- A
LRS, because it keeps three copies within a single datacenter and is the least expensive option.
Why wrong: LRS protects against disk or node loss within one datacenter, but not against a zone outage. It does not meet the requirement to survive an availability zone failure.
- B
ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region and stays available through a zone outage.
ZRS stores synchronous copies across multiple availability zones in one region. That design keeps the data available if one zone becomes unavailable, while avoiding the extra complexity of a secondary region.
- C
GRS, because it keeps a readable copy in the paired region and is always the best choice for resilience.
Why wrong: GRS adds asynchronous replication to a secondary region, but it does not specifically protect against a zone outage in the primary region. The question does not require secondary-region read access.
- D
RA-GRS, because it provides read access to the secondary region and is required for zone-level resilience.
Why wrong: RA-GRS is useful when you need read access to a secondary region, but that is not the stated requirement. It also does not directly address zone-level resilience in the primary region.
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 finance application stores monthly invoice PDFs in Azure Blob Storage. The business wants the data to remain available if one availability zone in the region becomes unavailable, but it does not require a secondary region for read access. Which redundancy option should the administrator choose?
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
ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region and stays available through a zone outage.
B is correct because Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) synchronously replicates data across three Azure availability zones within the same region, ensuring that if one zone becomes unavailable, the data remains accessible from the other zones. This meets the business requirement of staying available during a zone outage without needing a secondary region for read access.
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.
- ✗
LRS, because it keeps three copies within a single datacenter and is the least expensive option.
Why it's wrong here
LRS protects against disk or node loss within one datacenter, but not against a zone outage. It does not meet the requirement to survive an availability zone failure.
When this WOULD be correct
A question requiring the lowest-cost redundancy option with no zone or region outage requirement, e.g., 'Which redundancy option minimizes cost for non-critical data that can be recreated?'
- ✓
ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region and stays available through a zone outage.
Why this is correct
ZRS stores synchronous copies across multiple availability zones in one region. That design keeps the data available if one zone becomes unavailable, while avoiding the extra complexity of a secondary region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
GRS, because it keeps a readable copy in the paired region and is always the best choice for resilience.
Why it's wrong here
GRS adds asynchronous replication to a secondary region, but it does not specifically protect against a zone outage in the primary region. The question does not require secondary-region read access.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that requires data to remain available even if an entire region becomes unavailable, and the business needs a secondary region for disaster recovery without requiring immediate read access to the secondary copy.
- ✗
RA-GRS, because it provides read access to the secondary region and is required for zone-level resilience.
Why it's wrong here
RA-GRS is useful when you need read access to a secondary region, but that is not the stated requirement. It also does not directly address zone-level resilience in the primary region.
When this WOULD be correct
RA-GRS would be correct if the question required both zone-level resilience within a region AND read access to a secondary region for disaster recovery or compliance purposes, such as when auditors need read-only access to data in a geographically separate location.
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.
✓ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region and stays available through a zone outage.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
ZRS stores synchronous copies across multiple availability zones in one region. That design keeps the data available if one zone becomes unavailable, while avoiding the extra complexity of a secondary region.
✗LRS, because it keeps three copies within a single datacenter and is the least expensive option.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
LRS replicates data within a single datacenter, not across availability zones, so it cannot survive an entire zone outage.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question requiring the lowest-cost redundancy option with no zone or region outage requirement, e.g., 'Which redundancy option minimizes cost for non-critical data that can be recreated?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think LRS is sufficient because it provides three copies, overlooking that all copies are in one zone and thus vulnerable to zone failure.
✗GRS, because it keeps a readable copy in the paired region and is always the best choice for resilience.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
GRS replicates data to a paired secondary region, which is unnecessary because the question explicitly states that a secondary region is not required for read access. It also costs more than ZRS and does not provide zone-level resilience within the primary region.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that requires data to remain available even if an entire region becomes unavailable, and the business needs a secondary region for disaster recovery without requiring immediate read access to the secondary copy.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think GRS is always the best for resilience, overlooking that the question specifies a single-region zone outage scenario, not a regional disaster.
✗RA-GRS, because it provides read access to the secondary region and is required for zone-level resilience.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
RA-GRS provides read access to a secondary region, but the question explicitly states that a secondary region is not required. The requirement is only for zone-level resilience within the same region, which ZRS fulfills.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
RA-GRS would be correct if the question required both zone-level resilience within a region AND read access to a secondary region for disaster recovery or compliance purposes, such as when auditors need read-only access to data in a geographically separate location.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse RA-GRS with ZRS, thinking that the 'R' in RA-GRS stands for 'zone' or that read-access geo-redundancy automatically includes zone-level protection, when in fact RA-GRS does not replicate across zones within the primary region.
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 ZRS with LRS, assuming that three copies in a single datacenter (LRS) are sufficient for zone-level resilience, when in fact LRS does not span availability zones and offers no protection against a full zone outage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ZRS uses synchronous replication across availability zones within the same region, achieving a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of zero and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) typically within minutes, as no data is lost during a zone failure. Under the hood, Azure distributes the three replicas across physically separate zones with independent power, cooling, and networking, ensuring that a single zone outage does not affect data durability. In a real-world scenario, if a finance application uses ZRS for invoice PDFs, it can continue serving read and write requests even if one zone experiences a disaster, without failing over to another 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.
Quick reference
Azure Blob Storage Tier Comparison
| Tier | Storage Cost | Retrieval Cost | Latency | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot | Highest | Lowest | Immediate | Active data, frequent reads |
| Cool | Lower | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / month |
| Cold | Lower still | Higher | Immediate | Data accessed < once / quarter |
| Archive | Lowest | Highest + rehydration delay | Hours | Long-term compliance retention |
What to study next
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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: ZRS, because it replicates data across zones in the same region and stays available through a zone outage. — B is correct because Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) synchronously replicates data across three Azure availability zones within the same region, ensuring that if one zone becomes unavailable, the data remains accessible from the other zones. This meets the business requirement of staying available during a zone outage without needing a secondary region for read access.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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