Exam AZ-305 topic 3 question 19 discussion

1. GP service tier and Serverless compute tier 2. Always Encrypted https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/sql-database-paas-overview?view=azuresql#service-tiers The General Purpose service tier is designed for common workloads. It offers budget-oriented balanced compute and storage options. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/sql-database-paas-overview?view=azuresql#compute-tiers Serverless compute tier: auto-scales compute resources based on workload activity and bills for the amount of compute used, per second. The serverless compute tier is generally available in the General Purpose service tier, and is currently in preview in the Hyperscale service tier.

1. Service tier and compute tier? b. General Purpose service tier and serverless compute tier The General Purpose service tier with serverless compute tier provides a cost-effective solution that meets the requirements. General Purpose tier supports zone-redundant configurations, which can maintain availability in the event of a single datacenter outage. The serverless compute tier automatically scales up or down based on workload, which is ideal for handling the increased load during payroll operations. 2. Encryption method? a. Always Encrypted Always Encrypted is the recommended encryption method for this scenario because it allows you to encrypt specific columns that contain PII. This ensures that sensitive data is encrypted both at rest and in transit, providing a higher level of security for PII. Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts the entire database at rest but does not provide column-level encryption, and Microsoft SQL Server and database encryption keys would involve additional manual configuration and management of keys.

WRONG 1. General Purpose service tier and Serverless compute tier 2. Always Encrypted

There is no serverless option for Business Critical tier of Azure SQL. Serverless is only available for the General Purpose and Hyperscale tiers as it only uses a single database

Correct Business Critical service tier and Serverless compute tier: This tier ensures high availability with zone redundancy. Serverless compute tier allows automatic scaling during peak demand periods, such as payroll operations. Minimizes costs by scaling resources dynamically and pausing during inactivity. Encryption Method Always Encrypted: Supports column-level encryption, which is crucial for protecting PII. Ensures that sensitive data is encrypted both at rest and in transit. Provides robust security by keeping encryption keys on the client side.

Agree with GP service tier and Serverless compute tier and Always Encrypted as side Note there is NO serveless option for business critical SQL - check for yourself when creating SQL in Azure portal

Final Answer 1. GP service tier and Serverless compute tier 2. Always Encrypted

Got his on my exam on 06/Mar/24

It is simple. The first option is wrong, because Business Critical with serverless compute tier is not supported! "The serverless compute tier is available in the General Purpose service tier and the Hyperscale service tier. " https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/serverless-tier-overview?view=azuresql&tabs=general-purpose Thus, it must be General Purpose service tier.

appeared in Exam 01/2024

Answer should be correct. It has to be BC service tier, because the requirement is "Maintain availability in the event of a single datacenter outage." GP service tier will have several minutes down time when there is an outage happened.

Business critical is the one with seconday replicas https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tiers-sql-database-vcore?view=azuresql

Serverless compute tier : Service tier- General Purpose and Hyperscale (in Preview) Ans : 1. GP with Serverless compute tier 2. Always Encrypted

For this scenario, I would recommend using the General Purpose service tier with the Serverless compute tier for the Azure SQL Database solution. This configuration provides cost-effective storage and compute resources that can automatically scale up during periods of high demand, such as during payroll operations. To support the encryption of specific columns that contain PII, you can use the Always Encrypted feature. This feature allows you to encrypt sensitive data within client applications and never reveal the encryption keys to the database engine. This helps to ensure that sensitive data remains protected at all times, even if the database is compromised.

As of 27-05-2023, I am trying to figure out if there is such a thing called Azure sql business critical, serverless tier. I don't see one. I have been searching, neither Premium has serverless tier, only general purpose do. So if anyone is aware of it, please share the link below the post. thx

For the Service tier and computer tier, you should recommend "General Purpose service tier and Provisioned compute tier". For the Encryption method, you should recommend "Always Encrypted".

First box is "General Purpose": Zone-redundant configuration for the General Purpose service tier is offered for both serverless and provisioned compute. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-GB/azure/azure-sql/database/high-availability-sla?view=azuresql&tabs=azure-powershell