Question 318 of 1,170

Implement and Manage Storage →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is RA-GZRS, which stands for read-access geo-zone-redundant storage. This option is correct because it combines zone-redundant storage (ZRS) within the primary region, ensuring your data survives a zone outage by replicating it across multiple Azure availability zones, with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) to the paired region, providing a readable secondary copy for reporting even if the entire primary region becomes unavailable. On the AZ-104 exam, this question tests your ability to differentiate between redundancy levels, particularly the critical distinction that RA-GZRS offers both zone resilience and a readable secondary endpoint, whereas standard GZRS does not allow read access during a primary outage. A common trap is confusing GZRS with RA-GZRS—remember that the “RA” prefix is the key for readable secondary access. For a memory tip, think “RA-GZRS = ZRS inside + RA-GRS outside,” or simply recall that the “R” in RA stands for “Readable” secondary.

AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question

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.

A business-critical storage account must survive a zone outage in the primary region and also keep a read-only copy in the paired region for reporting if the primary region becomes unavailable. Which redundancy option should you choose?

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.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
ZRS because it protects against a single datacenter failure.
Why wrong: ZRS protects within a region across zones, but it does not provide a geo-replicated secondary region for read access.
B
RA-GZRS because it provides zone redundancy and read access to the secondary region.
RA-GZRS is the correct option because it combines zone-redundant storage in the primary region with geo-replication to the paired region, and it allows read access to the secondary copy. That matches both requirements: resilience to a zone outage and a readable secondary copy for reporting or failover scenarios. It is the highest-resilience option in this list.
C
GZRS because it provides a readable secondary region by default.
Why wrong: GZRS does provide geo-redundancy and zone redundancy, but it does not offer read access to the secondary region.
D
RA-GRS because it provides zone redundancy and read access to the secondary region.
Why wrong: RA-GRS offers read access to the secondary region, but it does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region.

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 because it provides zone redundancy and read access to the secondary region.

Option B (RA-GZRS) is correct because it combines zone-redundant storage (ZRS) within the primary region, ensuring data survives a zone outage, with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) to the paired region, providing a readable secondary copy for reporting if the primary region becomes unavailable. This meets both requirements: zone-level fault tolerance and read-only access to the secondary region during a primary 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.

✗
ZRS because it protects against a single datacenter failure.
Why it's wrong here
ZRS protects within a region across zones, but it does not provide a geo-replicated secondary region for read access.
✓
RA-GZRS because it provides zone redundancy and read access to the secondary region.
Why this is correct
RA-GZRS is the correct option because it combines zone-redundant storage in the primary region with geo-replication to the paired region, and it allows read access to the secondary copy. That matches both requirements: resilience to a zone outage and a readable secondary copy for reporting or failover scenarios. It is the highest-resilience option in this list.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
GZRS because it provides a readable secondary region by default.
Why it's wrong here
GZRS does provide geo-redundancy and zone redundancy, but it does not offer read access to the secondary region.
✗
RA-GRS because it provides zone redundancy and read access to the secondary region.
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS offers read access to the secondary region, but it does not provide zone redundancy in the primary region.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates confuse GZRS (which requires a failover for read access) with RA-GZRS (which provides always-on read access to the secondary region), or mistakenly think RA-GRS offers zone redundancy when it only uses LRS in the primary region.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) synchronously replicates data across three Azure availability zones in the primary region using ZRS, then asynchronously replicates to a single physical location in the paired region. The read-access endpoint (e.g., .secondary.blob.core.windows.net) is always available for read operations, even without a failover, enabling reporting workloads to continue during a primary region outage. Under the hood, RA-GZRS uses a 16-MB block size for asynchronous replication and provides a 99.99% availability SLA for read access in the secondary region.

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 because it provides zone redundancy and read access to the secondary region. — Option B (RA-GZRS) is correct because it combines zone-redundant storage (ZRS) within the primary region, ensuring data survives a zone outage, with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) to the paired region, providing a readable secondary copy for reporting if the primary region becomes unavailable. This meets both requirements: zone-level fault tolerance and read-only access to the secondary region during a primary 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

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Same concept, more angles

2 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. A company wants a storage account that keeps a readable copy in the secondary region and lets read operations continue if the primary region becomes unavailable. Which two redundancy options meet this requirement? Select two.

easy

A.Locally redundant storage (LRS)
B.Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
C.Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
✓ D.Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
✓ E.Read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS)

Why D: Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) is correct because it provides geo-redundant replication (GRS) with the added ability to read from the secondary region at all times, even when the primary region is available. If the primary region becomes unavailable, read operations can continue using the readable copy in the secondary region, meeting the requirement for continuous read access.

Variation 2. A reporting system requires a storage account that is zone resilient in the primary region and also keeps a geo-replicated secondary copy that can be read during an outage. Which redundancy option should you select?

medium

A.ZRS, because it protects against zone failure and also provides a readable secondary region.
B.GRS, because it stores a secondary copy in another region but does not offer zone redundancy in the primary region.
✓ C.RA-GZRS, because it combines zone redundancy, geo-replication, and read access to the secondary region.
D.LRS, because local replication is enough when the workload already has application-level retries.

Why C: RA-GZRS (Read-Access Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage) is the correct choice because it provides synchronous replication across three Azure availability zones in the primary region for zone resilience, asynchronous geo-replication to a secondary region for disaster recovery, and enables read access to the secondary copy during an outage. This meets all three requirements: zone resiliency, geo-replication, and readable secondary region.

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