The answer is to change the blob to the Hot access tier and allow it to rehydrate before the report runs. This is correct because blobs stored in the Archive access tier are offline and cannot be read directly; they require a manual rehydration process, which involves changing the tier to either Hot or Cool. Rehydration from Archive can take up to 15 hours, so initiating the change to Hot immediately ensures the file is available by tomorrow morning. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure Blob storage tiers and the critical latency of archive rehydration—a common trap is assuming Cool tier is sufficient, but Cool still requires rehydration time, and only Hot guarantees the fastest retrieval. Remember the key constraint: Archive is offline until rehydrated, and rehydration time is not instant. Memory tip: “Archive is asleep; rehydrate to Hot to wake it up fast.”
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Exhibit
Blob properties:
Name: monthly-finance.csv
Access tier: Archive
Archive status: none
Last modified: 2026-04-10
Application log:
12:05 UTC - Job started
12:06 UTC - Download failed: Blob is currently archived and must be rehydrated before it can be read.
Business requirement: analysts must open the file in Excel tomorrow morning.
Based on the exhibit, what should you do so the report can open the file tomorrow morning?
Blob properties:
Name: monthly-finance.csv
Access tier: Archive
Archive status: none
Last modified: 2026-04-10
Application log:
12:05 UTC - Job started
12:06 UTC - Download failed: Blob is currently archived and must be rehydrated before it can be read.
Business requirement: analysts must open the file in Excel tomorrow morning.
A
Change the blob to the Hot access tier and allow it to rehydrate before the report runs.
Archive blobs are offline and cannot be read until they are rehydrated to an online tier. Moving the blob to Hot is the appropriate action when access is needed soon, because it restores immediate read availability after the rehydration completes.
B
Change the blob to the Cool access tier only, because Cool is always immediately readable.
Why wrong: Cool is an online tier, but the blob still has to be rehydrated out of Archive before it becomes readable. Simply choosing Cool does not bypass the archive retrieval process.
C
Create a snapshot of the archived blob and use the snapshot instead.
Why wrong: A snapshot does not avoid the archive state if the source blob is archived. It also does not solve the immediate read requirement for the analyst.
D
Enable versioning on the storage account so the file becomes readable again.
Why wrong: Versioning helps protect against accidental overwrites or deletions, but it does not make an archived blob readable. The data still must be rehydrated from Archive first.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the blob to the Hot access tier and allow it to rehydrate before the report runs.
The blob is currently in the Archive access tier, which requires manual rehydration (changing the tier to Hot or Cool) before it can be read. Rehydration can take up to 15 hours, so changing the blob to the Hot access tier now and allowing it to complete rehydration before the report runs tomorrow ensures the file is available for reading.
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.
✓
Change the blob to the Hot access tier and allow it to rehydrate before the report runs.
Why this is correct
Archive blobs are offline and cannot be read until they are rehydrated to an online tier. Moving the blob to Hot is the appropriate action when access is needed soon, because it restores immediate read availability after the rehydration completes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Change the blob to the Cool access tier only, because Cool is always immediately readable.
Why it's wrong here
Cool is an online tier, but the blob still has to be rehydrated out of Archive before it becomes readable. Simply choosing Cool does not bypass the archive retrieval process.
✗
Create a snapshot of the archived blob and use the snapshot instead.
Why it's wrong here
A snapshot does not avoid the archive state if the source blob is archived. It also does not solve the immediate read requirement for the analyst.
✗
Enable versioning on the storage account so the file becomes readable again.
Why it's wrong here
Versioning helps protect against accidental overwrites or deletions, but it does not make an archived blob readable. The data still must be rehydrated from Archive first.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the Cool access tier is always immediately readable, forgetting that blobs in the Archive tier must be rehydrated to any online tier before access, and that rehydration time is significant.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When a blob is in the Archive tier, it is stored offline on high-density tape or optical media, and the storage service must move the data back to an online tier (Hot or Cool) before any read operation can succeed. The rehydration process involves changing the blob's tier via a Set Blob Tier operation, which triggers asynchronous data movement; the blob's status changes to 'rehydrate-pending' until the operation completes. In a real-world scenario, if a report runs at a fixed time daily, you must schedule the tier change well in advance (e.g., 15+ hours for Archive to Hot) to avoid failures.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
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: Change the blob to the Hot access tier and allow it to rehydrate before the report runs. — The blob is currently in the Archive access tier, which requires manual rehydration (changing the tier to Hot or Cool) before it can be read. Rehydration can take up to 15 hours, so changing the blob to the Hot access tier now and allowing it to complete rehydration before the report runs tomorrow ensures the file is available for reading.
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
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 →
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. A legal department keeps signed contract scans in a blob container. The files are almost never opened, but when a reviewer requests one, it must be available later the same day and then stay online for about three days while the review is completed. The team wants the lowest ongoing storage cost during that review window. What should the administrator do?
hard
A.Leave the blob in Archive and download it directly when needed
✓ B.Rehydrate the blob to the Cool tier with standard priority
C.Copy the blob to the Hot tier permanently before the review starts
D.Change the storage account replication to GZRS to make archived data readable
Why B: Option B is correct because rehydrating the blob from Archive to the Cool tier with standard priority meets the requirement of making the file available later the same day (standard priority rehydration completes within 1–15 hours) and provides the lowest ongoing storage cost during the three-day review window, as Cool tier is cheaper than Hot tier for data that is infrequently accessed.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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