What is a “service objective” in Azure SQL Database?

A “service objective” in Azure SQL Database refers to a predefined service tier configuration that specifies the performance and resource limits for a database. This tier defines the set of resource allocations such as CPU, memory, IOPS, and storage you can expect from the Azure SQL Database service, impacting the database's performance and workload capacity.

Service objectives are essential for managing how resources are allocated to your database based on your application's needs. By selecting a specific service objective, you can ensure that your database has the necessary performance characteristics to handle varying workloads effectively. This option allows you to balance cost with performance needs, adapting as necessary based on application demand.

The other contexts provided do not align with the definition of a service objective. Individual user account configurations, security measures for unauthorized access, and specific query execution plans are not related to the broader scope of resource allocation and performance management provided by service objectives. Thus, option B stands out as the comprehensive description of what a service objective encompasses in Azure SQL Database.