AZ-305 Question 73
Single answerA financial services company uses Azure SQL Database to host transactional data that must be recoverable at any point within the past 14 days. They also face compliance requirements to retain backups for up to 10 years. The company wants to meet both requirements using built-in Azure capabilities without incurring significant overhead. Which solution should you recommend?
- A
Enable Azure Backup for Windows VM-level snapshots of the database server.
- B
Configure Azure Site Recovery to replicate the database to a secondary region in real-time.
- C
Enable Azure SQL Database Long-term Retention (LTR) and configure Point-in-Time Restore.
- D
Encrypt the database using Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) to ensure recoverability.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Azure SQL Database includes built-in automated backups that allow point-in-time restore for a configurable retention period, typically covering short-term requirements. For longer retention times, you can enable Long-term Retention (LTR) to store backups for years. This addresses both immediate data recovery needs and compliance requirements. Refer to Microsoft’s Azure SQL Database documentation on Backup and Restore (https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-sql/database/automated-backups) for detailed guidance.
- A. Incorrect.
Option 1: Incorrect. Azure Backup can protect entire VMs but is not the recommended approach for Azure SQL Database backups. Azure SQL Database has built-in backup capabilities that are more efficient and granular for point-in-time restores.
- B. Incorrect.
Option 2: Incorrect. Azure Site Recovery is primarily used for disaster recovery scenarios at the VM or workload level. It offers replication but does not directly address long-term retention or granular point-in-time restore for Azure SQL Database.
- C. Correct.
Option 3: Correct. Azure SQL Database provides automated backups with point-in-time restore up to a configured retention period (usually 7 to 35 days), and Long-term Retention (LTR) can be enabled to preserve backups for years. This meets both the immediate recovery requirement and long-term compliance needs.
- D. Incorrect.
Option 4: Incorrect. Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) helps protect data at rest by encrypting it, but it does not provide backup retention or point-in-time restore options.