3. Relational Data on Azure (20-25%)

This phase covers relational concepts — normalisation, keys, SQL, transactions — and the Azure services that host them.

Why this matters: relational databases remain the default for anything that must be consistent and correct, and this domain is where the exam tests whether you can place a workload on the IaaS-to-PaaS spectrum. Choose too far toward control and you inherit patching and high-availability work nobody costed for; too far toward convenience and a feature the application depends on turns out not to exist.

💡 The mental model: the Azure SQL family is one engine offered at three levels of control. SQL Server on a VM — you run the OS and the engine. SQL Managed Instance — Azure runs the instance, you get near-full SQL Server compatibility. Azure SQL Database — Azure runs a single database, and instance-level features go away. Everything else in this phase is a different open-source engine you brought with you.

⚠️ The trap: "fully managed" is not automatically the right answer. Scan the scenario for a single named dependency — an unsupported SQL Server version, SQL Server Agent, cross-database queries, OS-level access — because one of those moves the answer a whole step toward control. The exam reliably plants exactly one such clue and rewards the candidate who notices it.