY index option is designed to reduce page latch contention on indexes with sequential keys, directly addressing PAGELATCH_EX waits.
- ✗
Enable snapshot isolation level
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Snapshot isolation provides row versioning but does not affect page latch waits caused by insert contention.
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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