The answer is to configure immutable blob storage with a time-based retention policy. This is correct because Azure Blob Storage’s immutable storage enforces a WORM (Write Once, Read Many) model, where a time-based retention policy locks blobs for a specified duration—in this case, seven years—preventing any modification or deletion, even by administrators with elevated privileges. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of data protection and compliance features, often appearing as a distractor against soft delete or snapshots, which do not offer the same legal hold guarantees. A common trap is confusing a retention policy with a legal hold; remember that time-based retention sets a fixed period, while legal hold is indefinite until manually removed. For a memory tip, think “WORM locks the clock”—once the time-based policy is set, the data is sealed until the timer expires.
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses Azure Blob Storage for legal documents. The documents must not be modified or deleted for seven years after upload, even by administrators. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Immutable blob storage with a time-based retention policy
Immutable blob storage with a time-based retention policy (WORM – Write Once, Read Many) ensures that blobs cannot be modified or deleted for a specified retention period, even by administrators. This is the only Azure storage feature that provides legal hold or regulatory compliance for fixed records, such as legal documents that must remain unaltered for seven years.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Blob soft delete
Why it's wrong here
Soft delete helps recover deleted blobs but does not enforce immutability for seven years.
✓
Immutable blob storage with a time-based retention policy
Why this is correct
Immutable storage enforces WORM protection for the required retention period.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Lifecycle management to move blobs to Archive
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle management reduces cost but does not prevent modification or deletion.
✗
Blob versioning
Why it's wrong here
Versioning preserves versions but does not prevent deletion or modification by itself.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse soft delete or versioning with immutable storage, not realizing that only a time-based retention policy (WORM) provides the strict, administrator-proof immutability required for regulatory compliance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Time-based retention policies in immutable blob storage are enforced at the container level using a policy that locks the container in a WORM state; once the policy is locked, the retention period cannot be shortened, and no user, including the subscription administrator, can delete or overwrite blobs until the period expires. This feature leverages Azure’s legal hold capabilities, which can also be applied per blob, and is compliant with regulations like SEC 17a-4 and FINRA. Under the hood, the Azure Storage service enforces the policy by rejecting any write or delete operations on the blob until the retention interval has elapsed, regardless of the caller’s permissions.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Immutable blob storage with a time-based retention policy — Immutable blob storage with a time-based retention policy (WORM – Write Once, Read Many) ensures that blobs cannot be modified or deleted for a specified retention period, even by administrators. This is the only Azure storage feature that provides legal hold or regulatory compliance for fixed records, such as legal documents that must remain unaltered for seven years.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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