AZ-305 Question 122
Single answerYou are managing a mission-critical Azure SQL Database that must allow restoring data to any point in time within the last 35 days. The solution should require minimal administrative overhead and provide a reliable backup and recovery approach. Which backup configuration should you recommend?
- A
Enable built-in automated backups and set the Point-in-Time Restore retention period to 35 days for the Azure SQL Database.
- B
Use Azure Backup to create a daily virtual machine (VM) snapshot of the underlying SQL Server hosting the Azure SQL Database.
- C
Export the database to an Azure Storage Account on a weekly basis via the bacpac export method to reduce storage costs.
- D
Implement active geo-replication in a different region for the Azure SQL Database to meet the 35-day retention requirement.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Azure SQL Database includes built-in automated backups that can be configured for up to 35 days of point-in-time recovery (PITR), which satisfies compliance and recovery requirements without significant manual effort. Refer to Microsoft documentation (https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-sql/database/automated-backups-overview) for details on backup retention and restore options for Azure SQL Database.
- A. Correct.
Option 1 is correct. Azure SQL Database automatically performs full, differential, and transaction log backups. By configuring the Point-in-Time Restore (PITR) retention up to 35 days, you satisfy the requirement to recover data from any point in time within that window. This requires minimal administrative overhead and leverages the built-in capabilities of Azure.
- B. Incorrect.
Option 2 is incorrect because Azure Backup can create VM-level snapshots if you are running SQL Server on an Azure VM, but it does not apply directly to Azure SQL Database, which is a fully managed PaaS offering. Relying solely on VM snapshots is not feasible for purely PaaS-based Azure SQL Database backups.
- C. Incorrect.
Option 3 is incorrect because exporting to bacpac files on a weekly basis does not meet the requirement of point-in-time recovery for the entire 35-day period. Bacpac export is a manual or scheduled process that only captures data at the time of export, leaving potential data loss between exports.
- D. Incorrect.
Option 4 is incorrect because active geo-replication provides near-real-time replication to another region for high availability and disaster recovery. However, it does not satisfy the requirement to restore to any point in time within the last 35 days by itself. It ensures continuity rather than granular point-in-time restoration.