AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A company wants its file share data to be automatically copied to a paired Azure region, and administrators want to read the secondary copy during a disaster test. Which redundancy option should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'redundancy options' with 'access tiers' (like Cool) or assume that any geo-replication option (like GRS) automatically provides read access, but only RA-GRS explicitly enables reading the secondary copy without initiating a failover.
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
✓
RA-GRS
RA-GRS (Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage) is correct because it replicates data to a paired secondary region asynchronously and provides read-only access to that secondary copy. This allows administrators to read the secondary copy during a disaster test without impacting the primary region. ZRS and LRS do not replicate to a paired region, and Cool is a tier, not a redundancy 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.
- ✗
ZRS
Why it's wrong here
ZRS (zone-redundant storage) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the same primary region. While this tolerates zone-level outages (such as a building or power failure), it does not copy data to a secondary region. ZRS provides no geo-replication or secondary read access, so it cannot fulfill the stated need for automatic cross-region copying of file share data.
When this WOULD be correct
ZRS would be correct if the question required high availability within a single region by replicating across availability zones, and did not require cross-region replication or read access to a secondary copy.
- ✗
LRS
Why it's wrong here
LRS (locally redundant storage) makes three synchronous copies of your data within a single data center (or storage stamp) in the primary region. It protects against drive or server failures, but all copies remain in the same physical location. Because there is no replication to a paired region and no secondary endpoint, LRS fails the disaster-recovery requirement of having a copy available in a different geography.
When this WOULD be correct
LRS would be correct if the question specified that cost is the primary concern and the data does not need to be available in another region, or if the application can handle its own cross-region replication.
- ✓
RA-GRS
Why this is correct
RA-GRS (read-access geo-redundant storage) synchronously replicates data three times within the primary region and then asynchronously copies it to a paired secondary region. Crucially, it exposes a readable secondary endpoint, so during a disaster exercise you can mount or inspect the secondary copy without waiting for a failover. This is the only listed option that provides both geo-replication and secondary read access, making it the correct fit for the requirement to automatically copy data and verify the replica.
- ✗
Cool
Why it's wrong here
Cool is an access tier for Azure Blob Storage, not a replication strategy. Selecting Cool adjusts the storage class to optimize cost for data that is infrequently accessed, but it does not alter where or how many copies of the data are stored. It neither replicates data to another region nor provides any secondary endpoint, so it cannot satisfy the requirement of automatically copying file share data across regions.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks about cost-effective storage for infrequently accessed data in Azure Blob Storage, where the data can tolerate lower availability and higher retrieval costs. Cool tier would be the correct answer.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓RA-GRSCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
RA-GRS (read-access geo-redundant storage) synchronously replicates data three times within the primary region and then asynchronously copies it to a paired secondary region. Crucially, it exposes a readable secondary endpoint, so during a disaster exercise you can mount or inspect the secondary copy without waiting for a failover. This is the only listed option that provides both geo-replication and secondary read access, making it the correct fit for the requirement to automatically copy data and verify the replica.
✗ZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ZRS replicates data synchronously across availability zones within a single region, not to a paired Azure region, so it does not meet the requirement for cross-region disaster recovery.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
ZRS would be correct if the question required high availability within a single region by replicating across availability zones, and did not require cross-region replication or read access to a secondary copy.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'zone-redundant' with 'geo-redundant' or think ZRS provides cross-region redundancy, when it only protects against zone failures within one region.
✗LRSWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS only replicates data within a single datacenter in the primary region, so it does not copy data to a paired Azure region, failing the requirement for automatic cross-region replication.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
LRS would be correct if the question specified that cost is the primary concern and the data does not need to be available in another region, or if the application can handle its own cross-region replication.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse LRS with geo-redundant options, or think that local redundancy is sufficient for disaster recovery without reading the requirement for a secondary copy in a paired region.
✗CoolWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Cool is an access tier for Azure Blob Storage, not a redundancy option for Azure Files. It does not provide replication to a paired region or read access to a secondary copy.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks about cost-effective storage for infrequently accessed data in Azure Blob Storage, where the data can tolerate lower availability and higher retrieval costs. Cool tier would be the correct answer.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'Cool' with a redundancy option because it sounds like a storage class that might involve replication, or they may mistakenly think it relates to disaster recovery due to the word 'cool' implying low activity.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Region
A region is a distinct geographic location where a cloud provider operates multiple data centers that are connected by low-latency networks and provide cloud services.
Key term
ZRS
ZRS (Zone Redundant Storage) is a data storage option in Microsoft Azure that automatically replicates your data across multiple physical locations within a single region to keep it safe even if an entire data center goes down.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-104 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 AZ-104 exam.