- A
A) Single database with Provisioned throughput tier
Why wrong: Incorrect. Single databases are provisioned with dedicated resources, which may lead to over-provisioning during low load and underutilization. They do not share resources across databases, increasing cost for the set of 15 databases.
- B
B) Elastic pool
Correct. Elastic pools share resources among multiple databases, allowing each database to automatically scale up to the pool limit during bursts. This optimizes cost and is ideal for databases with unpredictable load patterns.
- C
C) SQL Managed Instance
Why wrong: Incorrect. SQL Managed Instance provides near-100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server and a fixed set of resources for the entire instance, not per database. It does not offer the resource sharing and burst flexibility of an elastic pool.
- D
D) SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine
Why wrong: Incorrect. IaaS (Virtual Machine) requires significant management overhead for patching, backups, and configuration. It does not provide the PaaS benefits of automatic scaling and resource sharing across databases.
Quick Answer
The answer is an elastic pool, because it allows multiple Azure SQL databases to share a fixed pool of resources while enabling each database to burst to higher performance during unpredictable load spikes. This deployment option minimizes management overhead by automatically distributing the pooled DTUs or vCores across the 15 databases, which reduces costs by eliminating the need to over-provision each database for peak demand. On the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of resource sharing models—specifically, the difference between single databases, elastic pools, and managed instances. A common trap is choosing a single database for each workload, which would waste resources and increase costs, or selecting a managed instance, which is designed for lift-and-shift migrations with more control, not for pooling. Remember the memory tip: “Pool the peaks”—elastic pools are ideal when databases have varying, unpredictable usage patterns and you want to share unused capacity.
DP-900 Practice Question: Identify considerations for relational data on Azure
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of identify considerations for relational data on azure. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has 15 SQL Server databases, ranging from 50 GB to 200 GB each. The databases experience unpredictable load spikes during the day. They want to migrate to Azure SQL Database to minimize management overhead and reduce costs by allowing databases to share resources, while ensuring each database can burst to higher performance when needed. Which deployment option should they choose?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
B) Elastic pool
Elastic pools allow multiple databases to share a fixed pool of resources (DTUs or vCores), which reduces costs by pooling unused capacity and enables each database to automatically burst to higher performance when needed. This matches the company's need to minimize management overhead while handling unpredictable load spikes across 15 databases ranging from 50 GB to 200 GB.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A) Single database with Provisioned throughput tier
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Single databases are provisioned with dedicated resources, which may lead to over-provisioning during low load and underutilization. They do not share resources across databases, increasing cost for the set of 15 databases.
- ✓
B) Elastic pool
Why this is correct
Correct. Elastic pools share resources among multiple databases, allowing each database to automatically scale up to the pool limit during bursts. This optimizes cost and is ideal for databases with unpredictable load patterns.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
C) SQL Managed Instance
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. SQL Managed Instance provides near-100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server and a fixed set of resources for the entire instance, not per database. It does not offer the resource sharing and burst flexibility of an elastic pool.
- ✗
D) SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. IaaS (Virtual Machine) requires significant management overhead for patching, backups, and configuration. It does not provide the PaaS benefits of automatic scaling and resource sharing across databases.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SQL Managed Instance's high compatibility with the ability to share resources, but Managed Instance does not support elastic pools and instead allocates dedicated resources per instance, making it unsuitable for cost-efficient resource sharing and bursting across multiple databases.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Elastic pools use a shared DTU or vCore model where the pool's total resources are allocated among member databases using a weighted fair-share scheduler, allowing each database to consume up to the pool's max limit (e.g., up to 100% of pool DTUs) during bursts. The pool's eDTU or vCore count is set based on aggregate workload, and databases with low average usage but high spikes benefit most, as unused resources from idle databases are automatically redistributed. In real-world scenarios, this can reduce costs by 30-50% compared to single databases provisioned for peak loads, especially when databases have complementary usage patterns.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DP-900 question test?
Identify considerations for relational data on Azure — This question tests Identify considerations for relational data on Azure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: B) Elastic pool — Elastic pools allow multiple databases to share a fixed pool of resources (DTUs or vCores), which reduces costs by pooling unused capacity and enables each database to automatically burst to higher performance when needed. This matches the company's need to minimize management overhead while handling unpredictable load spikes across 15 databases ranging from 50 GB to 200 GB.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This DP-900 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-900 exam.
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