The answer is to configure Active Geo-Replication and an Auto-Failover Group. Active Geo-Replication creates a readable secondary database in a different Azure region, which is the foundation for cross-region high availability for Azure SQL Database General Purpose. The Auto-Failover Group then manages automatic failover between the primary and this secondary, enforcing the required RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 1 hour by continuously replicating transactions. On the DP-300 exam, this pairing tests your understanding that a failover group alone is useless without a geo-replicated secondary, and that General Purpose tier databases rely on this combination rather than the built-in zone-redundancy of Business Critical. A common trap is selecting “Always On Availability Groups” or “Failover Cluster Instance,” which are for SQL Server on VMs, not Azure SQL Database. Memory tip: think “Geo for the copy, Group for the switch”—the geo-replication creates the remote copy, and the failover group automates the switch.
DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and implement data platform resources. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 have an Azure SQL Database in the General Purpose tier. You need to implement high availability with automatic failover to a secondary database in a different Azure region. The solution must provide an RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 1 hour. Which TWO components must you configure? (Select TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure active geo-replication
Active geo-replication (Option C) creates a readable secondary database in a different Azure region, supporting cross-region disaster recovery. When combined with an auto-failover group, it provides automatic failover with an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 hour, meeting the requirements for a General Purpose tier database.
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.
✗
Change the service tier to Business Critical
Why it's wrong here
Business Critical is not required; General Purpose supports geo-replication.
✗
Enable zone redundancy on the primary database
Why it's wrong here
Zone redundancy is within region, not cross-region DR.
✓
Configure active geo-replication
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication provides asynchronous replication to a secondary region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a secondary database in a different Azure region
Why this is correct
A secondary database is required for geo-replication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create an auto-failover group
Why it's wrong here
Failover group alone does not set up replication; it requires geo-replication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the auto-failover group (Option E) as a standalone component, not realizing it requires a pre-configured secondary database via active geo-replication to function, and they may incorrectly assume Business Critical tier (Option A) is necessary for cross-region failover when General Purpose with geo-replication suffices.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active geo-replication uses asynchronous replication with a configurable replication lag, typically under 5 seconds in healthy networks, to maintain a readable secondary in a paired region. The auto-failover group then monitors the primary and secondary databases, and upon detection of a primary outage, it automatically initiates failover to the secondary, achieving an RTO of 1 hour due to DNS propagation and connection re-establishment. This setup is distinct from Business Critical tier's synchronous local replicas, which offer faster RTO but no cross-region capability.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-300 question in full detail.
Plan and implement data platform resources — This question tests Plan and implement data platform resources — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure active geo-replication — Active geo-replication (Option C) creates a readable secondary database in a different Azure region, supporting cross-region disaster recovery. When combined with an auto-failover group, it provides automatic failover with an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 hour, meeting the requirements for a General Purpose tier database.
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.
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Question Discussion
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