DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You deploy a new Azure SQL Database and need to ensure that all queries are logged for performance analysis. Which configuration should you enable?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse server-level audit or diagnostic settings with query-level logging, but Query Store is the only feature that natively logs query execution plans and runtime statistics for performance analysis in Azure SQL Database.
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
Query Store captures a history of query execution plans, runtime statistics, and wait statistics, enabling detailed performance analysis and troubleshooting. It is the correct choice because it is specifically designed to log query-level performance data for Azure SQL Database without requiring external storage or additional configuration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data classification
Why it's wrong here
Data classification labels columns by sensitivity for governance and compliance reporting; it records no query text or execution statistics. It is tempting because it appears under security and auditing, but it classifies data rather than capturing workload activity. Query Store is what logs queries for performance analysis.
- ✗
Server-level audit
Why it's wrong here
Server-level auditing writes audit records for server-level events and administrative actions, not per-query performance data. It is tempting because auditing sounds like logging, but its records target security compliance, not execution plans or runtime statistics. Query Store captures the query-level detail required here.
- ✗
Diagnostic settings for SQLInsights
Why it's wrong here
SQLInsights is an Intelligent Insights telemetry feed that surfaces automated diagnoses of performance problems, not a per-query log. It cannot satisfy the requirement to log all queries; Query Store or diagnostic settings streaming QueryStoreRuntimeStatistics provide that. It is tempting because it is a diagnostic setting, but its purpose is anomaly detection.
- ✓
Query Store
Why this is correct
Query Store continuously captures query text, execution plans and runtime statistics into internal catalog views, giving historical performance analysis without trace overhead. It satisfies the requirement that all queries be logged for later analysis, and can be enabled per database in Azure SQL Database.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Optimizing Database Query and Index Performance
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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