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Plan full, differential and transaction-log backups using appropriate SQL Server recovery model and restore order for the intended point-in-time objective. This addresses SQL Server native backup chain and recovery model, not the controlling requirement here. A full backup without subsequent transaction-log backups cannot recover every later transaction; SIMPLE recovery changes log backup support. Prefer: Use Azure SQL automated backups and configured point-in-time retention or long-term retention policy for supported managed offerings, choosing the correct restore workflow and retention costs.

Build and monitor supported SQL Server Always On availability groups on Azure VMs and understand SQL MI link behavior, verifying cluster quorum, replica health, endpoint access and synchronization mode. This addresses Always On availability groups on SQL Server VMs and SQL MI links, not the controlling requirement here. An AG protects replicated user databases and requires cluster/listener configuration; it does not automatically synchronize every SQL Agent job or server-level login. Prefer: Use Azure SQL automated backups and configured point-in-time retention or long-term retention policy for supported managed offerings, choosing the correct restore workflow and retention costs.

Back up supported SQL Server databases to Azure Blob storage through approved credential or managed identity patterns, then validate access, checksums and test restores from cloud targets. This addresses Backup to Azure Blob URL and tested cloud restore, not the controlling requirement here. A backup file's existence or a VERIFYONLY success does not replace a tested full restoration and end-to-end workload check. Prefer: Use Azure SQL automated backups and configured point-in-time retention or long-term retention policy for supported managed offerings, choosing the correct restore workflow and retention costs.

Inspect blocker/waiter SPIDs, wait_resource, open transactions, deadlock XML, isolation level, lock escalation and transaction duration. This choice pertains to Blocking deadlocks and isolation strategy, not the needed response/evidence pair. Use: Use supported Azure SQL automatic tuning or IQP features with monitoring and safety controls; verify supported recommendations and their observed effect before treating them as universal fixes. Check: Check automatic tuning mode, automatic plan correction state, index create/drop recommendations, plan verification, workload compatibility level and rollback events.

Alerts fire for meaningful sustained database risk while log delivery and missing-metric gaps are independently observable. This choice pertains to Azure Monitor alerts diagnostics and resource metrics, not the needed response/evidence pair. Use: Use supported Azure SQL automatic tuning or IQP features with monitoring and safety controls; verify supported recommendations and their observed effect before treating them as universal fixes. Check: Check automatic tuning mode, automatic plan correction state, index create/drop recommendations, plan verification, workload compatibility level and rollback events.

Use Resource Governor on supported SQL Server platforms for workload classification and resource controls, while choosing Azure SQL compute tier and database-scoped settings appropriately for PaaS. This choice pertains to Resource Governor and scoped compute configuration, not the needed response/evidence pair. Use: Use supported Azure SQL automatic tuning or IQP features with monitoring and safety controls; verify supported recommendations and their observed effect before treating them as universal fixes. Check: Check automatic tuning mode, automatic plan correction state, index create/drop recommendations, plan verification, workload compatibility level and rollback events.

Review key hierarchy, certificate availability, encrypted payload format, authorized decryption path, T-SQL function usage, rotation and backup procedures. This choice pertains to Object-level encryption and database cryptographic controls, not the needed response/evidence pair. Use: Use Always Encrypted to protect selected columns with client-side cryptography and evaluate secure enclaves for supported confidential computations and richer query operations. Check: Inspect encrypted column metadata, column master and encryption keys, driver feature support, enclave attestation where applicable and key store permissions.

Design Azure SQL firewall policies and Private Link or approved service endpoints at the required scope, enforcing TLS and minimizing public endpoint exposure. This choice pertains to Azure SQL private endpoints firewall and TLS boundary, not the needed response/evidence pair. Use: Use Always Encrypted to protect selected columns with client-side cryptography and evaluate secure enclaves for supported confidential computations and richer query operations. Check: Inspect encrypted column metadata, column master and encryption keys, driver feature support, enclave attestation where applicable and key store permissions.

The intended app authenticates through the managed identity or Entra principal without shared SQL passwords and can perform only its permitted queries. This choice pertains to Microsoft Entra authentication with contained service identity, not the needed response/evidence pair. Use: Use Always Encrypted to protect selected columns with client-side cryptography and evaluate secure enclaves for supported confidential computations and richer query operations. Check: Inspect encrypted column metadata, column master and encryption keys, driver feature support, enclave attestation where applicable and key store permissions.

Test availability and recovery plans with realistic but controlled primary outages, application write workload, backups and rollback exercises before claiming a recovery objective. This addresses HA DR tabletop and destructive failure testing, not the controlling requirement here. A failover button clicking successfully is not proof the application, authentication, jobs and downstream services all recovered end to end. Prefer: Assess Managed Instance service tiers, built-in availability, failover groups and supported SQL Managed Instance link scenarios for hybrid resilience without inventing unsupported topologies.

