220-1101 Question 97
Single answerDatabase serversA small accounting firm reports that its line-of-business application becomes extremely slow whenever several employees run reports at the same time. The application vendor confirms the software uses a dedicated database server on the local network. As the onsite technician, you verify that client PCs are functioning normally and that the database server's CPU and disk activity spike during these report jobs. Which upgrade is MOST likely to improve performance for this database server workload?
- A
Replace the server's hard drives with an SSD-based storage array
- B
Install a higher-resolution video card in the database server
- C
Add a TV tuner card so reports can be processed by a dedicated expansion device
- D
Upgrade the server's sound card to reduce system interrupts
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario focuses on recognizing the resource demands of a database server. Because the technician observed high CPU and disk activity specifically when multiple users run reports, the most practical upgrade from the listed options is faster storage. Database servers frequently depend on strong disk I/O performance, especially when handling concurrent queries, transactions, and report generation. In real deployments, administrators also consider adding RAM to improve caching and reduce disk access, but among these options, SSD storage is clearly the best fit. This aligns with common server-performance best practices from major vendors such as Microsoft and Oracle, which emphasize storage throughput and latency as key factors in database responsiveness.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Database servers commonly perform many read/write operations, and report generation can create heavy disk I/O. If CPU and disk usage spike during concurrent report jobs, faster storage such as SSDs can significantly reduce latency and improve query and report performance. This is a practical and common upgrade for database workloads where storage is the bottleneck.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A higher-resolution video card would not improve database query or report-processing performance. Database servers are typically managed remotely or through basic console access, and graphical performance is generally irrelevant to the server's core workload.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A TV tuner card has no role in database processing. This distractor reflects a misunderstanding that any expansion card can offload server tasks. Database performance improvements come from appropriate resources such as faster storage, more memory, or in some cases a faster CPU, not multimedia hardware.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A sound card does not help database workloads and is usually unnecessary in a server. Upgrading audio hardware would not reduce the CPU and disk bottlenecks observed during report generation.