DP-900 Practice Question: Identify considerations for relational data on Azure
A startup wants to build a new web application with a relational database. They expect variable traffic and want to minimize costs by paying only for the compute resources they use. Which Azure SQL Database deployment option should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the Serverless compute tier with the Provisioned tier or Elastic pools, mistakenly thinking that Elastic pools offer the same pay-per-use model, when in fact only the Serverless tier provides automatic pausing and billing strictly for compute consumed.
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 compute tier
The Serverless compute tier for Azure SQL Database automatically pauses the database during periods of inactivity and resumes it when traffic returns, charging only for the compute resources consumed. This makes it ideal for a startup with variable traffic that wants to minimize costs by paying only for what they use.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Provisioned compute tier
Why it's wrong here
With the provisioned compute tier, Azure SQL Database reserves a fixed number of vCores (or DTUs) and bills for that compute capacity every hour, whether or not the application is actively using it. A startup's web application will often have quiet periods, but provisioned tier never pauses, so the monthly bill includes constant idle compute. Even if autoscaling is enabled, it only changes the size of the always-on allocation; it cannot reduce compute cost to zero during downtime.
- ✗
Elastic pool
Why it's wrong here
Elastic pools are a PaaS feature for a group of databases with intermittent and uneven usage, since all databases share a fixed pool of provisioned eDTUs or vCores. The pool itself remains continuously running at its provisioned size, so even if the startup's single database is idle, the pool continues to accrue compute charges. For a single new web application database, an elastic pool offers no multi-database capacity-sharing benefit and does not introduce the pause-and-scale behavior of serverless compute.
- ✗
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
Why it's wrong here
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines is IaaS, which means you own the VM and are responsible for SQL Server licensing, patching, backups, and high-availability configuration. The underlying VM bills compute continuously from deployment, and there is no native auto-pause or serverless scaling mechanism, so you pay for unused CPU and RAM whenever traffic is low. This approach adds significant administrative overhead and a fixed monthly cost for a startup whose only requirement is a straightforward managed web application database.
- ✓
Serverless compute tier
Why this is correct
In the serverless compute tier of Azure SQL Database, compute capacity automatically scales between a configurable minimum and maximum vCore range and can pause the database entirely after a user-defined period of inactivity. While running, billing is per second for the vCores actually consumed, and while paused no compute charges accrue, although storage and backups continue to incur cost. That makes it the best choice for startup traffic patterns, because an idle database can stop incurring compute costs and resume automatically when a request arrives.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Relational Data Concepts
Key term
Relational database
A relational database organizes data into tables with rows and columns, where each table relates to others using unique keys, allowing efficient storage, retrieval, and manipulation of structured information.
Key term
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database-as-a-service (DBaaS) in Microsoft Azure, based on the SQL Server engine, that handles scaling, backups, patching, and high availability automatically.
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