DP-300 Practice Question: Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment
You have an Azure SQL Database that uses the Hyperscale service tier. The database is 4 TB and has a readable secondary in a different region. You need to ensure that if the primary region fails, the secondary can be promoted to primary with minimal data loss and without reconfiguring the application connection string. What should you implement?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that active geo-replication provides a stable endpoint; it does not, and the application would need to be reconfigured after failover.
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
✓
Configure an auto-failover group that includes the primary and secondary databases.
Auto-failover groups are the recommended solution for cross-region disaster recovery when you need a stable listener endpoint that does not change after failover. They support Hyperscale tier databases and provide automatic failover with minimal data loss. Active geo-replication requires manual connection string updates, and zone redundancy only provides local high availability. Therefore, the failover group is the only option that meets all requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a geo-secondary using the Azure CLI and configure the application to use the secondary's server name.
Why it's wrong here
Creating a geo-secondary with the Azure CLI and pointing the application to the secondary's server name would require changing the connection string after failover, which violates the requirement. Additionally, this approach does not provide automatic failover; you would need to manually promote the secondary. It also lacks a stable listener endpoint, making it unsuitable for the scenario.
- ✗
Configure active geo-replication and update the application connection string to point to the secondary after failover.
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication does not provide a listener endpoint, so after failover you must manually update the application connection string to point to the new primary. The requirement explicitly states that the application connection string must not be reconfigured. Therefore, this option fails the requirement. Additionally, active geo-replication for Hyperscale has limitations and may not support the same features as failover groups.
- ✗
Enable zone redundancy on the primary database and rely on automatic failover within the region.
Why it's wrong here
Zone redundancy provides high availability within a single region by spreading replicas across availability zones, but it does not protect against a regional outage. The scenario requires failover to a secondary in a different region. Zone redundancy alone cannot promote a secondary in another region, and it does not provide a cross-region listener endpoint. Thus, it does not meet the requirement.
- ✓
Configure an auto-failover group that includes the primary and secondary databases.
Why this is correct
Auto-failover groups support Hyperscale service tier databases and provide a read-write listener endpoint that remains constant across failovers. This allows the application to continue using the same connection string after the secondary is promoted. The failover group also manages the replication and supports automatic failover, minimizing data loss and administrative effort. This is the correct solution for the scenario.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Configuring Disaster Recovery for Azure SQL
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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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.