Azure SQL Database

Managed relational database service for cloud applications.

Key points

Azure SQL Database provides managed relational databases without a customer-managed SQL Server instance or guest OS.
Compute model, isolation, scaling, backup, recovery, and compatibility must match each database workload.

Best-known use cases

Host cloud relational databases that favor platform management over instance-level control.

What candidates often confuse it with

SQL Database minimizes instance administration; Managed Instance offers broader instance compatibility and SQL Server on VMs preserves guest control.

Key takeaway

Choose Azure SQL Database for isolated cloud databases whose requirements fit the managed database boundary.

Relevant exam tasks

D2.1.S1 — Recommend a solution for storing relational data
D2.1.S2 — Recommend a database service tier and compute tier
D2.1.S3 — Recommend a solution for database scalability
D2.1.S4 — Recommend a solution for data protection
D3.1.S3 — Recommend a backup and recovery solution for databases
D3.2.S2 — Recommend a high availability solution for relational data

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Azure SQL service options

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Exam Weights

Exam snapshot

AZ-305 at a glance

Level: Expert
Duration: No fixed live duration published
Questions: No fixed live question count published
Formats: No guaranteed question-type mix
Scoring: Scaled score; 700 minimum passing score

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Exam fidelity: Microsoft does not publish a fixed live question count or guarantee a question-type mix for AZ-305. This lane contains multiple-choice exam-style practice; no supplemental matching, ordering, or case-study exercises were needed. Practice percentages do not reproduce Microsoft's scaled scoring, and difficulty labels describe this site's Expert-level architecture and trade-off complexity rather than a Microsoft-published question rating.

Reference

AZ-305 topics and reference map

Study links

AZ-305 resources

Official Microsoft resources

AZ-305 official study guide

The live Microsoft guide with the April 17, 2026 skills-measured date, domain ranges, and 49 detailed objectives.

AZ-305 official exam page

Official exam status, passing score, language availability, preparation resources, and scheduling path.

Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification

Official certification overview, role profile, certification requirement, and learning paths.

AZ-305T00-A Design Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions course

Official four-day instructor-led architecture course for AZ-305 preparation.