DP-900 Practice Question: Identify considerations for relational data on Azure
A retail company runs its legacy order management application on an on-premises SQL Server. They plan to migrate to Azure with minimal application changes and need high availability with automatic failover to a secondary Azure region. They also require full database-level isolation and the ability to use SQL Server Agent jobs. Which Azure deployment option should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Azure SQL Database (single or elastic pool) with SQL Managed Instance, overlooking that SQL Agent jobs and full instance-level isolation are exclusive to Managed Instance, while also mistakenly thinking that SQL Server on Azure VM is the only option for high availability with automatic failover.
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
✓
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure SQL Managed Instance (C) is correct because it provides near-100% compatibility with on-premises SQL Server, including full database-level isolation (a dedicated instance) and full support for SQL Server Agent jobs. It also supports auto-failover groups for high availability with automatic failover to a secondary Azure region, meeting the migration requirement with minimal application changes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database single database
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Database single database cannot replicate an entire SQL Server instance because it is a single-database PaaS offering with a different feature set. It lacks SQL Server Agent for scheduled jobs, instance-level metadata, and some compatibility behaviors that a legacy order management application may depend on. This frequently forces application changes or a split across multiple databases, so it is not a frictionless migration path.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database elastic pool
Why it's wrong here
An elastic pool is simply a collection of individually managed Azure SQL databases that share a pooled set of vCores or DTUs for cost efficiency. It still operates at the same single-database compatibility boundary as Azure SQL Database, so it does not add instance-level capabilities such as SQL Server Agent or instance-scoped security objects. A legacy application expecting a single SQL Server instance would still require significant architectural rework, making this an incorrect choice.
- ✓
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Why this is correct
Azure SQL Managed Instance is correct because it provides near-complete SQL Server instance compatibility, including SQL Server Agent for scheduled maintenance, instance-level features, and cross-database queries, all within a fully managed PaaS environment. It supports auto-failover groups to deliver automated disaster recovery without the manual configuration required by infrastructure-as-a-service deployments. This makes it the lowest-effort managed option for modernizing a legacy order management system with minimal application changes.
- ✗
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine
Why it's wrong here
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines offers full SQL Server instance compatibility, but it is infrastructure-as-a-service, so you are responsible for patching the OS and SQL Server, managing backups, and maintaining high availability. It does not provide automatic failover; you must manually configure and operate Always On Availability Groups or failover cluster instances. That operational overhead is unnecessary for a legacy workload when a managed, highly compatible option is available.
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