DP-300 Implement a secure environment Practice Question
Your company plans to use Azure SQL Managed Instance for a mission-critical application. You need to ensure that all connections to the database are encrypted and that the server's identity is verified. Which configuration should you enforce?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'Trust Server Certificate' = ON as a convenience setting that simplifies connections, not realizing it disables certificate validation and undermines security for mission-critical workloads.
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
✓
Set 'Force Encryption' = ON and 'Trust Server Certificate' = OFF
Setting 'Force Encryption' = ON ensures that all connections to Azure SQL Managed Instance use TLS encryption, while setting 'Trust Server Certificate' = OFF forces the client to validate the server's certificate against a trusted certificate authority (CA). This combination guarantees both data-in-transit encryption and server identity verification, meeting the requirement for a mission-critical application.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set 'Force Encryption' = OFF and 'Trust Server Certificate' = OFF
Why it's wrong here
Force Encryption = OFF allows clients to connect without TLS, so connections are not guaranteed to be encrypted. It is tempting because Trust Server Certificate = OFF does enforce identity verification, appearing to satisfy half the requirement. Both settings must be ON and OFF respectively to meet the stem.
- ✓
Set 'Force Encryption' = ON and 'Trust Server Certificate' = OFF
Why this is correct
Forcing encryption guarantees the connection is TLS-protected, while disabling Trust Server Certificate compels the client to validate the server certificate chain against a trusted authority, verifying the instance's identity. This satisfies both the encryption and identity-verification requirements without bypassing certificate validation, unlike trusting self-signed certificates.
- ✗
Set 'Force Encryption' = ON and 'Trust Server Certificate' = ON
Why it's wrong here
Trust Server Certificate = ON makes the client skip certificate-chain and hostname validation, so the server's identity is never verified — encryption alone is insufficient. It is tempting because it avoids certificate errors during setup. Verification requires Trust Server Certificate = OFF with a trusted certificate chain.
- ✗
Set 'Force Encryption' = OFF and 'Trust Server Certificate' = ON
Why it's wrong here
Force Encryption = OFF permits unencrypted connections, and Trust Server Certificate = ON disables server identity validation, failing both requirements. It is tempting because it mirrors default client behaviour and avoids certificate errors. Encryption and verification require Force Encryption = ON with Trust Server Certificate = OFF.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Identity and Access for Azure SQL
Key term
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure SQL Managed Instance is a fully managed cloud database service that gives you nearly all the features of Microsoft SQL Server on your own server, without you having to manage the hardware or operating system.
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JA
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.