DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You have an Azure SQL Database that uses the SQL Server Agent to run a daily maintenance job. The job fails intermittently with the error 'Login failed for user'. The job uses a SQL Server authentication login. What is the most likely cause and solution?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may overlook password expiration as a cause for intermittent failures and instead focus on connectivity or agent issues, but the specific 'Login failed for user' error with SQL authentication points directly to credential expiration.
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
✓
The login password has expired; update the password in the job step.
The intermittent 'Login failed for user' error with a SQL Server authentication login strongly indicates a password expiration issue. Azure SQL Database enforces password expiration policies by default, and if the password for the SQL authentication login used by the job step has expired, the job will fail until the password is updated. This is the most likely cause because the failure is intermittent (occurring after the password expires) and the job uses SQL authentication, which is subject to password policies.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The database is in a failover group and the secondary is read-only; connect to the primary.
Why it's wrong here
Login failure is not related to read-only routing.
- ✓
The login password has expired; update the password in the job step.
Why this is correct
SQL Server password expiration can cause intermittent login failures.
- ✗
The job schedule is conflicting with another job; change the schedule.
Why it's wrong here
Would not cause login failure.
- ✗
The SQL Server Agent is not running; start the agent.
Why it's wrong here
Agent runs the job; if it wasn't running, the job would not start at all.
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.
Key term
Azure SQL Authentication
Azure SQL Authentication is the process of verifying a user's identity to access an Azure SQL database using either a username and password (SQL Authentication) or a Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) identity.
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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.