A healthcare startup has to run a SQL Server instance inside a virtual machine in Azure. It also needs administrator rights on the guest Windows operating system so it can install a third-party monitoring agent. Which option meets these requirements?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines is an infrastructure-as-a-service option, so the customer manages the guest OS and the SQL Server instance and can install agents or change OS settings. Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance are platform services where Microsoft manages the operating system, so guest-level installs are not possible. MariaDB is not SQL Server at all.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Azure SQL Database is a platform service. Microsoft manages the host operating system, so the team cannot log in to the guest OS or install a monitoring agent there.
- C. Managed Instance is also a platform service with no guest operating system access. Installing a third-party agent on the host OS is not possible with this option.
- D. MariaDB is an open-source engine that is not SQL Server, so it cannot run the SQL Server workload the startup has. It also would not give guest OS administrator access.