DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
Your company uses Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication. You notice that the secondary database in a different region has a high log write latency. Users report that the primary database performance is normal. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
DP-300 often tests whether candidates attribute geo-replication latency to primary-side resource pressure or secondary IOPS, when the dominant factor in cross-region asynchronous log shipping is network latency between regions.
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
✓
Network latency between the primary and secondary regions
In Azure SQL Database active geo-replication, the secondary database continuously receives transaction log from the primary over the network. High log write latency on the secondary while the primary performs normally points to network latency between the two regions, since the log must traverse the inter-region link and be hardened on 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.
- ✗
Insufficient log IOPS on the secondary database
Why it's wrong here
Insufficient log IOPS on the secondary would delay log hardening, but the stem attributes the latency to cross-region replication, where the log rate is governed by the primary's write throughput. Provisioning log IOPS on the secondary is the fix when that database itself is the write target.
- ✓
Network latency between the primary and secondary regions
Why this is correct
Active geo-replication ships transaction log records asynchronously to the secondary region, so elevated log write latency there points to the WAN link rather than local storage. The primary stays healthy because it commits locally without waiting for the secondary, matching the stem's normal primary performance.
- ✗
High CPU usage on the primary database
Why it's wrong here
CPU pressure on the primary does not raise the secondary's log write latency, because active geo-replication ships and hardens log blocks asynchronously; the primary's own performance is reported as normal. High primary CPU is the culprit when local query throughput degrades.
- ✗
Excessive read workload on the secondary database
Why it's wrong here
Read workload on a secondary replica does not generate log writes; it consumes CPU, memory and data IOPS, so it cannot raise log write latency. Readable secondaries are intended for offloading reporting queries, which is why this distractor appeals when the secondary is busy.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Implementing High Availability for Azure SQL Databases
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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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.