AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
A reporting team wants a storage redundancy option that keeps a readable copy in the paired region. Which two choices provide read access to the secondary region? Select two.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse geo-redundant storage (GRS) with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS), mistakenly assuming GRS automatically provides read access to the secondary region, but GRS only allows read access after a failover, not continuously.
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
✓
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS).
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) is correct because it provides geo-redundant storage (GRS) with the additional capability to read from the secondary region. This ensures that if the primary region becomes unavailable, the reporting team can still access a readable copy of the data in the paired region. RA-GRS replicates data asynchronously to a secondary region and allows read access to that secondary copy at all times.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS).
Why this is correct
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) is correct because it synchronously copies data three times within a single physical location in the primary region, then asynchronously replicates to a paired secondary region, and critically exposes that secondary endpoint for read-only access. For a reporting team, this means reports can be served from the secondary region even without a formal failover, enabling read-heavy workloads and improving availability. The secondary copy remains readable even if the primary region suffers an outage, which is why RA-GRS is the minimum redundancy level commonly recommended for reporting and BI workloads.
- ✓
Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS).
Why this is correct
Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS) also satisfies the reporting requirement, as it builds on zone-redundant storage by replicating data synchronously across three Azure availability zones in the primary region and then asynchronously to a geographically paired region with a readable secondary endpoint. This provides zone-level resilience against datacenter failures while also allowing reports to be read from the secondary location during normal operations or regional disruptions. RA-GZRS offers the strongest durability and availability of all Azure Storage redundancy options, though it typically carries a higher monthly cost than RA-GRS.
- ✗
Locally redundant storage (LRS).
Why it's wrong here
Locally redundant storage (LRS) maintains three synchronous replicas within a single data center in the primary region, providing the industry-standard 11-nines durability, but all replicas share the same regional and data-center boundary and cannot be accessed from any other location. This option gives no cross-region copy and no readable secondary endpoint, making it entirely unsuitable for a reporting team that expects a distant, readable replica as a safety net. The scenario's need for a secondary location rules out LRS from the outset.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asking for the lowest-cost storage option that provides durability within a single datacenter, with no requirement for cross-region replication or read access to a secondary region.
- ✗
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS).
Why it's wrong here
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) copies data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within the same region, delivering resilience against zone-wide outages, but it does not create any copy in a separate paired region and offers no secondary read endpoint. Reporting teams that need geographic redundancy or cross-region read capacity will not find ZRS sufficient, because all replicas remain inside the primary region. Even though ZRS is highly available within one region, it cannot satisfy a requirement for a readable secondary location in a different geography.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that asks for a storage redundancy option providing high availability within a single region by replicating across availability zones, without requiring cross-region replication or read access to a secondary region.
- ✗
Geo-redundant storage (GRS).
Why it's wrong here
Geo-redundant storage (GRS) replicates data to a paired secondary region and provides the same 16-nines durability as RA-GRS, but the crucial limitation is that the secondary copy is not directly readable and becomes available only after a failover is initiated by Microsoft. Without read-access to the secondary endpoint, the reporting team cannot actively serve reports from the paired region or offload read traffic during normal operations. Therefore, while GRS provides geographic resilience, it lacks the immediate readable secondary capability that distinguishes the RA- variants and that the reporting workload requires.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that asks for a storage redundancy option that replicates data to a paired region for disaster recovery, but does not require read access to the secondary region. For example: 'Which storage redundancy option provides the highest durability by replicating data to a secondary region without enabling 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.
✓Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS).Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) is correct because it synchronously copies data three times within a single physical location in the primary region, then asynchronously replicates to a paired secondary region, and critically exposes that secondary endpoint for read-only access. For a reporting team, this means reports can be served from the secondary region even without a formal failover, enabling read-heavy workloads and improving availability. The secondary copy remains readable even if the primary region suffers an outage, which is why RA-GRS is the minimum redundancy level commonly recommended for reporting and BI workloads.
✗Locally redundant storage (LRS).Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS does not replicate data to a secondary region, so it cannot provide read access to a paired region. It only maintains three synchronous copies within a single datacenter.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asking for the lowest-cost storage option that provides durability within a single datacenter, with no requirement for cross-region replication or read access to a secondary region.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse LRS with geo-redundant options, mistakenly thinking 'locally' implies a secondary region, or they may overlook the explicit requirement for read access in the paired region.
✗Zone-redundant storage (ZRS).Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones within a single region, but does not provide any replication to a secondary region, so it cannot offer read access to a paired region.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that asks for a storage redundancy option providing high availability within a single region by replicating across availability zones, without requiring cross-region replication or read access to a secondary region.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'zone-redundant' with 'geo-redundant' due to similar terminology, or mistakenly think that ZRS includes a secondary region copy because it offers resilience across zones.
✗Geo-redundant storage (GRS).Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GRS provides geo-redundancy but does not include read access to the secondary region; read access requires RA-GRS or RA-GZRS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that asks for a storage redundancy option that replicates data to a paired region for disaster recovery, but does not require read access to the secondary region. For example: 'Which storage redundancy option provides the highest durability by replicating data to a secondary region without enabling read access?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse GRS with RA-GRS, assuming that geo-redundancy automatically includes read access to the secondary region, or they may overlook the 'read access' requirement 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
Customer-Managed Keys (CMK) for Storage Encryption
Key term
RA-GRS
RA-GRS (Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage) is an Azure storage replication option that provides read access to a secondary region copy of your data, even if the primary region becomes unavailable.
Key term
Read-access geo-redundant storage
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) is a cloud storage replication option that maintains three synchronous copies in one primary region and three asynchronous copies in a secondary region, while allowing read access to the secondary copy even during normal operations.
About these practice questions
This AZ-104 question is part of Courseiva's 1,049-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.