DP-900 Practice Question: Identify considerations for relational data on Azure
A startup has an application with unpredictable usage patterns on Azure SQL Database. They want to minimize cost by paying only for the compute they use and the database should automatically pause during idle periods. Which Azure SQL Database option should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'serverless' with 'Hyperscale' or assume all Azure SQL tiers support auto-pause, but only the Serverless tier provides automatic compute pausing and per-second billing for idle periods.
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
Azure SQL Database Serverless is designed for applications with unpredictable usage patterns, as it automatically scales compute resources based on demand and pauses the database during idle periods to eliminate compute costs. This model charges per second for the compute used, making it the most cost-effective choice for workloads that have periods of inactivity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Serverless
Why this is correct
Serverless is the correct choice because it decouples compute billing from database uptime: you are billed per vCore-second only while actively processing queries, and the database auto-pauses after a configurable idle period (default 60 minutes). This means a workload with unpredictable spikes and long quiet stretches only pays for compute during those spikes, while storage (separately billed) remains intact. The resume-from-pause typically takes tens of seconds, making it practical for sporadic app usage.
- ✗
Provisioned (DTU or vCore)
Why it's wrong here
Provisioned tiers (DTU or vCore) reserve a fixed amount of compute capacity for the life of the database, regardless of whether any queries are running. Even during long idle stretches, you pay for the entire allocated compute, so unpredictable workloads with infrequent usage generate continuous costs that are not tied to actual demand. Scaling up to handle a spike requires manual or automated resizing, and you still pay for that higher tier even after the spike subsides unless you explicitly scale back down.
- ✗
Hyperscale
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale is an architecture focused on very large database sizes and high transaction throughput, not on cost scaling with demand. Its design separates storage and compute and can add read replicas, but at least one primary compute replica is always running and billed continuously, and there is no auto-pause or per-second compute consumption model. Using it for a sporadic app would lock you into sustained compute costs that serverless avoids, while also over-provisioning for workload sizes you do not need.
- ✗
Business Critical
Why it's wrong here
Business Critical is a premium tier built around synchronous replicated secondaries, fast failover, and in-memory OLTP to guarantee availability and low latency. It requires always-on compute for the primary and secondary replicas, and none of those resources can be paused or scaled on the fly to match unpredictable activity. Paying for this tier on a sporadically used app would introduce significant unused capacity costs compared to serverless, because the tier is designed for sustained mission-critical workloads, not intermittent cost savings.
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 |
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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.