DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You have an Azure SQL Database that is configured with automatic failover groups. During a planned failover, you notice that the failover takes longer than expected. You need to minimize downtime during future planned failovers. 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
✓
Pre-seed the secondary replica by initiating a manual sync before the planned failover.
Pre-seeding the secondary replica by initiating a manual sync before the planned failover ensures that the secondary is fully up to date, reducing the synchronization time during the actual failover and thereby minimizing downtime. Option A is incorrect because increasing the service tier of the secondary does not reduce failover time; it only improves performance. Option B is incorrect because removing the failover group would eliminate the failover capability, not improve planned failover speed. Option D is incorrect because a forced failover with data loss is for unplanned scenarios and would cause data loss, which is not recommended for planned failovers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the service tier of the secondary to match the primary.
Why it's wrong here
Does not reduce failover time significantly.
- ✗
Remove the failover group and use a different disaster recovery strategy.
Why it's wrong here
Not a solution to reduce failover time.
- ✓
Pre-seed the secondary replica by initiating a manual sync before the planned failover.
Why this is correct
Reduces synchronization time during failover.
- ✗
Use a forced failover with data loss to speed up the process.
Why it's wrong here
Causes data loss and is not appropriate for planned failover.
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
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.