MS-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
A company migrates its database to a cloud service where the provider manages the database engine, patching, backups, and replication. The customer only manages the data and schema. Which cloud service model is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse PaaS with IaaS because both involve cloud-hosted databases, but the key differentiator is who manages the database engine and patching—PaaS offloads this entirely to the provider, while IaaS leaves it to the customer.
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
✓
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a managed hosting environment where the cloud provider handles the underlying infrastructure, including the database engine, operating system, patching, backups, and replication. The customer is responsible only for managing the data and schema, which aligns directly with the scenario described.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why it's wrong here
IaaS is the wrong choice because the cloud provider only supplies the underlying virtual infrastructure—compute, storage, and network—and you remain responsible for deploying and managing the operating system, installing and configuring the database engine, and applying OS and database patches. Even if you migrate to a cloud VM, you perform all database administration tasks such as backup, recovery, and high availability. This goes beyond the scenario described, where the database itself has been moved to a cloud service that presumably manages those underlying components.
- ✓
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why this is correct
PaaS is the correct choice because it offers a managed database platform, such as Azure SQL Database, where the provider handles the operating system, database engine, patching, automated backups, and built-in high availability and replication. You focus only on the database schema, data, and query tuning, while the provider abstracts infrastructure maintenance. This aligns with the scenario where the company migrates its database to a cloud service and gains managed operational capabilities.
- ✗
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why it's wrong here
SaaS is the wrong choice because it delivers a complete application (e.g., CRM, ERP, or Microsoft 365) managed entirely by the provider, and you interact only through the application interface or APIs. The customer does not directly manage the underlying database schema or run custom SQL queries against the data store; the provider handles all database operations behind the scenes. Thus, migrating an existing database—which implies maintaining some control over its structure—does not match a pure SaaS model.
- ✗
On-premises
Why it's wrong here
On-premises is the wrong choice because it means the company would own and maintain physical servers, storage, networking, software licenses, and all operational responsibilities within its own data center. Since the question explicitly states that the company migrates its database to a cloud service, an on-premises deployment would entail no cloud provider involvement and no shared operational responsibility. This option directly contradicts the described migration to cloud infrastructure.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on MS-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company wants to use a cloud service where they can deploy their own custom applications without managing the underlying operating system or hardware. The cloud provider handles the runtime, middleware, and infrastructure. Which cloud service model best fits this requirement?
easy- A.Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- ✓ B.Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- C.Software as a Service (SaaS)
- D.Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Why B: Platform as a Service (PaaS) is the correct model because it provides a managed environment where the company can deploy custom applications without managing the underlying OS, hardware, runtime, or middleware. The cloud provider handles all infrastructure and platform layers, allowing developers to focus solely on code and application logic.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MS-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 MS-900 exam.