AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
An operations team archived monthly log exports six weeks ago. An auditor now needs one specific blob restored within a day, and the file will likely be opened several times during the audit. Which action should the administrator take first?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think snapshots can be taken of any blob regardless of tier, but Azure requires the source blob to be in an online tier (Hot, Cool, or Cold) to create a snapshot.
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
✓
Rehydrate the blob to the Hot tier
The blob is currently in the Archive tier, which is offline and cannot be read directly. To access the data, the blob must first be rehydrated to an online tier (Hot or Cool) by changing its tier or copying it to a new blob. Rehydrating to the Hot tier ensures the blob is available for multiple reads within the audit timeframe, as the rehydration process typically takes up to 15 hours for Archive tier blobs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set the blob directly to the Archive tier again
Why it's wrong here
Setting the blob's access tier to Archive again is a no-op when the blob is already archived; it leaves the blob in the same offline state and does not trigger any data movement to an online tier. The auditor still receives an error when trying to read or download the file. To make the blob available, you must issue a rehydration operation, such as Set Blob Tier to Hot, Cool, or Cold, and wait for it to complete.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the blob had been accidentally moved from Archive to a lower tier (e.g., Cool) and the goal was to minimize cost by moving it back to Archive immediately, with no need for access.
- ✓
Rehydrate the blob to the Hot tier
Why this is correct
The blob must be rehydrated before it can be opened, and Hot is a sensible target when repeated reads are expected during an active audit. Choosing Hot avoids repeated retrieval penalties and keeps the file immediately online for the rest of the audit window. That makes the workflow simpler for the auditor.
- ✗
Create a snapshot of the archived blob and open the snapshot
Why it's wrong here
A blob snapshot is only a point-in-time version of the base blob, not a separate storage object with its own tier. If the base blob remains in Archive, any snapshot cannot be directly opened, and Microsoft does not support creating snapshots of blobs in the Archive tier until the blob is rehydrated to an online tier. This approach therefore cannot bypass the rehydration step and is not a valid way to provide audit access.
When this WOULD be correct
If the blob is already in an online tier (Hot or Cool) and you need a point-in-time copy for auditing without modifying the original, creating a snapshot is the correct action. For example, 'An auditor needs a read-only copy of a current log file for review; which action should you take?'
- ✗
Increase the account redundancy to RA-GRS before the audit
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS only adds a secondary read endpoint for geo-resilience and does not change the storage tier of the existing blob. An archived blob in the primary region is also archived in the secondary region, so both copies remain offline and require rehydration before any read. Enabling RA-GRS does not reduce the rehydration wait time, and it introduces additional cost and replication latency for an immediate audit need.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question asked for a long-term data durability or disaster recovery requirement, such as 'An organization needs to ensure data is protected against a regional outage with minimal downtime' — then changing to RA-GRS would be appropriate.
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.
✓Rehydrate the blob to the Hot tierCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The blob must be rehydrated before it can be opened, and Hot is a sensible target when repeated reads are expected during an active audit. Choosing Hot avoids repeated retrieval penalties and keeps the file immediately online for the rest of the audit window. That makes the workflow simpler for the auditor.
✗Set the blob directly to the Archive tier againWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The blob is already in the Archive tier and needs to be accessed within a day. Setting it directly to the Archive tier again does not change its state; it remains archived and inaccessible for reading. The blob must first be rehydrated to a hot or cool tier to be readable.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the blob had been accidentally moved from Archive to a lower tier (e.g., Cool) and the goal was to minimize cost by moving it back to Archive immediately, with no need for access.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that setting the tier again will somehow 'refresh' the blob or trigger rehydration, not realizing that Archive blobs are offline and must be explicitly rehydrated before they can be read.
✗Create a snapshot of the archived blob and open the snapshotWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Archived blobs are offline and cannot be directly snapshotted; you must first rehydrate the blob to an online tier (Hot or Cool) before creating a snapshot. Snapshotting an archived blob without rehydration will fail.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the blob is already in an online tier (Hot or Cool) and you need a point-in-time copy for auditing without modifying the original, creating a snapshot is the correct action. For example, 'An auditor needs a read-only copy of a current log file for review; which action should you take?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think snapshots provide immediate access to archived data without rehydration, not realizing that archived blobs are offline and require rehydration before any read or snapshot operation.
✗Increase the account redundancy to RA-GRS before the auditWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Increasing account redundancy to RA-GRS does not directly address the need to access an archived blob; it provides geo-redundant storage but does not rehydrate the blob from the Archive tier, which is required before any read operations.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question asked for a long-term data durability or disaster recovery requirement, such as 'An organization needs to ensure data is protected against a regional outage with minimal downtime' — then changing to RA-GRS would be appropriate.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that increasing redundancy improves availability or access speed, but for archived blobs, the primary bottleneck is the rehydration process, not redundancy.
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.