DP-300 Plan and implement data platform resources Practice Question
Your company is deploying a new application that will use Azure SQL Database. You need to ensure that all connections to the database use Microsoft Entra ID authentication. Which step is required to enable this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the server-level Entra ID administrator configuration (a prerequisite) with the creation of contained database users (a downstream step), leading them to select Option C as the first required step.
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
✓
Configure an Entra ID administrator for the Azure SQL logical server.
To enforce Microsoft Entra ID authentication for all connections to Azure SQL Database, you must first configure an Entra ID administrator at the logical server level. This step establishes the server’s trust relationship with the Entra ID tenant, enabling token-based authentication using OAuth 2.0. Without this administrator, Entra ID authentication cannot be used, and only SQL authentication would be available.
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 Entra ID administrator for the Azure SQL logical server.
Why this is correct
Configuring a Microsoft Entra ID administrator for the Azure SQL logical server is mandatory before Entra authentication can be enabled. This server-level assignment creates the security principal that authorises token-based connections, satisfying the requirement that all database connections use Microsoft Entra ID rather than SQL logins.
- ✗
Enable the Azure SQL Database firewall to allow only Entra ID IP addresses.
Why it's wrong here
Firewall rules filter by source IP address and have no bearing on which authentication method a connection negotiates; they cannot enforce Microsoft Entra ID. Firewall configuration is the correct step when restricting network access to known address ranges, not when mandating an identity provider.
- ✗
Create a contained database user mapped to an Entra ID identity.
Why it's wrong here
Creating a contained database user mapped to a Microsoft Entra identity grants that principal access, but it does not require all connections to authenticate via Entra ID; SQL logins remain usable. This step is correct when granting a specific Entra user or group permissions inside a database.
- ✗
Set the database to read-only mode.
Why it's wrong here
Read-only mode controls write operations on the database and does not affect authentication; connections can still authenticate with SQL logins. Setting a database read-only is correct when protecting data from modification during maintenance or reporting, not for enforcing an identity provider.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Deploying and Configuring SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
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.