AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A line-of-business application stores transaction logs in an Azure Storage account. The app must keep working if one availability zone in the primary region fails, and administrators want read access to the secondary copy if the primary region becomes unavailable. Which redundancy option should you choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse GZRS with RA-GZRS, overlooking that GZRS does not grant read access to the secondary region unless a failover is initiated, while RA-GZRS explicitly allows read access to the secondary copy at all times.
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
✓
RA-GZRS, because it keeps the primary region zone-redundant and allows read access to the secondary copy.
RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is correct because it combines zone-redundant storage (ZRS) across availability zones in the primary region, ensuring continued operation if one zone fails, with geo-replication to a secondary region. Additionally, the 'RA' prefix enables read access to the secondary copy if the primary region becomes unavailable, meeting both requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
LRS, because it keeps three local copies in one datacenter and is the simplest choice.
Why it's wrong here
LRS replicates data three times synchronously within a single physical datacenter in the primary region. This protects against drive or rack failures but provides no protection if that entire datacenter or an availability zone is lost, and it offers no geo-replication for a regional outage. Because the requirement calls for zone redundancy and readable failover data, LRS is too limited regardless of its simplicity and low cost.
When this WOULD be correct
LRS would be correct for a non-critical application that can tolerate data loss during a zone or region failure, where cost is the primary concern and the data can be easily regenerated, such as temporary logs or cached data that is not business-critical.
- ✗
RA-GRS, because it provides geo-replication and read access to the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS does provide asynchronous geo-replication to a secondary region and exposes a readable secondary endpoint, which satisfies the read-during-outage requirement. But its primary-region replication is only LRS, meaning all three synchronous copies reside in a single datacenter and are vulnerable to a full zone or datacenter failure. Therefore it fails the 'availability-zone failure' requirement even though it handles the regional read-access piece.
When this WOULD be correct
RA-GRS would be correct if the question required geo-replication with read access to the secondary region but did not require zone redundancy in the primary region, and the primary region had only one availability zone or zone redundancy was not needed.
- ✗
GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy in the primary region with geo-replication.
Why it's wrong here
GZRS replicates data synchronously across three availability zones in the primary region and then asynchronously to the paired secondary region, giving both zone and regional resilience. However, without the 'RA-' prefix, the secondary copy is not directly readable; you can only access it after a failover or via a different replication mode. Since the scenario requires the ability to read data during a regional outage without waiting for failover, plain GZRS falls short of that specific need.
When this WOULD be correct
Choose GZRS when the application requires zone redundancy in the primary region and geo-replication for disaster recovery, but does not need read access to the secondary region during normal operations. For example, a backup storage account that only needs to be readable after a failover.
- ✓
RA-GZRS, because it keeps the primary region zone-redundant and allows read access to the secondary copy.
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is the only option listed that combines zone-redundant storage in the primary region with geo-replication and read access to the secondary endpoint. That satisfies both the availability-zone failure requirement and the need to read data during a regional outage. It is the strongest choice when you need resilience across both datacenter-level and regional failure scenarios.
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.
✓RA-GZRS, because it keeps the primary region zone-redundant and allows read access to the secondary copy.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is the only option listed that combines zone-redundant storage in the primary region with geo-replication and read access to the secondary endpoint. That satisfies both the availability-zone failure requirement and the need to read data during a regional outage. It is the strongest choice when you need resilience across both datacenter-level and regional failure scenarios.
✗LRS, because it keeps three local copies in one datacenter and is the simplest choice.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS only replicates within a single datacenter, so it does not protect against an availability zone failure in the primary region (since zones span multiple datacenters) and provides no secondary region for read access if the primary region becomes unavailable.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
LRS would be correct for a non-critical application that can tolerate data loss during a zone or region failure, where cost is the primary concern and the data can be easily regenerated, such as temporary logs or cached data that is not business-critical.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may choose LRS because it is the simplest and cheapest option, overlooking the requirement for zone redundancy and read access to a secondary region.
✗RA-GRS, because it provides geo-replication and read access to the secondary region.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
RA-GRS does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region; it only replicates to a single physical location in the primary region. If the primary region's single zone fails, the app may lose availability until failover occurs.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
RA-GRS would be correct if the question required geo-replication with read access to the secondary region but did not require zone redundancy in the primary region, and the primary region had only one availability zone or zone redundancy was not needed.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse RA-GRS with RA-GZRS, thinking that 'geo-redundant' includes zone redundancy, or they may overlook the requirement for zone-level resilience in the primary region.
✗GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy in the primary region with geo-replication.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GZRS provides zone redundancy in the primary region and geo-replication, but it does not allow read access to the secondary copy; only RA-GZRS offers that read access, which is required for administrators to read the secondary copy if the primary region fails.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Choose GZRS when the application requires zone redundancy in the primary region and geo-replication for disaster recovery, but does not need read access to the secondary region during normal operations. For example, a backup storage account that only needs to be readable after a failover.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse GZRS with RA-GZRS, thinking that geo-replication automatically includes read access to the secondary, or they may overlook the specific requirement for read access in the question.
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
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Zone-redundant storage
Zone-redundant storage is a data replication method that stores copies of your data in multiple physical locations within a cloud region, so your data remains safe and available even if one entire data center fails.
Key term
Replication
Replication is the process of copying and synchronizing data across multiple servers or storage devices to ensure availability, reliability, and fault tolerance.
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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.