- A
Configure an auto-failover group with a secondary in a different availability zone within West US.
Why wrong: Auto-failover groups across zones within the same region do not protect against regional failure.
- B
Enable geo-restore for the database with a backup retention of 35 days.
Why wrong: Geo-restore has an RPO of at least 1 hour and RTO of 12+ hours, not meeting the requirements.
- C
Create a failover group with a secondary replica in a paired region using active geo-replication.
Active geo-replication provides an RPO of 5 seconds and can achieve an RTO of 1 hour with automated failover.
- D
Deploy a zone-redundant Azure SQL Database in the West US region.
Why wrong: Zone redundancy protects against datacenter failures within a region, but not against a full regional outage.
DP-300 Practice Question: Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment. 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 manage a critical application that uses Azure SQL Database in the West US region. The application requires an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 1 hour in the event of a regional outage. You need to recommend a high availability solution that meets these requirements with minimal cost. What should you recommend?
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
Create a failover group with a secondary replica in a paired region using active geo-replication.
Option D is correct because failover groups with active geo-replication provide the lowest RPO (typically 5 seconds or less) and can meet an RTO of 1 hour with automated failover. Option A is wrong because zone-redundant configuration protects only within a region, not against regional failure. Option B is wrong because auto-failover groups without geo-replication also protect only within a region. Option C is wrong because geo-restore has a much higher RPO and RTO.
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.
- ✗
Configure an auto-failover group with a secondary in a different availability zone within West US.
Why it's wrong here
Auto-failover groups across zones within the same region do not protect against regional failure.
- ✗
Enable geo-restore for the database with a backup retention of 35 days.
Why it's wrong here
Geo-restore has an RPO of at least 1 hour and RTO of 12+ hours, not meeting the requirements.
- ✓
Create a failover group with a secondary replica in a paired region using active geo-replication.
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication provides an RPO of 5 seconds and can achieve an RTO of 1 hour with automated failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deploy a zone-redundant Azure SQL Database in the West US region.
Why it's wrong here
Zone redundancy protects against datacenter failures within a region, but not against a full regional outage.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DP-300 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-300 question test?
Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment — This question tests Plan and configure a high availability and disaster recovery environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a failover group with a secondary replica in a paired region using active geo-replication. — Option D is correct because failover groups with active geo-replication provide the lowest RPO (typically 5 seconds or less) and can meet an RTO of 1 hour with automated failover. Option A is wrong because zone-redundant configuration protects only within a region, not against regional failure. Option B is wrong because auto-failover groups without geo-replication also protect only within a region. Option C is wrong because geo-restore has a much higher RPO and RTO.
What should I do if I get this DP-300 question wrong?
Identify which DP-300 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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.
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