Azure SQL Database is a fully-managed, intelligent relational database service which is based on the latest SQL Server Database Engine. It’s an optimal choice if you need a cloud-native database service that automatically scales to handle the load and offers built-in intelligence that learns app patterns and adapts to maximize performance, reliability, and data protection.
Key Characteristics
- Offers automated database management, patching, backups, and monitoring to reduce administration.
- Integrated with Azure Active Directory for Identity Management.
- It has advanced threat protection for real-time security.
- In-built intelligence optimizes performance and data protection.
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure SQL Managed Instance offers almost 100% compatibility with SQL Server on-premises including the full SQL Server surface area. This makes Azure SQL Managed Instance ideal for hosting databases currently residing on-premises. Thus, it is an excellent choice if you desire to move on-premises SQL Server workloads to the cloud with minimal modifications.
Key Characteristics
- Offers automated backup and patching.
- Supports Azure Active Directory authentication.
- Comes with a native VNet for secure isolation.
- High compatibility with SQL Server on-premises.
Azure Cosmos DB
Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service for managing data at a planet-scale. It’s an excellent choice if you need to store and query diverse data (graph, NoSQL, etc.) at an internet scale with minimal latency.
Key Characteristics
- Globally distributed with multi-region replication.
- Provides automatic and instant scalability.
- Supports multiple data models – key-value, column-family, document, and graph.
- Offers five consistency models with latency and throughput guarantees.
To identify the correct Azure database service for specific needs, it is crucial to understand the requirements. The following requirements can be considered:
- Performance: Identify the need based on predictable performance, high-speed transactions, instantaneous auto-scaling, or multi-model data.
- Security: The essential aspect is data’s security, whether the requirement is for advanced threat protection, automated patching, or Azure Active Directory interaction.
- Scalability and Global Distribution: Depending upon data access from various locations, it is necessary to select a database that can manage globally distributed data.
- Compatibility: If there is already an existing SQL Server workload on-premises and you want to move to the cloud with minimal modifications, then Azure SQL Managed Instance fits the needs the best.
Azure DBA’s should consider these factors in assessing and selecting the appropriate database for any given workload. Administering these databases is part of Microsoft’s DP-300 Exam, and a proper understanding of these services and their appropriate usage decides your success in the exam.
Make sure to keep visiting official Microsoft documentation and blogs for keeping your knowledge up-to-date and staying relevant in your Azure SQL Administration journey.
Practice Test
If a business requires real-time updates, a SQL Database is the best choice. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: SQL Database provides built-in support for real-time updates and offers an immediate consistency level which is preferable for businesses that require real-time updates.
If a business has a large amount of unstructured data to analyze, which Azure database would you recommend?
- a) SQL Server
- b) Cosmos DB
- c) Data Warehouse
- d) Azure Synapse Analytics
Answer: b) Cosmos DB
Explanation: Cosmos DB is designed for large-scale, globe-distributed apps. It supports multiple data models such as key-value, document, graph, and column-family, and is ideal for unstructured data.
Azure Data Lake Storage is best suited for processing large amounts of data in real-time. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Data Lake Storage is best used for big data analytics, where large amounts of raw data need to be stored and analyzed, not processed in real-time.
Which Azure database offering would be the most cost-effective for a small business that requires infrequent access to its data?
- a) Azure SQL Database
- b) Azure Cosmos DB
- c) Azure Data Lake Storage
- d) Azure SQL Database for Hyperscale
Answer: a) Azure SQL Database
Explanation: Azure SQL Database offers a consumption-based model where you pay-for-what-you-use, making it a cost-effective choice for small businesses that need infrequent data access.
What is the best choice for a database that requires high throughput and low latency, for globally-distributed applications?
- a) Azure SQL Database
- b) Azure Cosmos DB
- c) Azure Data Lake Storage
- d) Azure SQL Server on VMs
Answer: b) Azure Cosmos DB
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB offers turnkey global distribution, multiple model support, and multiple, well-defined consistency models, making it a great choice for globally distributed, high-throughput applications that require low latency.
