AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A development team needs one storage account to host blob containers, Azure Files shares, and blob lifecycle management rules. Which two statements about the account are correct? Select two.
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the BlobStorage account type as a universal blob solution, forgetting it cannot host Azure Files shares, and they may also incorrectly assume lifecycle management requires a specific replication redundancy like ZRS.
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
✓
It should be a General-purpose v2 storage account.
A General-purpose v2 (GPv2) storage account is required because it supports the latest storage features, including blob lifecycle management rules, blob containers, and Azure Files shares. GPv2 accounts provide the necessary REST API endpoints and management capabilities for lifecycle policies, which are not available in older account types like BlobStorage or General-purpose v1.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
It should be a General-purpose v2 storage account.
Why this is correct
A General-purpose v2 storage account is the current, Azure-recommended account type because it provides a unified service model that supports blobs, Azure Files, queues, and tables, along with full blob lifecycle management rules. Unlike legacy BlobStorage or GPv1 accounts, GPv2 offers all modern features at the lowest price point and works with every access tier and replication option. For a team needing a single account to host blobs and manage their lifecycle, GPv2 is the only type that satisfies both requirements without compromising on service breadth.
- ✗
It must be a BlobStorage account.
Why it's wrong here
A BlobStorage account is a legacy, specialized account type that the Azure documentation describes as for blob-only workloads; it cannot create Azure Files shares or queues and tables, so it fails the requirement to host files as well. While a BlobStorage account does support blob containers and some lifecycle rules, its lack of cross-service support is why it is the wrong choice here. For this team's need to mix blobs and files, only General-purpose v2 provides the necessary combined capability.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question specified that the account is only for storing block blobs and append blobs, with no requirement for Azure Files or lifecycle management, and the exam asks for the most cost-effective or performance-optimized account type for blob-only workloads.
- ✓
It can host both blob containers and Azure Files shares.
Why this is correct
In a General-purpose v2 account, blob containers and Azure Files shares coexist under one storage account, each with its own endpoint and data model, so a single account can serve both file-based and object-based workloads. This multi-service capability is a defining characteristic of GPv2; for example, you can create a share for shared-disk style access and a container for REST-based object storage side by side. A dedicated blob-only account would not give you that flexibility, which is why this answer is correct.
- ✗
It must use only zone-redundant storage to use lifecycle rules.
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle management for blobs is not tied to a specific replication strategy, so it works identically on locally redundant, zone-redundant, geo-redundant, and geo-zone-redundant storage accounts. The lifecycle rule engine runs as part of the storage control plane and independently of how data is replicated for durability. Thus, you can enable lifecycle rules on an LRS GPv2 account just as easily as on a ZRS account, making the claim that ZRS is mandatory incorrect.
When this WOULD be correct
If a question specifically asks for the highest durability for blobs in a single region with automatic failover, and the scenario mandates zone-redundant storage to protect against zone failures, then ZRS would be correct.
- ✗
It cannot use lifecycle management for blobs.
Why it's wrong here
The statement that lifecycle management is unavailable is false because General-purpose v2 storage accounts explicitly support blob lifecycle policies, which let you automate tier transitions to cool, cold, or archive tiers and apply deletion rules based on blob age or last modification. Lifecycle management is a built-in feature of the account's blob service, not an add-on or a limitation of the account type. Therefore, choosing GPv2 does not preclude lifecycle rules; it enables them.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question stated that the storage account must support NFS v3 or have a hierarchical namespace enabled (Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2), as lifecycle management is not supported for blobs in such accounts.
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.
✓It should be a General-purpose v2 storage account.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
A General-purpose v2 storage account is the current, Azure-recommended account type because it provides a unified service model that supports blobs, Azure Files, queues, and tables, along with full blob lifecycle management rules. Unlike legacy BlobStorage or GPv1 accounts, GPv2 offers all modern features at the lowest price point and works with every access tier and replication option. For a team needing a single account to host blobs and manage their lifecycle, GPv2 is the only type that satisfies both requirements without compromising on service breadth.
✗It must be a BlobStorage account.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A BlobStorage account is specialized for block blobs and append blobs only; it cannot host Azure Files shares or support lifecycle management rules for blobs in the same way as a general-purpose v2 account.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question specified that the account is only for storing block blobs and append blobs, with no requirement for Azure Files or lifecycle management, and the exam asks for the most cost-effective or performance-optimized account type for blob-only workloads.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may assume that since the team needs blob containers and lifecycle management, a BlobStorage account is sufficient, overlooking that it lacks support for Azure Files shares and that general-purpose v2 accounts also support lifecycle management.
✗It must use only zone-redundant storage to use lifecycle rules.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Lifecycle management rules do not require zone-redundant storage (ZRS); they work with any replication type, including LRS, GRS, and RA-GRS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If a question specifically asks for the highest durability for blobs in a single region with automatic failover, and the scenario mandates zone-redundant storage to protect against zone failures, then ZRS would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly associate lifecycle management with high availability or think that advanced features require ZRS, not realizing lifecycle rules are independent of replication choice.
✗It cannot use lifecycle management for blobs.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Lifecycle management policies are specifically designed for blobs and are supported in General-purpose v2 and BlobStorage accounts, so the statement that it cannot use lifecycle management for blobs is false.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question stated that the storage account must support NFS v3 or have a hierarchical namespace enabled (Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2), as lifecycle management is not supported for blobs in such accounts.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly think that lifecycle management is only for certain premium tiers or that it requires additional configuration, leading them to believe it's not available in a standard account.
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
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Key term
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A blob is a large piece of unstructured data, like a photo or video, stored in the cloud with a unique identifier.
Key term
Storage account
A cloud storage account is a container that holds a set of cloud storage services and their data, providing a unique namespace and access policies for storing and managing unstructured data.
About these practice questions
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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.