Provisioning SQL Databases — Question 12

You are the administrator for a SQL Server 2016 instance that stores the data for an online transaction processing sales system. The company takes full backups every week; differential backups on the days with no full backups; and hourly transaction backups.
These backups are stored on a backup server in the company's data center.
Every week, the company places the full backup on a tape and sends it to a third-party backup storage system.
The company is worried that a disaster might occur that could destroy their computer center and cause them to lose orders.
You need to determine the best method for providing the smallest amount of data loss and downtime without leasing or purchasing additional physical locations.
What should you do? More than one answer choice may achieve the goal. Select the BEST answer.

Answer options

• A. Set up SQL Server Always On with a SQL Azure database as a replica.
• B. Set up SQL Server Always On by using a SQL Server on a Windows Azure Virtual Machine.
• C. Put the differential backup on tape and send it to the third-party backup storage system.
• D. Use the Microsoft SQL Server Backup to Microsoft Windows Azure Tool to direct all backups to a different geographical location.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The best solution is D, as it allows for backups to be stored offsite in a different geographical location, minimizing the risk of data loss due to a disaster at the primary site. Option A and B involve setting up Always On, which may not be feasible without additional locations. Option C only addresses differential backups and does not provide a comprehensive solution for minimizing data loss and downtime.