- A
Create a new managed identity for the contractor
Why wrong: Managed identities are assigned to Azure resources, not to external contractors without a resource in your subscription.
- B
Give the contractor the storage account access key
Why wrong: An account key provides broad access and is not limited to a single container or short time window.
- C
Issue a shared access signature with read-only permissions and an expiration time
A SAS token can grant limited access to one container for a specific time period. That makes it a good fit for temporary external access without exposing the storage account key.
- D
Enable anonymous public access on the container
Why wrong: Anonymous access would make the content publicly reachable and is not appropriate for controlled temporary access.
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 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?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Issue a shared access signature with read-only permissions and an expiration time
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.
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.
- ✗
Create a new managed identity for the contractor
Why it's wrong here
Managed identities are assigned to Azure resources, not to external contractors without a resource in your subscription.
- ✗
Give the contractor the storage account access key
Why it's wrong here
An account key provides broad access and is not limited to a single container or short time window.
- ✓
Issue a shared access signature with read-only permissions and an expiration time
Why this is correct
A SAS token can grant limited access to one container for a specific time period. That makes it a good fit for temporary external access without exposing the storage account key.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable anonymous public access on the container
Why it's wrong here
Anonymous access would make the content publicly reachable and is not appropriate for controlled temporary access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse managed identities (designed for Azure resources, not external users) with user accounts, or mistakenly think that sharing the account key is acceptable for temporary access, overlooking the severe security risk and lack of scoping.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A SAS token is generated by signing a string with the storage account key, embedding permissions, resource scope, and an expiry time (specified as a UTC datetime). The SAS can be scoped to a single container (e.g., `https://<account>.blob.core.windows.net/<container>?sv=2020-08-04&se=2025-03-15T12:00:00Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=...`), where `sr=c` indicates container-level scope and `sp=r` indicates read-only permission. In real-world scenarios, you can also use a user-delegation SAS with Azure AD credentials for additional security, but a standard SAS is sufficient for this temporary external access case.
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: Issue a shared access signature with read-only permissions and an expiration time — 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.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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