Microsoft Azure Architect Design (AZ-301) Practice Exam

Azure SQL Database Managed Instance is designed specifically to provide a fully managed, scalable database service that minimizes maintenance overhead for large databases migrating to the cloud. This option combines the best features of both the on-premises SQL Server and the PaaS offerings of Azure. Managed Instance allows for easy migration of existing SQL Server databases with minimal changes, as it supports many of the SQL Server features that applications rely on. Because it’s a fully managed service, users do not have to handle database maintenance tasks such as patching, backups, or high availability solutions—these are taken care of by Azure. This significantly reduces the operational burden compared to other options. Other options, while they offer various capabilities, may not provide the same level of reduction in maintenance. For example, Azure SQL Database single databases can require more hands-on management when it comes to performance tuning and scaling. SQL Server on Azure virtual machines gives more control but also necessitates managing the virtual machine's infrastructure, including operating system maintenance and patching. Elastic pools offer a way to manage resources across multiple databases, but they may not be ideal for large single databases that require specialized configurations and features.