Configure SQL Server log shipping across supported instances with reliable log backup, copy and restore schedules, delay and standby policies, then test manual recovery and ownership of jobs. This addresses Log shipping health and recovery orchestration, not the controlling requirement here. Log shipping is backup-copy-restore orchestration, not synchronous automatic database failover or a substitute for manual application cutover. Prefer: Assess Managed Instance service tiers, built-in availability, failover groups and supported SQL Managed Instance link scenarios for hybrid resilience without inventing unsupported topologies.

Plan full, differential and transaction-log backups using appropriate SQL Server recovery model and restore order for the intended point-in-time objective. This addresses SQL Server native backup chain and recovery model, not the controlling requirement here. A full backup without subsequent transaction-log backups cannot recover every later transaction; SIMPLE recovery changes log backup support. Prefer: Assess Managed Instance service tiers, built-in availability, failover groups and supported SQL Managed Instance link scenarios for hybrid resilience without inventing unsupported topologies.

Use Resource Governor on supported SQL Server platforms for workload classification and resource controls, while choosing Azure SQL compute tier and database-scoped settings appropriately for PaaS. This addresses Resource Governor and scoped compute configuration, not the controlling requirement here. Resource Governor is not uniformly offered on every Azure SQL service, and workload isolation cannot be achieved simply by setting an unrelated database-scoped knob. Prefer: Diagnose blocked and deadlocked sessions using live DMVs and deadlock graphs, then fix transaction scope, indexing or isolation behavior with concurrency tests.

Create a workload baseline and enable appropriate Azure SQL monitoring, including database watcher where supported, to correlate query behavior with resource saturation over time. This addresses Database watcher and Azure SQL monitoring baseline, not the controlling requirement here. Database watcher and Azure Monitor observe resource activity but do not by themselves repair a bad execution plan or guarantee metrics are complete. Prefer: Diagnose blocked and deadlocked sessions using live DMVs and deadlock graphs, then fix transaction scope, indexing or isolation behavior with concurrency tests.

Correlate Azure SQL Intelligent Insights or Query Store evidence with parameter sensitivity and memory grant patterns, selecting documented plan or query changes instead of blindly upgrading SKU. This addresses Intelligent Insights and parameter-sensitive query analysis, not the controlling requirement here. Intelligent recommendations require contextual validation; SQL intelligent query processing features depend on engine version, database compatibility and workload shape. Prefer: Diagnose blocked and deadlocked sessions using live DMVs and deadlock graphs, then fix transaction scope, indexing or isolation behavior with concurrency tests.

Configure SQL Server log shipping across supported instances with reliable log backup, copy and restore schedules, delay and standby policies, then test manual recovery and ownership of jobs. This addresses Log shipping health and recovery orchestration, not the controlling requirement here. Log shipping is backup-copy-restore orchestration, not synchronous automatic database failover or a substitute for manual application cutover. Prefer: Choose Azure SQL failover groups or active geo-replication according to group-level endpoint continuity, supported replication topology, read scale and application reconnect requirements.

Assess Managed Instance service tiers, built-in availability, failover groups and supported SQL Managed Instance link scenarios for hybrid resilience without inventing unsupported topologies. This addresses Managed Instance hybrid recovery and operational readiness, not the controlling requirement here. Managed Instance includes built-in platform availability features, but customer responsibilities still include cross-region recovery plans and application connection design. Prefer: Choose Azure SQL failover groups or active geo-replication according to group-level endpoint continuity, supported replication topology, read scale and application reconnect requirements.

Build and monitor supported SQL Server Always On availability groups on Azure VMs and understand SQL MI link behavior, verifying cluster quorum, replica health, endpoint access and synchronization mode. This addresses Always On availability groups on SQL Server VMs and SQL MI links, not the controlling requirement here. An AG protects replicated user databases and requires cluster/listener configuration; it does not automatically synchronize every SQL Agent job or server-level login. Prefer: Choose Azure SQL failover groups or active geo-replication according to group-level endpoint continuity, supported replication topology, read scale and application reconnect requirements.

Measured failover and restoration exercises meet agreed data loss and recovery time limits without confusing uptime redundancy with recoverability. This would validate RPO RTO strategy and availability versus recovery, but it does not establish the required outcome here. Verify instead: Approved managed-instance failover or hybrid transition works after controlled traffic redirection, with required instance features and logins present.

The SQL Server instance restarts on an eligible node using accessible shared data and log storage while the application resolves the cluster virtual network name. This would validate SQL Server failover cluster instances shared storage constraints, but it does not establish the required outcome here. Verify instead: Approved managed-instance failover or hybrid transition works after controlled traffic redirection, with required instance features and logins present.

The intended database replicas transition primary role as designed and application connections reach the listener without unsupported database or instance assumptions. This would validate Always On availability groups on SQL Server VMs and SQL MI links, but it does not establish the required outcome here. Verify instead: Approved managed-instance failover or hybrid transition works after controlled traffic redirection, with required instance features and logins present.