Azure SQL Database serverless compute tier is ideal for infrequent, intermittent, or unpredictable workloads. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Azure SQL Database serverless is a compute tier that optimizes price-performance and simplifies performance management for single databases with intermittent, unpredictable usage.
Which Azure database service would you suggest for an organization which mainly works with relational data?
- a) Azure SQL Database
- b) Azure Cosmos DB
- c) Azure Synapse Analytics
- d) Azure Table Storage
Answer: a) Azure SQL Database
Explanation: Azure SQL Database is a relational database service which would be an ideal choice for organizations that primarily deal with relational data.
If a business has high velocity OLTP (Online Transactional Processing) workload, which of these Azure service should they use?
- a) Azure SQL Server
- b) Azure Cosmos DB
- c) Azure Synapse Analytics
- d) None of the above
Answer: b) Azure Cosmos DB
Explanation: For high velocity OLTP workload, Azure Cosmos DB is the best service to use because of its globally distributed, multi-model database service capability.
Azure Table Storage is the best choice for a business that requires flexible, semi-structured datasets. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Azure Table Storage is a service that stores structured NoSQL data, providing a key/attribute store with a schema-less design, which is ideal for flexible, semi-structured datasets.
Azure Synapse Analytics is best suited for businesses that have high processing and real-time streaming requirements. True/False?
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Azure Synapse Analytics, formerly SQL Data Warehouse, is essentially designed for analytics and not for processing or real-time streaming. It is well suited for Big Data and business intelligence analytical workloads.
Interview Questions
What is the Azure SQL Database service?
The Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service provided by Microsoft. It’s based on the operating system and incorporates the latest stable version of the SQL Server database engine.
When would you recommend using Azure SQL Database managed instance over Azure SQL Database single database or elastic pool?
Azure SQL Database Managed Instance would be a better choice if the application requires instance-level features that are not supported in a single database or elastic pool, such as SQL Server Agent, cross-database queries, or Service Broker.
What is the Elastic Pool in Azure SQL Database and when is it beneficial?
The Elastic Pool is a service in Azure designed for a multi-database environment where the workloads of various databases fluctuate and might exceed the capacity of individual databases. It allows you to allocate resources that can be shared among multiple databases, thereby saving cost.
What are Reserved Capacity and vCore Model in Azure SQL Database?
Reserved capacity allows you to save money by paying in advance for a one or three years term, while the vCore model reflects the underlying physical characteristics of the compute resources. It provides flexibility to choose the storage and compute resources independently based upon your workloads.
When should you recommend the use of Azure Cosmos DB?
Azure Cosmos DB is recommended when you need a globally distributed, multi-model database service. It’s perfect for applications that require low latency, high availability, and elastic scalability with reliable performance.
What is Azure Database for PostgreSQL and when would you use it?
Azure Database for PostgreSQL is a managed service that you use to run, manage, and scale highly available PostgreSQL databases in the cloud. It’s recommended for applications that rely on PostgreSQL as it relieves the administrative functions like managing, patching, and troubleshooting.
What are the scaling options in Azure SQL Database?
Azure SQL Database supports both vertical and horizontal scaling. Vertical scaling involves changing the service tier or compute size of the database, while horizontal scaling involves partitioning your data across multiple databases with the use of SQL Database elastic query or Sharding with Azure SQL Database.
How do you secure data in Azure SQL Database?
Azure SQL database uses a variety of features for securing data. Some of these include Azure Active Directory authentication, Firewalls and virtual networks, SQL encryption, Advanced Threat Protection and using managed identities for accessing Azure resources securely.
What is the Azure SQL Database Hyperscale service tier and when is it beneficial?
The Hyperscale service tier in Azure SQL Database is a new storage architecture designed for databases of up to 100 TB. It’s beneficial when you need high performance and scalability for large transactional databases.
What Azure service would you recommend for applications requiring a highly secure and compliant database solution?
Azure SQL Database is a good choice for highly secure and compliant database solutions as it provides a broad spectrum of compliance offerings and is compliant with various industry-specific standards. It also provides advanced security features such as Azure Active Directory integration and Advanced Threat Protection.
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