Question 547 of 1,170

Implement and Manage Storage →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

RA-GZRS is the correct choice because it uniquely combines zone-redundant storage within the primary region with asynchronous geo-replication to a secondary region, and it grants continuous read access to that secondary copy. This means if a single zone in the primary region fails, your data remains available through the other zones, and if the entire primary region goes down, the compliance team can immediately read the secondary copy without waiting for a Microsoft-initiated failover. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the difference between GRS (which requires a failover to read the secondary) and RA-GZRS (which allows reads at all times). A common trap is choosing GZRS, which offers zone and geo redundancy but no read access to the secondary—so during a regional outage, you’d be stuck until failover completes. Remember the mnemonic: “RA-GZRS lets you Read Always, even when the primary is Gone—Zone redundancy covers local, Geo covers distant, and Read access covers the wait.”

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 compliance team stores signed contract scans in Azure Blob Storage. The data must remain available if one zone in the primary region fails. If the entire primary region is unavailable, the team also needs to read the secondary copy while recovery work is underway. Which redundancy option should you choose for the storage account?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
ZRS, because it protects against a single zone failure in one region.
Why wrong: ZRS provides zone-level resilience, but it does not replicate to a paired region for disaster recovery.
B
GRS, because it keeps a geo-replicated copy but does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region.
Why wrong: GRS replicates to a secondary region, but it does not add zone redundancy within the primary region.
C
GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy with geo-replication and supports failover recovery.
Why wrong: GZRS combines zone redundancy and geo-replication, but the secondary region is not readable before failover.
D
RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy, geo-replication, and read access to the secondary region.
RA-GZRS is the only option listed that satisfies both requirements simultaneously. It protects against a zone failure in the primary region through zone-redundant storage and also keeps a geo-replicated secondary copy in another region. The read-access feature lets administrators or applications read from the secondary endpoint during a regional outage or while validating recovery, which is exactly what the scenario requires.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy, geo-replication, and read access to the secondary region.

RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it provides synchronous zone-level redundancy within the primary region (protecting against a single zone failure) and asynchronous geo-replication to a secondary region. Additionally, it enables read access to the secondary region at all times, allowing the compliance team to read the secondary copy immediately if the primary region becomes unavailable, without waiting for a failover.

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.

✗
ZRS, because it protects against a single zone failure in one region.
Why it's wrong here
ZRS provides zone-level resilience, but it does not replicate to a paired region for disaster recovery.
✗
GRS, because it keeps a geo-replicated copy but does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region.
Why it's wrong here
GRS replicates to a secondary region, but it does not add zone redundancy within the primary region.
✗
GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy with geo-replication and supports failover recovery.
Why it's wrong here
GZRS combines zone redundancy and geo-replication, but the secondary region is not readable before failover.
✓
RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy, geo-replication, and read access to the secondary region.
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is the only option listed that satisfies both requirements simultaneously. It protects against a zone failure in the primary region through zone-redundant storage and also keeps a geo-replicated secondary copy in another region. The read-access feature lets administrators or applications read from the secondary endpoint during a regional outage or while validating recovery, which is exactly what the scenario requires.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse GZRS with RA-GZRS, overlooking that GZRS does not provide read access to the secondary region unless a failover is performed, while the question explicitly requires the ability to read the secondary copy immediately during primary region unavailability.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

RA-GZRS uses synchronous replication across three availability zones in the primary region for durability and then asynchronously replicates data to a secondary region (paired region) using geo-redundant storage. The read-access feature is enabled by setting the account's 'Allow read access to secondary data' property to true, which exposes a separate read-only endpoint (e.g., `-secondary.blob.core.windows.net`) that can be used for reads even when the primary region is healthy, ensuring continuous availability for compliance audits.

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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this AZ-104 question test?

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: RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy, geo-replication, and read access to the secondary region. — RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it provides synchronous zone-level redundancy within the primary region (protecting against a single zone failure) and asynchronous geo-replication to a secondary region. Additionally, it enables read access to the secondary region at all times, allowing the compliance team to read the secondary copy immediately if the primary region becomes unavailable, without waiting for a failover.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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