AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Test 15 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Contoso Ltd. is a global retail company with headquarters in New York and operations in Europe and Asia. They are migrating their on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure. The databases include a customer database (500 GB), an orders database (2 TB), and a product catalog database (100 GB). The customer database requires high read throughput with sub-10 ms latency for global users. The orders database must support complex queries and reporting with point-in-time restore capability up to 35 days. The product catalog is updated infrequently but must be available for read-heavy workloads with strong consistency. Contoso wants to minimize costs while meeting performance and compliance requirements. They also need to support hybrid deployments for databases that must remain on-premises due to data sovereignty laws. You need to design a data storage solution. Which combination of Azure services and configurations should you recommend?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB with multiple write regions for customer DB; Azure SQL Database Business Critical for orders; Azure SQL Database serverless for product catalog; Azure SQL Managed Instance with managed instance link for hybrid. It matches each database's workload to the optimal Azure service: Cosmos DB with multiple write regions provides global low-latency reads and writes for the customer DB; Azure SQL Database Business Critical offers the complex query support and point-in-time restore up to 35 days for the orders DB; Azure SQL Database serverless minimizes cost for the infrequently updated product catalog; and Azure SQL Managed Instance with managed instance link enables hybrid deployment for on-premises databases subject to data sovereignty laws.

Answer

Azure SQL Managed Instance for all databases with geo-replication for customer DB; use failover groups for global distribution; Azure Data Sync for hybrid

Answer

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale for all databases; use geo-replication for customer DB; Azure SQL Server on Azure VMs for hybrid

Answer

Azure SQL Database Business Critical for customer DB with geo-replication; Azure SQL Database Hyperscale for orders; Azure SQL Database serverless for product catalog; Azure SQL Managed Instance for hybrid

Question 2

Your company is migrating a critical on-premises database to Azure SQL Managed Instance. The database is 500 GB and requires minimal downtime during migration. You need to choose the best migration approach. What should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure Database Migration Service with online migration.. Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) with online migration is the correct choice because it supports minimal downtime by continuously replicating changes from the source SQL Server to Azure SQL Managed Instance using a log-based change capture mechanism. This allows you to cut over to the target with only a brief pause, meeting the critical requirement for a 500 GB database.

Answer

Use the export/import bacpac method.

Answer

Use Azure Data Factory to copy data.

Answer

Use transactional replication.

Question 3

You are designing a storage solution for a global e-commerce platform that must serve users from multiple regions with low latency. The data includes product catalog (read-heavy, rarely updated) and user session state (write-heavy, short-lived). Which combination of Azure services meets the requirements?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB for session state and Azure Front Door with Azure CDN for catalog.. Azure Cosmos DB is ideal for session state because it offers multi-region writes with single-digit-millisecond latency and automatic failover, meeting the write-heavy, short-lived requirements. Azure Front Door with Azure CDN provides global load balancing and caching for the read-heavy, rarely updated product catalog, ensuring low-latency content delivery from the nearest point of presence.

Answer

Azure Cache for Redis for session state and Azure Front Door for catalog.

Answer

Azure Table Storage for session state and Azure Front Door for catalog.

Answer

Azure SQL Database with geo-replication for both.

Question 4

Your company plans to store sensitive customer data in Azure Blob Storage. The data must be encrypted at rest and in transit. Additionally, access must be audited and restricted based on user identity. Which configuration meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure RBAC for access and Azure Monitor logs for auditing.. Azure RBAC provides identity-based access control using Microsoft Entra ID, which meets the requirement to restrict access based on user identity. Azure Monitor logs (specifically the Azure Activity Log and Storage Analytics logs) capture all read/write operations for auditing. Encryption at rest is automatically provided by Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE) using Microsoft-managed keys by default, and encryption in transit is enforced via HTTPS when accessing Blob Storage. Together, these satisfy all stated requirements without additional configuration.

Answer

Use shared access signatures (SAS) for access control.

Answer

Configure network firewalls and use private endpoints.

Answer

Enable customer-managed keys (CMK) and use SAS.

