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 runs a customer-facing application on an Azure SQL Database. The application experiences high read traffic from reporting queries that cause performance degradation on the primary database. The company needs a solution that offloads reporting queries without impacting the transactional workload, and the solution must keep the reporting data synchronized within seconds. Which feature should they use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Active Geo-Replication provides readable secondary replicas that are continuously updated, ideal for offloading read queries with near-real-time sync.
B
Auto-failover groups
Why wrong: Auto-failover groups also include readable secondaries, but their primary purpose is to manage failover; Active Geo-Replication is the more direct solution for read-scaling.
C
Elastic Database Transactions
Why wrong: Elastic Database Transactions are used for distributed transactions across databases, not for offloading reads.
D
Database Copy
Why wrong: Database Copy creates a static snapshot; it does not provide continuous synchronization.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Active Geo-Replication
Active Geo-Replication creates a readable secondary replica of the Azure SQL Database in a different Azure region. This secondary replica can handle read-only reporting queries, offloading them from the primary database, and data is synchronized asynchronously with a typical lag of seconds, meeting the near-real-time synchronization requirement without impacting the transactional workload.
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.
✓
Active Geo-Replication
Why this is correct
Active Geo-Replication provides readable secondary replicas that are continuously updated, ideal for offloading read queries with near-real-time sync.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Auto-failover groups
Why it's wrong here
Auto-failover groups also include readable secondaries, but their primary purpose is to manage failover; Active Geo-Replication is the more direct solution for read-scaling.
✗
Elastic Database Transactions
Why it's wrong here
Elastic Database Transactions are used for distributed transactions across databases, not for offloading reads.
✗
Database Copy
Why it's wrong here
Database Copy creates a static snapshot; it does not provide continuous synchronization.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Auto-failover groups with Active Geo-Replication, assuming both provide the same read-scaling capability, but Auto-failover groups are primarily for failover orchestration and do not guarantee the same level of read offloading or synchronization granularity for reporting workloads.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Active Geo-Replication uses asynchronous replication based on the Always On availability groups technology, with a recovery point objective (RPO) of up to 5 seconds under normal conditions. The secondary database is fully readable and can be used for read-only workloads, but it does not support write operations; this makes it ideal for offloading reporting queries while the primary handles transactions. In a real-world scenario, if the reporting queries are complex aggregations, you can also use the secondary to run them without locking or contention on the primary.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-900 question in full detail.
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: Active Geo-Replication — Active Geo-Replication creates a readable secondary replica of the Azure SQL Database in a different Azure region. This secondary replica can handle read-only reporting queries, offloading them from the primary database, and data is synchronized asynchronously with a typical lag of seconds, meeting the near-real-time synchronization requirement without impacting the transactional workload.
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: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.