Exam AZ-305 topic 4 question 12 discussion

Correct. Use the serverless model in vcore https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tiers-sql-database-vcore?view=azuresql While the provisioned compute tier provides a specific amount of compute resources that are continuously provisioned independent of workload activity, the serverless compute tier auto-scales compute resources based on workload activity. While the provisioned compute tier bills for the amount of compute provisioned at a fixed price per hour, the serverless compute tier bills for the amount of compute used, per second.

The most efficient solution is the serverless model but it has not given in the options. We only need to pay for disk but not computing in serverless. It's pay as you go, but should have been explicitly mentioned in the options, which was not, So answer is DTU based standard.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/serverless-tier-overview?view=azuresql&tabs=general-purpose#auto-pause-and-auto-resume "Currently, serverless auto-pausing and auto-resuming are only supported in the General Purpose tier." The question mentions specifically that the DB is used once a month. vCore-based copute with General Purpose service tier is the only one that both support billing per second and Auto-Pause (when no transactions or CPU is used).

Answer is C: DTU-based Sandard: In the worst case: DTU Model standard: 100 DTUs with 400 GB disk -> cost is ~180 USD per month vocre based-general purpose: 2 vcores with 400 GB disk -> cost is 461 USD per month So answer is DTU based standard. The most efficient solution is the serverless model but it has not given in the options. We only need to pay for disk but not computing in serverless. It's pay as you go.

DTU-based Standard supports databases up to 1 TB in size and is cheapper tht vcpus

Correct: DTU-based Standard supports databases up to 1 TB in size. Incorrect Answers: A, C: vCore-based service tiers are more costly than DTU-based service tiers. D: DTU-based Basic only supports a maximum database size of 2 GB. Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tiers-dtu

Why not A? While this tier provides better performance and scalability, it would result in unnecessary costs given that the data is only accessed one day per month. It is more suited for applications that need consistent performance and uptime. Why D? Because it is the most cost-effective option for databases that are infrequently used. Given that App1 and the data are only needed on the first day of the month, the Basic tier, which is designed for lightweight workloads, is sufficient.

The serverless is the best option here. What I don't get is how you prevent the users to use the database in the other days of the month, because of this statement "is only available on the first day" emphasizing on "only".

I think the answers changed based on the answers I see now Based on the given scenario, where the database is only used on the first day of each month and the data is not expected to grow more than 3 percent each year, the most cost-effective option would be to choose the DTU-based Basic service tier. The DTU-based Basic service tier is suitable for small databases with light workloads and provides a low-cost option. Since the data size is relatively small (DB1 - 400GB, DB2 - 250GB, DB3 - 300GB, DB4 - 50GB), the Basic tier should be sufficient to handle the workload on the first day of each month. The vCore-based General Purpose and Business Critical service tiers are more suitable for larger databases or databases with higher performance requirements. They offer more scalability, higher performance, and additional features but come at a higher cost. Given the provided requirements and data sizes, the DTU-based Basic service tier is the most appropriate and cost-effective option for migrating the data to Azure SQL Database for the given scenario.

i want to ask a question , if DB size is less than 100GB, will DTU based standard be a better choice?

A. vCore-based General Purpose is the recommended service tier for this scenario. This tier provides the ability to control compute resources through vCores and can be scaled up and down as needed. The ability to only make the database available on the first day of each month can be achieved through the use of Azure Database for SQL's built-in pause/resume functionality. This would allow you to pause the database when it's not needed, reducing costs, and then resume it when it's needed again.

One (dumb) question, fellas... Im wondering, whenever you choose serverless for a case like this... what happens with the data? Like I understand you pay for the compute resources whenever you use them but what about the storage?

The given answer is correct: serverless model in vcore general purpose