Azure FAQ

Which SQL Server PaaS offering should you choose if you want to restore an on-premises database backup to Azure?

Azure SQL Managed Instance is the only SQL Server PaaS option that supports database restore from an on-premises database backup. 

What are the five main stages of data platform modernization?

Discover, assess, plan, transform, and validate

What is the purpose of the "Initiate and discover" stage in a data platform modernization project?

The main purpose is to evaluate the current environment and identify any dependencies between applications and databases.

What is the most important aspect of assessing databases for potential migration blockers before migrating to Azure SQL offerings?

Assessments help identify compatibility issues, breaking changes, and deprecated features that may impact a successful migration. It allows you to address these issues beforehand and plan for any necessary changes.

What are the options for running the assessment and Azure recommendation steps at scale?

The assessment and Azure recommendation steps can be run at scale using PowerShell or Azure CLI. These command-line interfaces allow for automation and performing these tasks on multiple databases or instances.

What factors are considered when calculating the estimated monthly cost for Azure SQL Database using the Azure SQL Assessment tool?

When calculating the estimated monthly cost for Azure SQL Database using the Azure SQL Assessment tool, the factors considered are the database size, compute size, and database activity. 

What type of storage offers the lowest latency in Azure?

Ultra Disk offers the lowest latency of the three storage types

To reduce the cost of an Azure SQL Server VM you intend to run full time for three years, which option should you choose?

Azure Reserved VM Instance can offer significant cost saving over pay as you go licensing. 

Which option should you choose to spread workloads across data centers in a region?

To spread workloads across data centers in a region you should choose availability zones.

Which service performs block level replication of your Azure virtual machine?

Azure Site Recovery is a low-cost solution that will perform block level replication of your Azure virtual machine.

You need to migrate a set of databases that use distributed transactions from on-premises SQL Server. Which of the following options should you choose?

 Azure SQL managed instance is the only offering here that supports cross-database transactions.

You're building a new cloud database that you expect to grow to 50 TB. Which is the best option for your database?

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale is the only option that supports 50 TB of data.

You're building a database for testing purposes that will be used less than 8 hours a day. It's expected to be 20 GB in size. What is your most cost-effective option?

Serverless will reduce the cost significantly for a database that is only used during business hours.

How often do differential backups occur with Azure SQL managed instance?

With Azure SQL managed instance, differential backups occur every 12 hours.