DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. 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.
Your organization is migrating its on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure. The databases include a mix of operational (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads. For the OLTP databases, you need high availability and automated failover to a secondary region. For the OLAP databases, you need to support large-scale analytic queries with columnstore indexes and the ability to pause compute to save costs. Which Azure SQL deployment options should you choose for each workload type?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure SQL Database (geo-replication) for OLTP; Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool) for OLAP
Option D is correct because Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication provides high availability and automated failover to a secondary region for OLTP workloads, while Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool) supports large-scale analytic queries with columnstore indexes and allows pausing compute to save costs, meeting the OLAP requirements.
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.
✗
Azure SQL Managed Instance for both
Why it's wrong here
Managed Instance does not support pausing compute.
✗
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines for both
Why it's wrong here
Requires manual high availability setup and cannot pause.
✗
Azure SQL Database Hyperscale for OLTP; Azure SQL Database Serverless for OLAP
Why it's wrong here
Hyperscale is for large OLTP; Serverless supports pause but not dedicated for analytics.
✓
Azure SQL Database (geo-replication) for OLTP; Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool) for OLAP
Why this is correct
Geo-replication provides failover; Synapse supports columnstore and pause.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Azure SQL Database Serverless with Synapse Analytics for OLAP, overlooking that Serverless is for intermittent OLTP workloads, not large-scale analytics, and that Hyperscale is for high-scale OLTP, not geo-replication failover.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure SQL Database active geo-replication uses asynchronous replication to maintain a readable secondary database in a paired region, enabling automated failover with a recovery point objective (RPO) of up to 5 seconds. Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool) leverages massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture and columnstore indexes for high-performance analytics, and its pause feature deallocates compute resources while preserving storage, reducing costs to storage-only charges. The combination addresses both transactional consistency and analytical throughput requirements.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-900 question in full detail.
Describe core data concepts — This question tests Describe core data concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure SQL Database (geo-replication) for OLTP; Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool) for OLAP — Option D is correct because Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication provides high availability and automated failover to a secondary region for OLTP workloads, while Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated SQL pool) supports large-scale analytic queries with columnstore indexes and allows pausing compute to save costs, meeting the OLAP requirements.
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.
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Question Discussion
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