Question 5

You need to design a disaster recovery strategy for an Azure SQL Database that supports a critical financial application. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 5 seconds and recovery time objective (RTO) is 30 seconds. Which option should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Configure active geo-replication with auto-failover groups.. Active geo-replication with auto-failover groups is the correct choice because it provides continuous data replication to a secondary region with an RPO of 5 seconds (asynchronous replication) and an RTO of 30 seconds when auto-failover is enabled. This meets the stringent requirements for a critical financial application, as failover groups handle both database and server-level failover automatically, ensuring minimal data loss and rapid recovery.

Answer

Use failover groups with manual failover.

Answer

Use long-term retention (LTR) backups.

Answer

Enable geo-restore (geo-redundant backup).

Question 6

Your company has a large number of unstructured files (images, videos) that need to be stored cost-effectively in Azure. The data is accessed infrequently but must be available within minutes when needed. Which storage tier should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Cool tier.. The Cool tier is designed for data that is infrequently accessed but requires immediate availability when needed. It offers lower storage costs than the Hot tier while maintaining low-latency access (within minutes), making it ideal for unstructured files like images and videos that are accessed rarely but must be retrievable on demand.

Answer

Premium tier.

Answer

Archive tier.

Answer

Hot tier.

Question 7

You need to store semi-structured data from IoT devices in Azure. The data has varying schemas and high write throughput. Which Azure service should you use?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB.. Azure Cosmos DB is the correct choice because it is a globally distributed, multi-model database service designed for high write throughput and semi-structured data with varying schemas. It supports multiple APIs (e.g., SQL, MongoDB, Cassandra) and offers single-digit millisecond latency at any scale, making it ideal for IoT scenarios where device telemetry has inconsistent fields and requires rapid ingestion.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage.

Answer

Azure SQL Database.

Answer

Azure Table Storage.

Question 8

Your organization needs to share large files (up to 100 GB) with external partners securely. The solution must allow partners to access files for a limited time and track who accessed which file. Which Azure solution should you use?

Accepted Answer

Azure Blob Storage with shared access signatures (SAS).. Azure Blob Storage with shared access signatures (SAS) is correct because it allows you to generate time-limited, permission-restricted URIs that grant external partners secure access to large files (up to 100 GB) without exposing the storage account key. SAS tokens can be configured with an expiration time and, when combined with Azure Storage analytics logging, enable tracking of who accessed which file by correlating the SAS identifier with log entries.

Answer

Azure Data Box.

Answer

Azure Files with SMB protocol.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage with public access.

Question 9

You are designing a data lake for advanced analytics in Azure. The data includes structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. The solution must support schema-on-read and have the ability to query using SQL. Which Azure service should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.. Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) combines Blob Storage with a hierarchical namespace, enabling schema-on-read for structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. It supports SQL-based querying via Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Databricks, or PolyBase, making it ideal for advanced analytics scenarios.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage.

Answer

Azure SQL Database.

Answer

Azure Cosmos DB.

Question 10

Your company needs to store configuration data (key-value pairs) for applications in a highly scalable and low-latency manner. The data is accessed frequently. Which Azure service should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cache for Redis.. Azure Cache for Redis is the correct choice because it provides an in-memory data store that delivers extremely low-latency access (typically sub-millisecond) and high throughput for frequently accessed key-value configuration data. It supports common data structures like strings, hashes, and lists, and can be used as a distributed cache or session store, making it ideal for high-frequency read workloads where persistence is not the primary concern.

Answer

Azure Cosmos DB.

Answer

Azure SQL Database.

Answer

Azure Table Storage.

Question 11

Which Azure service can be used to implement a globally distributed database that supports multi-region writes and provides low-latency access to users worldwide?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cosmos DB with multi-master enabled.. Azure Cosmos DB with multi-master enabled (Option C) is the only Azure service among the options that natively supports multi-region write operations, allowing data to be written to any Azure region simultaneously with automatic conflict resolution and low-latency access globally. Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and failover groups (Option E) does not support concurrent multi-region writes; it enables read-only replicas in secondary regions and failover to a single writable region, which does not meet the requirement for multi-region writes. Other options either don't support multi-region writes or aren't database services.

Answer

Azure Storage with geo-redundant storage (GRS).

Answer

Azure Cache for Redis with geo-replication.

Answer

Azure Database for PostgreSQL with geo-replication.

Answer

Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication and failover groups.

