Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect ExpertDesign business continuity solutionsMedium
An architect is designing a backup solution for a critical Azure SQL Database that requires a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 5 minutes. The database is transactional, and data loss must be minimized. Which backup strategy should be implemented?
- AEnable long-term retention (LTR) for weekly full backups.
- BManually export the database to a BACPAC file every hour.
- CConfigure daily full backups and weekly differential backups.
- DUtilize built-in automated backups with continuous backups and point-in-time restore.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Utilize built-in automated backups with continuous backups and point-in-time restore.
Azure SQL Database's built-in automated backups provide continuous backups (transaction log backups every 5-10 minutes) and enable point-in-time restores to any minute within the retention period, easily meeting an RPO of 5 minutes.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Long-term retention (LTR) is for compliance and archival purposes, not for meeting a tight RPO like 5 minutes for operational recovery.
- B. Manually exporting to BACPAC every hour would lead to an RPO of 1 hour, exceeding the 5-minute requirement, and is not a scalable or reliable solution for critical databases.
- C. Daily full and weekly differential backups would result in an RPO of at least 24 hours (or more if differential backups are spaced out), exceeding the 5-minute requirement.
Azure SQL DB Automated Backups
Azure SQL Database automatically performs full, differential, and transaction log backups, enabling point-in-time restores to meet specific RPO requirements.
- Full backups weekly, differential daily, transaction logs every 5-10 minutes.
- Enables point-in-time restore to any minute within retention.
- Meets low RPO requirements for transactional databases.
Memory trick: SQL DB: Auto-backup, point-in-time, minimal loss.