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Difficulty: HardRelational Data Storage Solutions

A healthcare provider is designing the cloud architecture for a new clinical trials application. The application's database layer has the following technical and operational requirements:

* It must host two databases that require cross-database queries and transactions.
* It must use custom SQL Server Common Language Runtime (SQL CLR) assemblies to handle legacy data encryption methods.
* It must be deployed within a private subnet of an Azure Virtual Network to prevent any public internet exposure.
* It must minimize administrative overhead by eliminating operating system patching and manual backup tasks.
* It must remain operational and survive the failure of an entire Azure Availability Zone within the hosting region.

Which Azure SQL deployment option should you recommend?

  1. A
    Azure SQL Database single databases deployed with a virtual network private endpoint and zone-redundant storage
  2. B
    SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines configured in an Always On availability group across availability zones
  3. Azure SQL Managed Instance in the Business Critical tier configured with zone redundancyAnswer
  4. D
    Azure SQL Managed Instance in the General Purpose tier configured with locally redundant storage (LRS)

Answer

Azure SQL Managed Instance in the Business Critical tier configured with zone redundancy
The correct option is Azure SQL Managed Instance in the Business Critical tier configured with zone redundancy. Azure SQL Managed Instance is a fully managed service that eliminates OS patching and backup management, yet provides high compatibility with the SQL Server database engine, including support for SQL CLR assemblies and cross-database queries. It is deployed via VNet injection into a private subnet. Configuring it in the Business Critical tier with zone redundancy replicates data across multiple availability zones, ensuring resilience against zone outages.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate the database engine feature requirements.
The application requires SQL CLR assemblies and cross-database queries.
This rules out Azure SQL Database single databases or elastic pools, which do not support these features natively.
2
Evaluate the administrative and networking constraints.
The solution must minimize OS patching and backup management, and it must run within a private subnet of an Azure Virtual Network.
This rules out SQL Server on Azure VMs, which requires user-managed OS-level patching and backup policies, despite supporting CLR and private network deployment.
3
Evaluate the high availability and resilience constraints.
The database must survive the outage of an entire Azure Availability Zone.
This rules out any tier configured with locally redundant storage (LRS). Azure SQL Managed Instance in the Business Critical tier with zone redundancy enabled replicates data across availability zones to meet this requirement.

Key Concept

Selecting the appropriate Azure SQL deployment option based on legacy feature compatibility, management overhead, and high availability requirements.
Estimated Time:2m 30s
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Relational Data Storage Solutions

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