Use a current migration assessment to inventory database dependencies, unsupported features, downtime constraints and target platform compatibility before moving data. This addresses Azure SQL migration assessment and feature compatibility, not the controlling requirement here. Successful schema import does not prove that instance-level jobs, security identities and linked dependencies survive a migration. Prefer: Use supported backup/restore, BACPAC or database-copy methods based on source/target compatibility and offline downtime budget, then validate security, consistency and performance after migration.

Deploy governed Azure SQL resources with repeatable infrastructure templates and evaluate Azure SQL Database in Fabric for supported analytics-connected workflows rather than assuming all workloads are equivalent. This addresses Azure SQL deployment automation and Fabric SQL integration boundary, not the controlling requirement here. Using Fabric with Azure SQL does not remove operational security responsibilities or grant unsupported cross-service transactional semantics. Prefer: Use supported backup/restore, BACPAC or database-copy methods based on source/target compatibility and offline downtime budget, then validate security, consistency and performance after migration.

Choose a supported online migration path with ongoing data synchronization when a tight outage window requires it, and plan explicit final cutover, validation and rollback checkpoints. This addresses Online migration with controlled cutover and validation, not the controlling requirement here. Online migration reduces downtime but is not automatically zero-downtime; final synchronization, traffic redirection and application tests still matter. Prefer: Use supported backup/restore, BACPAC or database-copy methods based on source/target compatibility and offline downtime budget, then validate security, consistency and performance after migration.

Use Azure SQL automated backups and configured point-in-time retention or long-term retention policy for supported managed offerings, choosing the correct restore workflow and retention costs. This addresses Azure SQL automatic PITR and long-term retention, not the controlling requirement here. Point-in-time restore usually creates a separate database and does not undo production writes in place; retention is constrained by service-specific limits. Prefer: Back up supported SQL Server databases to Azure Blob storage through approved credential or managed identity patterns, then validate access, checksums and test restores from cloud targets.

Test availability and recovery plans with realistic but controlled primary outages, application write workload, backups and rollback exercises before claiming a recovery objective. This addresses HA DR tabletop and destructive failure testing, not the controlling requirement here. A failover button clicking successfully is not proof the application, authentication, jobs and downstream services all recovered end to end. Prefer: Back up supported SQL Server databases to Azure Blob storage through approved credential or managed identity patterns, then validate access, checksums and test restores from cloud targets.

Select a supported HA and disaster recovery architecture from business-defined RPO, RTO, region failure assumptions, planned failover steps and service-specific capabilities. This addresses RPO RTO strategy and availability versus recovery, not the controlling requirement here. High availability reduces some outages but cannot substitute for recoverable backups after corruption or human deletion; RPO and RTO are separate targets. Prefer: Back up supported SQL Server databases to Azure Blob storage through approved credential or managed identity patterns, then validate access, checksums and test restores from cloud targets.

Review subscription context, service principal or managed identity, Azure RBAC role, API response, database resource state and script error handling. These checks primarily test Azure PowerShell and CLI operations with scoped automation identity instead of the critical system behavior in this case. Examine: Inspect job history return status, Database Mail profile, operator assignment, alert severity, retry steps, failure branching and delivery errors.

Inspect step command, proxy token, connection defaults, deadlocks, Agent history output, last success timestamp and job rerun behavior. These checks primarily test SQL Agent job troubleshooting and idempotent maintenance instead of the critical system behavior in this case. Examine: Inspect job history return status, Database Mail profile, operator assignment, alert severity, retry steps, failure branching and delivery errors.

Inspect template parameters, deployment scope, what-if output, module dependencies, identity role assignments and post-deploy effective configuration. These checks primarily test ARM and Bicep declarative Azure SQL provisioning instead of the critical system behavior in this case. Examine: Inspect job history return status, Database Mail profile, operator assignment, alert severity, retry steps, failure branching and delivery errors.

Check automatic tuning mode, automatic plan correction state, index create/drop recommendations, plan verification, workload compatibility level and rollback events. These checks primarily test Automatic tuning and intelligent query processing guardrails instead of the critical system behavior in this case. Examine: Inspect event session predicates, event fields, ring buffer or event file targets, dropped events, blocked process reports and collection overhead.

Inspect Query Store capture mode, runtime statistics, plan IDs, compatibility level, force-plan failure reasons and workload parameter distributions. These checks primarily test Query Store plan regressions and forced plans instead of the critical system behavior in this case. Examine: Inspect event session predicates, event fields, ring buffer or event file targets, dropped events, blocked process reports and collection overhead.

Inspect metric namespace, resource dimensions, aggregation periods, diagnostic destinations, alert scope, delivery permissions, action groups and sample timestamps. These checks primarily test Azure Monitor alerts diagnostics and resource metrics instead of the critical system behavior in this case. Examine: Inspect event session predicates, event fields, ring buffer or event file targets, dropped events, blocked process reports and collection overhead.