The answer is a user delegation SAS. This is the correct choice because it uses Microsoft Entra ID credentials to sign the SAS token, providing temporary, delegated access to a specific container without exposing the storage account key. It supports granular permissions and an expiration time of up to 12 hours, meeting the partner's write access requirement while limiting access to the container only. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of secure, keyless access methods—a common trap is confusing a user delegation SAS with a service SAS, which relies on the account key and thus violates the “no key sharing” constraint. Remember that user delegation SAS is always signed with Entra ID, not keys. For a memory tip, think “U-D SAS = User Delegation = No Key, Just ID.”
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 deployment pipeline uploads content to a blob container in Azure Storage. The pipeline authenticates with Microsoft Entra ID and must grant a partner temporary write access for 12 hours without sharing the storage account key. The access should be limited to the container only. Which access method should the administrator use?
Why wrong: Shared keys grant broad access to the account and are not limited to a single container.
B
Account SAS
Why wrong: Account SAS is broader than necessary and still depends on the storage account key.
C
User delegation SAS
User delegation SAS is generated by an identity authenticated with Microsoft Entra ID and does not require exposing the storage account key. It can be scoped tightly to the container, granted for a fixed time window, and limited to write operations. That makes it the best fit for temporary partner access.
D
Service endpoint access with network rules only
Why wrong: Network rules control where traffic can originate, but they do not grant the partner time-limited write permissions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
User delegation SAS
A user delegation SAS is the correct choice because it uses Microsoft Entra ID credentials to sign the SAS token, providing temporary, delegated access to a specific container without exposing the storage account key. It supports granular permissions and an expiration time of up to 12 hours, meeting the partner's write access requirement while limiting access to the container only.
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.
✗
Shared access key authentication
Why it's wrong here
Shared keys grant broad access to the account and are not limited to a single container.
✗
Account SAS
Why it's wrong here
Account SAS is broader than necessary and still depends on the storage account key.
✓
User delegation SAS
Why this is correct
User delegation SAS is generated by an identity authenticated with Microsoft Entra ID and does not require exposing the storage account key. It can be scoped tightly to the container, granted for a fixed time window, and limited to write operations. That makes it the best fit for temporary partner access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Service endpoint access with network rules only
Why it's wrong here
Network rules control where traffic can originate, but they do not grant the partner time-limited write permissions.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Account SAS with user delegation SAS, not realizing that Account SAS is signed with the storage account key and thus fails the 'no key sharing' requirement, while user delegation SAS uses Microsoft Entra ID for secure, keyless delegation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A user delegation SAS is signed with a user delegation key obtained from Microsoft Entra ID via the OAuth 2.0 token exchange, allowing the SAS to be scoped to a specific container with permissions like write and a maximum expiry of 7 days (12 hours is within this limit). Under the hood, the SAS token includes the signed identifier for the user delegation key, ensuring the access is tied to the authenticated identity, not the storage account key. In real-world scenarios, this is ideal for granting partners temporary access to upload files to a specific container while maintaining full auditability through Entra ID logs.
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: User delegation SAS — A user delegation SAS is the correct choice because it uses Microsoft Entra ID credentials to sign the SAS token, providing temporary, delegated access to a specific container without exposing the storage account key. It supports granular permissions and an expiration time of up to 12 hours, meeting the partner's write access requirement while limiting access to the container only.
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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