DP-300 Question #271: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

You have an instance of SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines named VM1. You plan to schedule a SQL Server Agent job that will rebuild indexes of the databases hosted on VM1. You need to configure the account that will be used by the agent. The solution must use the principle of least privilege. Which operating system user right should you assign to the account?

Options

• AIncrease scheduling priority
• BLog on as a service
• CProfile system performance
• DLog on as a batch job

Explanation

SQL Server Agent Service Account Rights

"Log on as a service" is correct because SQL Server Agent runs as a Windows service, and the service account must be granted this specific right to allow it to authenticate and run continuously in the background as a service process - this is the minimum required permission and perfectly aligns with the principle of least privilege.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Increase scheduling priority) allows a process to boost its CPU scheduling priority, which is unnecessary for a job agent and would grant more system-level power than needed.
• C (Profile system performance) permits monitoring of system performance counters, which is irrelevant to running scheduled SQL Agent jobs.
• D (Log on as a batch job) is used for accounts running scheduled tasks via Task Scheduler or batch queues - not for Windows services like SQL Server Agent.

💡 Memory Tip: Think of it this way - SQL Server Agent is a service, so it needs to "log on as a service." Any time a question asks about the minimum rights for a SQL Server component that runs as a Windows service (Agent, Engine, SSRS, etc.), "Log on as a service" is almost always the answer tied to least privilege.

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