DP-900 Practice Question: Identify considerations for relational data on Azure
Which THREE of the following are valid considerations when choosing between Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance?
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 supports SQL Server Agent for job scheduling.
Options A, C, and E are correct. Azure SQL Managed Instance supports SQL Server Agent (A) and cross-database queries (C) because it shares more features with on-premises SQL Server. Azure SQL Database supports elastic pools (E) for sharing resources across databases. Option B is incorrect because Azure SQL Managed Instance supports larger database sizes than Azure SQL Database (up to 16 TB vs. up to 4 TB for single databases in SQL Database). Option D is incorrect because Azure SQL Managed Instance always runs within a virtual network, so it supports VNet integration by default.
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 Managed Instance supports SQL Server Agent for job scheduling.
Why this is correct
Azure SQL Managed Instance includes SQL Server Agent, enabling the scheduling of recurring T-SQL jobs such as index maintenance, backup tasks, and data collection. This feature is inherited from the full SQL Server database engine and is not present in Azure SQL Database single databases, where you would need to use Elastic Jobs or external orchestration instead. Because the service runs the actual SQL Server engine, SQL Agent jobs can be managed using the same stored procedures and SQL commands as on-premises deployments.
- ✗
Azure SQL Database supports larger database sizes than Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Why it's wrong here
The statement is false because Azure SQL Managed Instance supports a maximum database size of 16 TB in the General Purpose tier, whereas standard provisioned tiers of Azure SQL Database are limited to 4 TB per database. While the Hyperscale tier of Azure SQL Database can reach 100 TB, that is a specialized architecture, not the typical comparison. Therefore, Managed Instance generally offers larger database capacities than the base SQL Database tiers, contradicting the option's claim.
- ✓
Azure SQL Managed Instance supports cross-database queries within the same instance.
Why this is correct
Because Azure SQL Managed Instance provides a single SQL Server engine instance, you can run queries that reference multiple databases within that instance using three-part names, such as SalesDB.dbo.Orders. This permits cross-database joins, transactions, and even stored procedure calls across databases, closely matching on-premises SQL Server behavior. Azure SQL Database single databases do not support this natively; they require Elastic Query or external tables to combine data from different databases.
- ✗
Azure SQL Managed Instance does not support virtual network integration.
Why it's wrong here
Azure SQL Managed Instance not only supports virtual network integration, but it actually requires deployment into a virtual network with a dedicated subnet. This mandatory VNet injection provides private IP addresses and allows you to control network traffic through network security groups and route tables. The option's claim that it does not support VNet integration is the exact opposite of the architectural design, making it incorrect.
- ✓
Azure SQL Database supports elastic pools for cost-effective resource sharing among multiple databases.
Why this is correct
Elastic pools in Azure SQL Database allow multiple databases with fluctuating and unpredictable contention to share a single pool of computational resources, such as vCores or eDTUs, under a fixed price. This is particularly cost-effective because you only pay for the pool's aggregate resources rather than over-provisioning each individual database for peak usage. The feature is exclusively available in Azure SQL Database; Azure SQL Managed Instance does not offer elastic pools, so you would instead rely on instance-wide resource limits.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure SQL Services
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.
Key term
SQL Managed Instance
SQL Managed Instance is a cloud database service from Azure that gives you most of the features of a full SQL Server instance without you having to manage the underlying hardware or software patches.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.