DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You manage an Azure SQL Database that runs an online transaction processing (OLTP) workload. The database is in the General Purpose service tier with 4 vCores. During month-end processing, you observe that the database is hitting its maximum allowed log write throughput, causing delays. You need to increase the maximum log write throughput without changing the service tier. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that increasing database max size or changing service tier will increase log write throughput, when in fact only scaling vCores within the same tier does so.
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
✓
Scale up to 8 vCores.
In the General Purpose service tier, log write throughput is directly proportional to the number of vCores. Scaling up vCores is the only way to increase log write throughput while remaining in the same service tier. The other options either change the service tier, affect storage size, or add replication overhead without solving the bottleneck.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Scale up to 8 vCores.
Why this is correct
In the General Purpose service tier, the maximum log write throughput scales with the number of vCores. Increasing from 4 to 8 vCores doubles the log write throughput limit, directly addressing the bottleneck without changing the service tier. This is the correct action because the scenario specifies that the service tier must remain the same, and scaling vCores is the only way to increase log throughput within General Purpose.
- ✗
Increase the max size of the database.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the maximum database size affects storage capacity, not log write throughput. The log write throughput limit is determined by the service tier and compute size (vCores), not by the max size setting. Therefore, this action would not alleviate the log write bottleneck and is incorrect for the given scenario.
- ✗
Enable the Business Critical service tier.
Why it's wrong here
Switching to Business Critical would indeed provide higher log write throughput, but the scenario explicitly requires keeping the same service tier. Changing the service tier is not allowed. Therefore, this option fails because it violates the constraint of not changing the service tier, even though it might otherwise solve the performance issue.
- ✗
Configure active geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
Active geo-replication is a disaster recovery feature that creates readable secondary databases. It does not increase the log write throughput of the primary database. In fact, it may add overhead due to replication. Thus, it does not address the log write throughput limitation and is not the correct solution.
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 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
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