DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
You manage an Azure SQL Database that uses a Business Critical tier with a zone-redundant configuration. During a planned maintenance event, you notice a significant increase in query latency. You suspect that the read-only intent routing is not working as expected. What should you check first to ensure read-only connections are using the secondary replica?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the `ReadScale` property (which is only for Hyperscale) with the Business Critical tier's built-in read-only routing, or they may think that zone-redundancy or maintenance schedules directly control read-only routing, when in fact the connection string's `ApplicationIntent` is the sole determinant.
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
✓
Verify that the application connection string includes 'ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly' for read-only queries.
The read-only intent routing in Azure SQL Database relies on the client connection string including `ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly`. Without this parameter, all connections, including those intended for read-only workloads, will be directed to the primary replica, even if a readable secondary replica is available. This is the first and most fundamental check to ensure read-only queries are routed to the secondary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Verify that the application connection string includes 'ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly' for read-only queries.
Why this is correct
Correct: Read scale-out requires the application to specify read-only intent; otherwise, connections go to the primary replica.
- ✗
Review the maintenance window schedule to see if the primary replica was being updated.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Maintenance windows do not change the read routing behavior.
- ✗
Check the 'ReadScale' property of the database to ensure it is set to 'Enabled'.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Read scale-out is automatically enabled for Business Critical tier; the property is not user-configurable.
- ✗
Confirm that the database is in a zone-redundant configuration by checking the 'ZoneRedundant' property.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Zone-redundancy provides high availability but does not affect read routing without the correct connection string.
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.