Microsoft DP-300 Cheat Sheet: Azure SQL Admin

May 1, 2026

Review the Microsoft Azure Database Administrator (DP-300) scope, Azure SQL deployment, security, monitoring, performance tuning, automation, backup, restore, and HA/DR traps before practicing.

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DP-300 is an Azure SQL administration exam. Use this cheat sheet to keep database decisions tied to deployment model, security, monitoring, performance, automation, backup, restore, and availability.

Use this with practice. Review the Azure SQL administration checkpoints, then return to the DP-300 exam page for sample questions and update tracking.

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Exam snapshot

Field	Detail
Issuer	Microsoft
Certification lane	Azure Database Administrator Associate
Exam code	DP-300
Main scope	Azure SQL deployment, operations, performance, security, automation, backup, restore, and availability
IT Mastery status	Sample questions available

Administration map

Area	What to know	Common trap
Deployment model	Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance, SQL Server on Azure VMs, and hybrid fit	Choosing PaaS when instance-level control is required
Security	Authentication, authorization, encryption, auditing, firewall, private access, and least privilege	Giving broad database roles for a narrow task
Performance	Query plans, waits, indexes, resource utilization, Query Store, and tuning evidence	Scaling first without diagnosing the query or wait
Backup and restore	Retention, point-in-time restore, geo-restore, long-term retention, and testing	Assuming backups work without restore validation
HA/DR	Failover groups, replicas, zones, RPO, RTO, and recovery process	Confusing high availability with disaster recovery
Automation and monitoring	Alerts, jobs, maintenance, policy, scripts, and operational repeatability	Relying on manual checks for production databases

Must-know distinctions

Distinction	How to decide
Azure SQL Database vs Managed Instance	SQL Database is more PaaS-focused; Managed Instance supports broader SQL Server compatibility.
SQL Server on VM vs PaaS	VMs give OS and instance control; PaaS reduces infrastructure administration.
Authentication vs authorization	Authentication proves identity; authorization controls database actions.
Backup vs HA	Backups support recovery; HA keeps service available during failures.
RPO vs RTO	RPO is acceptable data loss; RTO is acceptable recovery time.

High-yield checklist

Start with workload requirements: compatibility, control, availability, performance, and administration effort.
Verify access through identity, role, firewall, private endpoint, and database permissions.
Use performance evidence before changing service tiers.
Test restore paths, not just backup settings.
Match HA/DR design to RPO and RTO.
Automate recurring administration tasks.
Monitor query behavior, resource pressure, failed jobs, and security events.
Document operational runbooks for restore, failover, scaling, and incident response.

Common traps

Scaling up when the root issue is query plan or missing index.
Choosing SQL Database when instance-level features are required.
Treating firewall access as authorization.
Confusing geo-replication with backup retention.
Ignoring restore testing.
Overlooking private access for sensitive workloads.

Practice strategy

For DP-300 misses, state the DBA task first: deploy, secure, monitor, tune, automate, back up, restore, or fail over. Then pick the Azure SQL control that directly changes that task outcome.

Revised on Monday, May 25, 2026

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