DP-300 Practice Test

Sample DP-300 Practice Questions

10 real questions from the free DP-300bank. Pick an answer in your head, then open “Show answer” for the explanation.

1. 1. Your team is deciding between partitioning a single table and sharding data across multiple databases for a 500 GB orders table. The workload needs to purge data older than two years every month, and every query and transaction must stay within a single database with no cross-database joins. Which approach should you recommend?

   • A. Shard the table across multiple Azure SQL databases using the elastic database client library
   • B. Use Azure SQL Database elastic query to combine data from several databases
   • C. Use table partitioning within a single database, with a sliding window for the monthly purge
   • D. Use active geo-replication to distribute the data across databases
   Show answer

   Correct answer: C

   Because every query and transaction must remain inside one database, table partitioning is the right fit: it's a single-database technique, and a sliding window handles the monthly purge as a fast partition switch. Sharding with the elastic database client library, elastic query, and active geo-replication all involve multiple databases, which would introduce the cross-database complexity the requirement explicitly rules out.

2. 2. A hybrid company runs SQL Server 2019 Standard Edition on-premises with an Always On availability group and a passive secondary replica used only for failover. Both servers are connected to Azure Arc with pay-as-you-go licensing. What should they configure to avoid being billed for the passive replica?

   • A. Set the LicenseType property to Paid or PAYG so the Azure Extension for SQL Server automatically exempts the passive HADR replica
   • B. Manually stop the SQL Server service on the passive replica whenever it isn't actively needed
   • C. Disconnect the passive replica from Azure Arc entirely, removing it from centralized management
   • D. Configure the passive replica under a completely separate Azure subscription from the primary
   Show answer

   Correct answer: A

   Setting LicenseType to Paid or PAYG lets the Azure Extension for SQL Server automatically detect the passive high-availability replica and emit a zero-charge usage meter for it, with no manual intervention needed. Manually stopping the service would break failover readiness, disconnecting the replica from Azure Arc would forfeit centralized management and ESU eligibility, and a separate subscription doesn't change how the passive-replica billing exemption works.

3. 3. Which shard map type should you use when a shard needs to map a contiguous range of key values, such as order dates, to a specific database?

   • A. ListShardMap
   • B. RangeShardMap
   • C. Multi-shard query
   • D. A reference shard
   Show answer

   Correct answer: B

   A RangeShardMap maps a contiguous range of key values, such as a span of dates, to a given shard. A ListShardMap instead maps discrete, individually listed key values rather than ranges. Multi-shard query is a querying capability, not a shard map type, and a reference shard refers to a table replicated across shards, not a mapping mechanism.

4. 4. A team wants a declarative, idempotent way to define Azure SQL resources that is easier to read and author than raw JSON, and that compiles down to standard Azure Resource Manager templates at deployment time. Which deployment method should they choose?

   • A. A Bicep template
   • B. An imperative Azure CLI script
   • C. Manual creation through the Azure portal
   • D. SSMS's deploy-database-to-Azure wizard
   Show answer

   Correct answer: A

   Bicep is a domain-specific language that is more concise and readable than ARM JSON, and it transpiles to ARM JSON at deployment time while remaining declarative and idempotent. An imperative Azure CLI script issues sequential commands rather than describing desired state declaratively. Manual portal creation and the SSMS wizard are GUI-driven, one-off actions that aren't repeatable as code.

5. 5. Which statement best describes SQL Managed Instance enabled by Azure Arc?

   • A. It's a PaaS service whose compute runs exclusively inside Microsoft-managed Azure data centers, with no on-premises deployment option
   • B. It's a containerized version of SQL Managed Instance that runs on Kubernetes outside Azure, with near-100% engine compatibility
   • C. It's an inventory-discovery service that catalogs existing SQL Server installations without running the database workload itself
   • D. It's a rebranding of SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines aimed at simplifying licensing and support terminology
   Show answer

   Correct answer: B

   SQL Managed Instance enabled by Azure Arc is deployed as a containerized application on Kubernetes, which can run on-premises or in other clouds, and it shares its code base with the latest stable SQL Server engine for near-100% compatibility. It doesn't run exclusively inside Azure data centers, it actively runs the workload rather than just discovering it, and it's a distinct product from SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.