AI-102 Practice Question: Implement knowledge mining and information extraction solutions
You are troubleshooting an Azure AI Search indexer that fails to index a PDF file stored in Azure Blob Storage. The error message indicates that the document is encrypted. What is the most likely cause and solution?
⚠ Common exam trap
AI-102 often tests the assumption that indexer errors are due to configuration or format issues, but encrypted files require explicit decryption, which is a common oversight.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The PDF is encrypted; remove encryption before indexing
The most likely cause is that the PDF is encrypted, and the solution is to remove encryption before indexing. Azure AI Search indexers cannot decrypt password-protected or encrypted PDFs; they require unencrypted content to extract text. Therefore, the file must be decrypted prior to indexing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The indexer is not configured with the PDF parser; set the parsing mode
Why it's wrong here
PDF parsing is already handled by the blob indexer's built-in document extraction; parsing mode governs text versus layout extraction, not decryption. It tempts because parser misconfiguration does cause indexing failures, but the error explicitly names encryption, so the fix is supplying decryption credentials.
- ✗
The file format is unsupported; convert to PDF/A
Why it's wrong here
PDF is a supported format, and PDF/A conversion does not remove password protection, so the encrypted content still fails. It tempts because unsupported formats do break indexers, but the error names encryption; the actual fix is decrypting the file or configuring the indexer with an encryption key.
- ✗
The file is too large; split it into smaller parts
Why it's wrong here
File size triggers a different error about document limits, not encryption; splitting the PDF leaves the encryption intact. It tempts because oversized blobs genuinely fail indexing, but the stated cause is encryption, which requires removing the password or granting the indexer a decryption key.
- ✓
The PDF is encrypted; remove encryption before indexing
Why this is correct
Azure AI Search's document cracking cannot decrypt password-protected or rights-managed PDFs, so the indexer reports the document as encrypted and skips it. Removing encryption before indexing, or supplying an unencrypted copy, lets the blob indexer extract text successfully.
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This AI-102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AI-102 exam.