The answer is a shared access signature (SAS) token scoped to the container with a six-hour expiration time. This is correct because a SAS token provides temporary, delegated access to specific Azure Blob Storage operations—such as uploads—without ever exposing the storage account key, which remains fully secure. By setting the expiration window to exactly six hours, the administrator grants time-limited access that automatically revokes itself, perfectly matching the requirement for temporary blob upload access. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of shared access signatures versus account keys or other access methods; a common trap is choosing to generate a SAS at the account level instead of the container level, which grants overly broad permissions. Remember the memory tip: “SAS is a time-limited key for a specific task—scope it down, time it out.”
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 contractor needs temporary access to upload files into one Azure Blob container for six hours. The administrator does not want to share the storage account key. What should the administrator create?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A shared access signature scoped to the container and expiration time
A shared access signature (SAS) scoped to the container provides time-limited, delegated access to specific operations (e.g., upload) without exposing the storage account key. By setting an expiration time of six hours, the administrator ensures the contractor can upload files only during that window, after which the token becomes invalid. This meets the requirement for temporary, secure access.
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.
✓
A shared access signature scoped to the container and expiration time
Why this is correct
A SAS can grant limited, time-bound access to a specific resource such as one container, without exposing the storage account key.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A new storage account access key
Why it's wrong here
An access key grants broad account-level access and is much wider than the contractor needs.
✗
A management group assignment
Why it's wrong here
Management groups control governance over subscriptions, not temporary file upload access to blob storage.
✗
A private endpoint for the contractor
Why it's wrong here
Private endpoints control network access paths, but they do not provide temporary user authorization by themselves.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse a SAS with a storage account key, thinking any shared credential is unsafe, or mistakenly choose a private endpoint as a security solution for access control rather than network isolation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A SAS token is generated using the storage account key and includes parameters such as signed permissions (e.g., 'w' for write), signed resource type (e.g., 'c' for container), and signed expiry (e.g., '2025-03-15T14:00:00Z'). The token is appended to the container URL, allowing the contractor to authenticate via HTTPS without knowing the account key. Under the hood, Azure validates the SAS signature using HMAC-SHA256, ensuring the token hasn't been tampered with.
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: A shared access signature scoped to the container and expiration time — A shared access signature (SAS) scoped to the container provides time-limited, delegated access to specific operations (e.g., upload) without exposing the storage account key. By setting an expiration time of six hours, the administrator ensures the contractor can upload files only during that window, after which the token becomes invalid. This meets the requirement for temporary, secure access.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A contractor needs temporary read-only access to a single blob container for three hours. The contractor does not have an Azure user account in your tenant. Which method is the best fit?
easy
A.Create a new managed identity for the contractor
B.Give the contractor the storage account access key
✓ C.Issue a shared access signature with read-only permissions and an expiration time
D.Enable anonymous public access on the container
Why C: A shared access signature (SAS) is the best fit because it provides time-limited, delegated access to a specific resource (a blob container) without requiring an Azure AD identity. The contractor can use the SAS URL to access the container with read-only permissions for exactly three hours, after which the token expires automatically. This meets the requirement of temporary access for an external user who does not have an Azure account in your tenant.
Variation 2. You need to grant an external partner temporary read access to a single blob in an Azure storage account without giving access to the account key. What should you create?
medium
A.A storage account access key
✓ B.A shared access signature (SAS)
C.A resource lock
D.A private endpoint
Why B: A shared access signature (SAS) is the correct solution because it provides delegated, time-limited access to a specific Azure storage resource (such as a single blob) without exposing the storage account key. You can configure the SAS with read-only permissions, an expiration time, and apply it to a specific blob URL, meeting the requirement for temporary external read access.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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