- A
Hyperscale
Why wrong: Hyperscale is designed for very large databases with high scalability, but it does not support automatic pausing and is billed per hour, not per second of compute.
- B
Serverless
Serverless automatically scales compute based on demand and can pause when inactive, billing only for the vCores used per second. This is ideal for intermittent, variable workloads.
- C
Provisioned (General Purpose)
Why wrong: General Purpose is a provisioned tier with fixed compute resources billed per hour. It does not automatically scale or pause, making it less cost-effective for highly variable workloads.
- D
Business Critical
Why wrong: Business Critical is a provisioned tier for high-performance and high-availability, but it is not designed for variable workloads with pausing and has a higher cost.
Quick Answer
The answer is the Serverless compute tier for Azure SQL Database. This tier is specifically designed for variable workloads because it automatically scales compute resources based on real-time demand and can pause the database during periods of inactivity, such as nights and weekends, charging only for the storage and compute consumed while active. On the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 exam, this question tests your understanding of how the Serverless tier differs from provisioned tiers like General Purpose or Business Critical, which require manual scaling and charge for allocated resources even when idle. A common trap is confusing Serverless with Hyperscale, but remember that only Serverless offers the auto-pause feature for cost savings during idle periods. For a quick memory tip, think "Serverless = Sleeps when idle, wakes on demand, pays per use."
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 web application that uses an Azure SQL Database. The database experiences highly variable workloads: high traffic during business hours and low traffic at night and on weekends. The company wants to pay only for the compute resources consumed and automatically scale compute capacity based on demand, while maintaining the ability to pause during inactivity. Which Azure SQL Database service tier should they choose?
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
Serverless
The Serverless tier is designed for workloads with variable traffic and idle periods, as it automatically scales compute resources based on demand and can pause the database during inactivity, charging only for consumed compute and storage. This matches the requirement to pay only for resources used and to pause when there is no traffic, such as at night and weekends.
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.
- ✗
Hyperscale
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale is designed for very large databases with high scalability, but it does not support automatic pausing and is billed per hour, not per second of compute.
- ✓
Serverless
Why this is correct
Serverless automatically scales compute based on demand and can pause when inactive, billing only for the vCores used per second. This is ideal for intermittent, variable workloads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Provisioned (General Purpose)
Why it's wrong here
General Purpose is a provisioned tier with fixed compute resources billed per hour. It does not automatically scale or pause, making it less cost-effective for highly variable workloads.
- ✗
Business Critical
Why it's wrong here
Business Critical is a provisioned tier for high-performance and high-availability, but it is not designed for variable workloads with pausing and has a higher cost.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the Serverless tier's auto-scaling and pausing with the Hyperscale tier's storage scalability, but Hyperscale does not support compute pausing and is designed for continuous high-throughput workloads, not variable demand with idle periods.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Serverless tier uses a compute resource model where the database automatically scales between a minimum and maximum vCore range (e.g., 0.5 to 16 vCores) and pauses after a configurable auto-pause delay (default 1 hour) of no activity. During pause, only storage costs are incurred, and compute billing is per second of actual usage, making it ideal for intermittent workloads. A real-world scenario is a retail app with heavy daytime transactions and no overnight use, where Serverless can save up to 60% compared to provisioned tiers.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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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: Serverless — The Serverless tier is designed for workloads with variable traffic and idle periods, as it automatically scales compute resources based on demand and can pause the database during inactivity, charging only for consumed compute and storage. This matches the requirement to pay only for resources used and to pause when there is no traffic, such as at night and weekends.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on DP-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company uses Azure SQL Database for a reporting application. The database is mostly idle during weekdays but experiences heavy load on weekends when reports are generated. They want to minimize costs by only paying for compute resources when the database is active. Which Azure SQL Database pricing model should they choose?
medium- A.Provisioned DTU
- B.Provisioned vCore
- ✓ C.Serverless
- D.Hyperscale
Why C: The Serverless pricing model for Azure SQL Database automatically pauses the database during periods of inactivity (e.g., weekdays) and resumes it when load increases (e.g., weekends), charging only for compute resources consumed during active periods. This aligns perfectly with the described workload pattern of mostly idle weekdays and heavy weekend usage, minimizing costs by eliminating charges for idle compute.
Variation 2. A company runs a web application on Azure SQL Database that experiences unpredictable spikes in traffic. They want to automatically adjust compute resources based on demand without manual intervention and without over-provisioning. Which Azure SQL Database feature should they use?
medium- ✓ A.Serverless compute tier
- B.Active geo-replication
- C.Hyperscale service tier
- D.Read scale-out
Why A: The Serverless compute tier for Azure SQL Database automatically scales compute resources based on workload demand, pausing databases during idle periods and resuming them when traffic spikes occur. This eliminates the need for manual intervention and prevents over-provisioning by charging only for the compute used per second, making it ideal for unpredictable traffic patterns.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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