Quick Answer
The answer is the Cool tier. This is the correct choice because Cool tier is designed for data that is infrequently accessed and stored for at least 30 days, offering significantly lower storage costs than Hot tier while still providing millisecond latency for online access. Since the backup files are written once per week and rarely accessed except during an audit, Cool tier meets the requirement of online access within hours at the lowest storage cost among the online tiers; Archive tier would be cheaper for storage but requires rehydration taking up to 15 hours, which violates the “within hours” constraint. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between access frequency, retrieval time, and cost trade-offs across Hot, Cool, and Archive tiers—a common trap is choosing Archive for its low storage cost without considering the rehydration delay. Remember the memory tip: “Cool for occasional, Archive for frozen.”
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.
You plan to store backup files that are written once per week and are rarely accessed except during an audit. The company wants the lowest storage cost but still needs online access within hours, not days. Which blob access tier should you choose?
Hot
Why wrong: Hot is optimized for frequent access and usually costs more for storage.
Cool
Cool is appropriate for infrequently accessed data that still needs to remain online.
Archive
Why wrong: Archive has the lowest storage cost but requires rehydration and is not online for normal access.
Premium
Why wrong: Premium is for workloads requiring low latency and high IOPS, not low-cost backup retention.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Cool
The Cool tier is the correct choice because it is designed for data that is infrequently accessed and stored for at least 30 days, offering lower storage costs than Hot while still providing millisecond latency for online access. Since backups are written once per week and rarely accessed except during an audit, Cool tier meets the requirement of online access within hours at the lowest storage cost among the online tiers.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Hot
Why it's wrong here
Hot is optimized for frequent access and usually costs more for storage.
Cool
Why this is correct
Cool is appropriate for infrequently accessed data that still needs to remain online.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Archive
Why it's wrong here
Archive has the lowest storage cost but requires rehydration and is not online for normal access.
Premium
Why it's wrong here
Premium is for workloads requiring low latency and high IOPS, not low-cost backup retention.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often choose Archive for the lowest storage cost without considering the rehydration time requirement, mistakenly assuming 'online access within hours' is satisfied by Archive's standard rehydration priority of up to 15 hours.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Azure Blob Storage access tiers (Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive) use different pricing models: Hot has higher storage cost but no minimum retention period, Cool has lower storage cost with a 30-day minimum retention charge, and Archive has the lowest storage cost but requires a rehydration operation (changing the blob tier to Hot or Cool) before access, which can take from 1 to 15 hours depending on the rehydration priority. In a real-world scenario, if an auditor needs access to a backup file, the Cool tier allows immediate download without any delay, whereas Archive would require planning ahead for the rehydration time.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Implement and Manage Storage — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Implement and Manage Storage practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All AZ-104 questions
1,170 questions across all exam domains
AZ-104 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
AZ-104 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Manage Azure Identities and Governance.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Storage.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Deploy and Manage Azure Compute.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Virtual Networking.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure RBAC.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 storage account.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 virtual network.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 NSG.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure Monitor.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 backup.
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 managed identity.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Cool — The Cool tier is the correct choice because it is designed for data that is infrequently accessed and stored for at least 30 days, offering lower storage costs than Hot while still providing millisecond latency for online access. Since backups are written once per week and rarely accessed except during an audit, Cool tier meets the requirement of online access within hours at the lowest storage cost among the online tiers.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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
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 compliance team keeps signed contract scans in blob storage. The files are usually not accessed, but when they are needed they must be available immediately without waiting for rehydration. The team wants the lowest-cost online tier that still allows immediate reads. Which access tier should you choose?
mediumWhy C: The Cold tier (C) is correct because it is the lowest-cost online access tier that provides immediate read access without requiring rehydration. Unlike the Archive tier, Cold tier data is always online and can be read instantly, while still offering lower storage costs than Cool or Hot tiers for data that is rarely accessed.
Keep practising
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.