Question 12

Which THREE considerations are important when designing a storage solution for Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) user profiles using FSLogix? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Use Azure Files as the storage solution.. Azure Files is the recommended storage solution for FSLogix profile containers in AVD because it supports SMB protocol, which FSLogix requires for proper locking and concurrent access. It also integrates natively with Microsoft Entra ID for identity-based access control, eliminating the need for domain-joined storage. This ensures seamless user profile roaming across session hosts with minimal latency when deployed in the same region.

Answer

Use a public endpoint for profile storage.

Answer

Enable geo-redundant storage (GRS) for disaster recovery.

Question 13

Your company, Contoso Ltd., is a global financial services firm with a primary data center in London and a disaster recovery site in Paris. They are migrating their on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure. The databases include: (1) a 2-TB customer database with high transaction throughput, requiring an RPO of 5 seconds and an RTO of 30 seconds; (2) a 500-GB reporting database that is read-only and can tolerate an RPO of 1 hour and an RTO of 2 hours; (3) a 100-GB archival database that is accessed once a month. The solution must minimize costs while meeting requirements. You need to recommend a storage and database strategy for each database. What should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication for the customer database, geo-restore for the reporting database, and long-term retention for the archival database.. It aligns the recovery objectives and cost constraints for each database. The customer database requires an RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 seconds, which active geo-replication can meet by continuously replicating transactions to a secondary region with an RPO of 5 seconds and RTO of 30 seconds (including failover time). The reporting database tolerates an RPO of 1 hour and RTO of 2 hours, making geo-restore (which restores from geo-redundant backups with up to 1-hour RPO) a cost-effective choice. The archival database is accessed monthly, so long-term retention (LTR) backups stored in Azure Blob Storage minimize cost while meeting the infrequent access pattern.

Answer

Use Azure SQL Managed Instance for all databases with auto-failover groups.

Answer

Use Azure Cosmos DB for the customer database, Azure SQL Database for reporting, and Azure Blob Storage for archival.

Answer

Use Azure SQL Database with active geo-replication for all databases.

Question 14

AdventureWorks is a global retailer with a cloud-native architecture. They have a microservices application deployed on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Each microservice needs to store its own data. The data requirements vary: (1) Shopping cart service: key-value data with high write throughput and low latency, data can be lost if not critical; (2) Order service: transactional data with strong consistency and ACID compliance; (3) Product catalog service: semi-structured product data that supports complex queries and is globally distributed for low-latency reads. The solution must use Azure PaaS services and minimize operational overhead. You need to design the data storage for each microservice. What should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Azure Cache for Redis for shopping cart, Azure SQL Database for orders, Azure Cosmos DB for product catalog.. Azure Cache for Redis provides a high-throughput, low-latency key-value store ideal for the shopping cart service where data loss is acceptable. Azure SQL Database offers full ACID compliance and strong consistency required for transactional order data. Azure Cosmos DB supports semi-structured data with global distribution and complex querying via its SQL API, meeting the product catalog's needs while minimizing operational overhead as a fully managed PaaS service.

Answer

Azure Cosmos DB for all three services.

Answer

Azure Table Storage for shopping cart, Azure SQL Database for orders, Azure Cosmos DB for product catalog.

Answer

Azure SQL Database for all three services.

Question 15

You are the Azure architect for a healthcare organization that needs to store patient medical records (unstructured data) and provide secure access to doctors and nurses via a web application. The data must be encrypted at rest and in transit. Access must be authorized based on the requester's role (doctor, nurse, admin). The solution must be cost-effective and support high concurrency. You decide to use Azure Blob Storage. You need to design the access control mechanism. What should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Use Azure RBAC with Microsoft Entra ID authentication.. Use Azure RBAC with Microsoft Entra ID authentication. Azure RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) integrated with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) allows you to assign permissions to users based on their roles (e.g., doctor, nurse, admin) for fine-grained access to Blob Storage. This meets the requirement for role-based authorization without managing separate keys or tokens. Option A is incorrect because encryption at rest and HTTPS only address data protection, not access control. Option B is incorrect because shared access signatures (SAS) grant time-limited access to specific resources but are not tied to user roles. Option D is incorrect because storage account access keys provide full administrative access to the entire storage account, not role-based permissions.

Answer

Enable storage service encryption and use HTTPS.

Answer

Use shared access signatures (SAS) with stored access policies.

Answer

Use storage account access keys and distribute them to users.