Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 Practice Question

Azure SQL Managed Instance offers almost full SQL Server engine compatibility, including support for cross-database queries, SQL Server Agent, and Change Data Capture, so the database can be moved without major code changes. The Business Critical service tier supports zone-redundant deployments and provides automated patching as part of the platform service. Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) can perform an online (continuous) migration from SQL Server 2012 to Azure SQL Managed Instance, allowing the source system to stay operational until a controlled cut-over, thereby minimizing downtime.

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale lacks native SQL Server Agent and full cross-database query support, so application changes would be required. Hosting SQL Server on an Azure VM would not provide a fully managed PaaS experience with automatic patching and would still require SQL Server maintenance. Using transactional replication to a single Azure SQL Database would still leave feature gaps and would not provide zone-redundant architecture automatically.