- A
Regenerate both keys at the same time so the account is fully refreshed.
Why wrong: Regenerating both keys at once can interrupt every client that still depends on either key.
- B
Switch the app to the secondary key, regenerate the primary key, and then update the app back later.
Azure Storage provides two account keys so you can rotate credentials with no downtime. The correct approach is to move the application to the secondary key first, verify that it works, regenerate the primary key, and then later rotate the app back if needed. This preserves access throughout the process and avoids a period where the application has no valid key.
- C
Disable shared key authorization before rotating the keys.
Why wrong: Disabling shared key authorization would break the application before the rotation is complete.
- D
Delete the storage account and create a new one with the same name.
Why wrong: Recreating the account is disruptive, risky, and not a practical key-rotation strategy.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to switch the application to the secondary key, regenerate the primary key, and then update the app back later. This process is correct because it follows the safe key rotation pattern, ensuring that a valid access key is always available to the application, thereby achieving the goal to rotate storage account keys without downtime. By first moving the app to the secondary key, you avoid any interruption when the primary key is regenerated and invalidated. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of managing shared access keys for Azure Storage, a common task for administrators. The most frequent trap is regenerating the primary key first, which immediately breaks the application’s uploads. A reliable memory tip is to remember the order as “Switch, Regenerate, Update” or simply “SRU,” which ensures you always keep one key active during rotation.
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.
An application uploads documents by using one of the storage account access keys. The team wants to rotate keys without interrupting uploads. Which process should the administrator follow?
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
Switch the app to the secondary key, regenerate the primary key, and then update the app back later.
Option B is correct because it follows the safe key rotation pattern: switch the application to use the secondary key, regenerate the primary key (which invalidates the old primary key), and then later update the application back to the primary key if desired. This ensures the application never loses access during the rotation, as it always has a valid key in use.
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.
- ✗
Regenerate both keys at the same time so the account is fully refreshed.
Why it's wrong here
Regenerating both keys at once can interrupt every client that still depends on either key.
- ✓
Switch the app to the secondary key, regenerate the primary key, and then update the app back later.
Why this is correct
Azure Storage provides two account keys so you can rotate credentials with no downtime. The correct approach is to move the application to the secondary key first, verify that it works, regenerate the primary key, and then later rotate the app back if needed. This preserves access throughout the process and avoids a period where the application has no valid key.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disable shared key authorization before rotating the keys.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling shared key authorization would break the application before the rotation is complete.
- ✗
Delete the storage account and create a new one with the same name.
Why it's wrong here
Recreating the account is disruptive, risky, and not a practical key-rotation strategy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think regenerating both keys at once is acceptable, not realizing that the application would lose access immediately, or they may overcomplicate the solution by disabling authorization or recreating the account.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Storage accounts support two access keys (primary and secondary) specifically to enable zero-downtime key rotation. The process leverages the fact that both keys are valid simultaneously, so the application can be switched to the secondary key before regenerating the primary. After regeneration, the old primary key is immediately invalidated, but the secondary key remains valid. This pattern is recommended by Microsoft for maintaining continuous access during credential updates.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
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: Switch the app to the secondary key, regenerate the primary key, and then update the app back later. — Option B is correct because it follows the safe key rotation pattern: switch the application to use the secondary key, regenerate the primary key (which invalidates the old primary key), and then later update the application back to the primary key if desired. This ensures the application never loses access during the rotation, as it always has a valid key in use.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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