DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You need to configure a long-term retention policy for backups of an Azure SQL Database that must retain weekly full backups for 5 years and monthly full backups for 10 years. Which backup retention feature should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing short-term automated backup retention (up to 35 days) with long-term retention, causing candidates to select the automated backups option for multi-year compliance requirements.
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
✓
Long-Term Retention (LTR) policy
Long-Term Retention (LTR) policies in Azure SQL Database are specifically designed to retain full backups for extended periods — up to 10 years — with configurable weekly, monthly, and yearly retention. To keep weekly full backups for 5 years and monthly full backups for 10 years, the consultant must configure an LTR policy with the appropriate weekly and monthly retention settings.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Geo-restore feature
Why it's wrong here
Geo-restore recreates a database from a geo-replicated backup after a regional outage; it configures no weekly or monthly retention schedule, so the 5- and 10-year requirements go unmet. It is tempting because it extends backup availability across regions, and would be correct for regional disaster recovery.
- ✓
Long-Term Retention (LTR) policy
Why this is correct
LTR extends retention beyond the default point-in-time window, letting you keep weekly full backups for 5 years and monthly full backups for 10 years independently. Standard short-term retention cannot meet these multi-year durations, so LTR directly satisfies the stated 5-year and 10-year requirements.
- ✗
Automated backups retention period
Why it's wrong here
The automated backups retention period sets the default short-term window (up to 35 days) for full, differential and log backups; it cannot express separate weekly-for-5-years and monthly-for-10-years schedules. It is tempting because it is the built-in retention setting, and would be correct for routine short-term recovery.
- ✗
Point-In-Time Restore (PITR) retention
Why it's wrong here
Point-in-time restore retention governs continuous short-term recovery within a configurable window of days, not multi-year weekly or monthly full backups. It is tempting because it is the default backup capability, and would be correct when recovering to a precise moment within the recent retention period.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Key term
Azure SQL Database Backup
Azure SQL Database Backup is a fully managed, automated service that creates and stores copies of your SQL database data and transaction logs in Azure storage, enabling point-in-time recovery and long-term retention for data protection and business continuity.
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.
About these practice questions
One of 574 original DP-300 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.