DP-300 Certification Practice Question #242

Question

You have a single availability set that contains two SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines instances.

The instances were deployed by using an Azure Marketplace SQL Server 2019 Enterprise image that has the latest cumulative updates applied. The instances are configured as the nodes of a failover cluster instance (FCI) named FCI1.

You need to ensure that client applications can connect to FCI1. The solution must meet the following requirements:

•	Provide an availability SLA.
•	Minimize costs.

What should you create?

Accepted Answer

A DNN (Distributed Network Name) is a new connectivity option for SQL Server FCIs on Azure VMs (requires SQL Server 2019 CU2+, which the question confirms is installed). Unlike a VNN, a DNN does not require an Azure Load Balancer — it registers directly as a DNS name pointing to the FCI. This eliminates both Load Balancer cost and complexity. The question specifically asks to minimize costs while still providing an SLA. Both A (Standard LB) and D (DNN) provide availability SLA, but DNN is cost-free compared to Load Balancer pricing.

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