AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A legal department archived a 120-GB blob three weeks ago. They now need the file available for review later today, and waiting more than a day would delay a court filing. What should the administrator do to make the blob readable as quickly as possible?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates think changing the access tier directly (Option C) is instantaneous, but Azure requires a rehydration process that can take up to 15 hours for standard priority, making High-priority rehydration (Option B) the only viable choice for same-day access.
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
✓
Start rehydration from Archive and choose High priority.
Rehydrating a blob from the Archive tier with High priority typically makes the blob readable within 1 hour, meeting the urgent same-day requirement. The Archive tier is offline, so the blob must be rehydrated (changed to an online tier like Hot or Cool) before it can be accessed. High-priority rehydration is designed for time-sensitive scenarios like this court filing deadline.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Copy the blob to a new container and leave it in the Archive tier until the users need it.
Why it's wrong here
Copying an archived blob to a new container does not change its access tier or online availability. The destination copy, like the source, remains in the Archive tier and is still offline, so any attempt to download it will trigger another rehydration operation. Blob Copy from an Archive source itself requires rehydration to read the content, so this merely duplicates the archived blob without providing immediate online access.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question stated that the blob must be preserved in the Archive tier for cost savings and immediate access is not required (e.g., 'users need it in a week'), then copying to a new container in Archive tier would be correct to maintain the original blob's tier while providing a copy for future rehydration.
- ✓
Start rehydration from Archive and choose High priority.
Why this is correct
Archive blobs cannot be read immediately. To make the blob available within the shortest practical time, the administrator should rehydrate it and select High priority so Azure processes the request faster than the standard option.
- ✗
Change the access tier from Archive directly to Cool and then download the blob immediately.
Why it's wrong here
Changing an archived blob's access tier from Archive to Cool is an asynchronous rehydration request, not an immediate online transition. The blob remains in an offline, 'rehydrating' state until Azure moves the underlying data back to online storage, and any read or download attempt during that period fails with a 'Blob is being rehydrated' or 'source blob is in Archive tier' error. Downloading 'immediately' is therefore impossible; the administrator must wait for the rehydration to finish, and even a High-priority rehydration takes minutes, not zero seconds.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question stated that the blob had been archived for more than 30 days and the user could wait up to 15 hours for the data to be available, then changing the tier to Cool (or Hot) with standard priority would be appropriate.
- ✗
Enable soft delete on the container and restore the blob from deleted items.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Blob Storage soft delete is designed to protect against accidental deletes by holding the deleted blob's data for a configured retention period. It does not interact with access tiers or automatically rehydrate archived content; a soft-deleted, archived blob that is restored will remain in the Archive tier with offline status. Restoring a deletion simply reintroduces the blob object, not an online copy, so this action cannot provide immediate read access.
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.
✓Start rehydration from Archive and choose High priority.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Archive blobs cannot be read immediately. To make the blob available within the shortest practical time, the administrator should rehydrate it and select High priority so Azure processes the request faster than the standard option.
✗Copy the blob to a new container and leave it in the Archive tier until the users need it.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Copying the blob to a new container and leaving it in the Archive tier does not make it readable immediately; the blob remains offline and requires rehydration before access, which does not meet the urgent need for same-day availability.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question stated that the blob must be preserved in the Archive tier for cost savings and immediate access is not required (e.g., 'users need it in a week'), then copying to a new container in Archive tier would be correct to maintain the original blob's tier while providing a copy for future rehydration.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that copying the blob to a new container somehow bypasses the rehydration process, or they may confuse the Archive tier's offline status with the ability to access it immediately after copying.
✗Change the access tier from Archive directly to Cool and then download the blob immediately.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Changing the access tier from Archive directly to Cool does not immediately make the blob readable; it initiates a standard-priority rehydration that can take up to 15 hours, which is too slow for the same-day requirement.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question stated that the blob had been archived for more than 30 days and the user could wait up to 15 hours for the data to be available, then changing the tier to Cool (or Hot) with standard priority would be appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly believe that changing the tier instantly moves the data, not realizing that rehydration from Archive is a background process that takes time, and they overlook the need for high-priority rehydration for urgent access.
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?”
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure Files and Azure File Sync
Key term
Archive tier
Archive tier is an ultra-low-cost Azure Blob Storage access tier designed for long-term retention of data that is rarely accessed and can tolerate hours of retrieval latency.
Key term
Blob
A blob is a large piece of unstructured data, like a photo or video, stored in the cloud with a unique identifier.
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JA
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.