- A
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
Why wrong: ZRS protects against a zone failure within one region, but it does not provide a readable secondary regional copy.
- B
Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why wrong: GRS adds a secondary regional copy, but it does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region or read access to the secondary.
- C
Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS)
RA-GZRS is the only option here that combines zone redundancy in the primary region with geo-replication to a paired region and read access to the secondary copy. That satisfies both requirements: survive a single-zone outage and still allow analysts to read from the secondary region if the primary region is unavailable.
- D
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why wrong: RA-GRS provides a readable secondary region, but the primary copy is not zone-redundant, so it does not meet the zone-failure requirement.
Quick Answer
The answer is Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS). This replication option is correct because it combines zone-redundant storage (ZRS) within the primary region to survive an entire availability zone failure, with geo-replication to a paired region for disaster recovery, and crucially enables read access to the secondary region data even if the primary region becomes unavailable. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how RA-GZRS uniquely satisfies both high availability during a zone outage and continuous read access during a regional disaster, a distinction that often trips up candidates who confuse it with standard GZRS (which lacks secondary read access). A common trap is selecting GRS or RA-GRS, which provide geo-redundancy but not zone-level protection. Remember the mnemonic: "RA-GZRS = Zone + Geo + Read" — if you need to survive a zone failure and still read from the secondary, this is the only option that checks all three boxes.
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A business stores audit logs in Azure Blob Storage. The account must remain available if an entire availability zone in the primary region fails, and analysts must still be able to read the data from the paired region if the primary region becomes unavailable. Which replication option should the administrator select?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS)
C is correct because Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS) combines zone-redundancy within the primary region (surviving an entire zone failure) with geo-replication to a paired region, and crucially provides read access to the secondary region data even if the primary region is unavailable. This meets both requirements: availability during a zone failure and readable data from the paired region during a primary region outage.
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.
- ✗
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
Why it's wrong here
ZRS protects against a zone failure within one region, but it does not provide a readable secondary regional copy.
- ✗
Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why it's wrong here
GRS adds a secondary regional copy, but it does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region or read access to the secondary.
- ✓
Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS)
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is the only option here that combines zone redundancy in the primary region with geo-replication to a paired region and read access to the secondary copy. That satisfies both requirements: survive a single-zone outage and still allow analysts to read from the secondary region if the primary region is unavailable.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS provides a readable secondary region, but the primary copy is not zone-redundant, so it does not meet the zone-failure requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse GRS with RA-GRS or ZRS with GZRS, failing to recognize that the requirement for both zone-failure resilience within the primary region AND read-access from the paired region uniquely points to RA-GZRS, not RA-GRS or GRS alone.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RA-GZRS uses synchronous replication across three availability zones in the primary region for durability, then asynchronously replicates to a single zone in the paired region. The read-access feature exposes a separate read-only endpoint (e.g., `*.secondary.blob.core.windows.net`) that analysts can query directly during a primary region outage, leveraging the geo-replicated copy. In a real-world scenario, this is critical for compliance scenarios where audit logs must remain continuously readable even during regional disasters, as the secondary region data is typically available within minutes of the primary failure.
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: Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS) — C is correct because Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS) combines zone-redundancy within the primary region (surviving an entire zone failure) with geo-replication to a paired region, and crucially provides read access to the secondary region data even if the primary region is unavailable. This meets both requirements: availability during a zone failure and readable data from the paired region during a primary region outage.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An analytics team stores exported reports in a storage account. They want the data to survive a zone failure and a regional outage, and if the primary region becomes unavailable they also want read-only access to the replica while failover is being planned. Which redundancy option should you select?
medium- A.GZRS
- ✓ B.RA-GZRS
- C.RA-GRS
- D.ZRS
Why B: RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is correct because it combines zone-redundant storage (ZRS) within the primary region with geo-redundant replication to a secondary region, and crucially provides read-only access to the secondary replica even when the primary region is available. This meets the requirement for data survival during both a zone failure and a regional outage, while allowing read-only access to the replica during failover planning.
Variation 2. A business stores audit exports in Blob Storage. The account must continue serving writes if one availability zone fails, and reporting users in the paired region must still be able to read the replicated data if the primary region becomes unavailable. Which redundancy option best meets the requirement?
hard- A.ZRS, because it protects against a zone failure inside one region.
- B.RA-GRS, because it provides read access to the secondary region but not zone redundancy.
- ✓ C.RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy in the primary region with read access to the secondary region.
- D.GRS, because it keeps a full second copy in another region.
Why C: RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it combines synchronous zone-redundant replication across three availability zones in the primary region (protecting against a single zone failure) with asynchronous geo-replication to a paired secondary region, and enables read access to the secondary region if the primary becomes unavailable. This satisfies both requirements: continued writes during a zone failure and readable replicated data from the paired region during a primary region outage.
Variation 3. A business-critical storage account must keep data available if one availability zone fails in the primary region. It must also keep a readable copy in the paired region so administrators can verify data during disaster recovery testing before failover. Which redundancy option should be selected?
medium- A.LRS, because it stores three copies in one datacenter and is the lowest-cost option.
- B.ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region but not to another region.
- C.GRS, because it replicates to the paired region and supports a secondary copy for recovery.
- ✓ D.RA-GZRS, because it provides zone redundancy in the primary region and read access to the secondary region.
Why D: D is correct because RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) provides synchronous replication across three Azure availability zones within the primary region, ensuring data remains available if one zone fails. It also asynchronously replicates data to the paired region, where a read-only copy is available for verification during disaster recovery testing without requiring a failover.
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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