Question 260 of 1,170

Implement and Manage Storage →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

RA-GZRS: Zone and Regional Redundancy with Read Access

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 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?

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.

A
GZRS
Why wrong: GZRS gives zone redundancy and geo-replication, but it does not provide read access to the secondary region.
B
RA-GZRS
RA-GZRS combines zone-redundant storage with geo-replication and also allows read access to the secondary region.
C
RA-GRS
Why wrong: RA-GRS allows read access to the secondary region, but it does not provide zone-level redundancy in the primary region.
D
ZRS
Why wrong: ZRS protects against a zone failure, but it does not replicate data to a paired region for disaster recovery.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

RA-GZRS

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.

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.

✗
GZRS
Why it's wrong here
GZRS gives zone redundancy and geo-replication, but it does not provide read access to the secondary region.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that requires data to survive both a zone failure and a regional outage, but does not require read access to the secondary region during an outage (e.g., only needs failover for write access).
✓
RA-GZRS
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS combines zone-redundant storage with geo-replication and also allows read access to the secondary region.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
RA-GRS
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS allows read access to the secondary region, but it does not provide zone-level redundancy in the primary region.
✗
ZRS
Why it's wrong here
ZRS protects against a zone failure, but it does not replicate data to a paired region for disaster recovery.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked for a redundancy option that protects data within a single region against zone failures, without requiring any cross-region replication or read-access during a regional outage, ZRS would be correct. For example: 'You need to ensure data survives a zone failure but do not need regional disaster recovery.'

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.

✓RA-GZRSCorrect answer▾

Why this is correct

RA-GZRS combines zone-redundant storage with geo-replication and also allows read access to the secondary region.

✗GZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾

Why this is wrong here

GZRS provides geo-redundancy with zone-level resilience but does not offer read access to the secondary region during an outage; it requires a failover to access the replica, which does not meet the requirement for immediate read-only access while planning failover.

★ When this WOULD be the correct answer

A question that requires data to survive both a zone failure and a regional outage, but does not require read access to the secondary region during an outage (e.g., only needs failover for write access).

Why candidates choose this

Candidates may confuse GZRS with RA-GZRS, assuming that geo-zone-redundant storage inherently includes read-access, or they may overlook the 'read-access' requirement in the question.

✗ZRSWrong answer — click to see why▾

Why this is wrong here

ZRS replicates data synchronously across three availability zones within a single region, providing zone-level fault tolerance but no protection against a regional outage. The question requires read-only access during a regional outage, which ZRS cannot provide.

★ When this WOULD be the correct answer

If the question asked for a redundancy option that protects data within a single region against zone failures, without requiring any cross-region replication or read-access during a regional outage, ZRS would be correct. For example: 'You need to ensure data survives a zone failure but do not need regional disaster recovery.'

Why candidates choose this

Candidates may confuse zone-level resilience with regional resilience, or they may overlook the requirement for read-only access during a regional outage, assuming ZRS's high durability is sufficient.

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?”

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse GZRS with RA-GZRS, forgetting that the 'RA' prefix is required to enable read access to the secondary region before a failover occurs.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

RA-GZRS replicates data synchronously across three Azure availability zones in the primary region using ZRS, then asynchronously copies it to a single physical location in a paired secondary region using GRS. The read-only endpoint (e.g., `-secondary.blob.core.windows.net`) is always available for reads, but the data may lag behind the primary by up to 15 minutes (the Recovery Point Objective, RPO). This is ideal for scenarios where you need continuous read access to a copy during a regional disaster while deciding whether to initiate a failover.

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: RA-GZRS — 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.

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.

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