The correct answer is to move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days, to Archive tier after 90 days, and delete after 7 years. This policy minimizes costs by aligning Azure Blob Storage lifecycle management with the data’s access pattern: blobs are moved to the lower-cost Cool tier once infrequent access begins after the first month, then transitioned to the cheapest Archive tier for long-term retention, and finally permanently deleted at the regulatory deadline. On the AZ-204 exam, this scenario tests your ability to apply lifecycle management policy retention rules to meet compliance while optimizing storage expenditure—a common trap is choosing a policy that deletes too early or fails to tier down, wasting money on hot storage for cold data. Remember the memory tip: “30-90-7” (Cool at 30 days, Archive at 90, delete at 7 years) to quickly recall the optimal cost-saving sequence for long-term retention requirements.
AZ-204 Develop for Azure storage Practice Question
This AZ-204 practice question tests your understanding of develop for azure 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.
You are a developer for a healthcare company that stores patient diagnostic images in Azure Blob Storage. The images are uploaded by medical devices and must be retained for 7 years due to regulatory requirements. After 7 years, the data must be permanently deleted. The images are accessed infrequently after the first month. You need to design a storage lifecycle management policy to minimize costs while meeting compliance. The storage account uses general-purpose v2 with LRS. The container is named 'diagnostics'. Which of the following policies should you implement?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days, move to Archive tier after 90 days, and delete after 7 years.
Option B is correct because it aligns with the access pattern: blobs are moved to the Cool tier after 30 days (when infrequent access begins), then to the Archive tier after 90 days for long-term, low-cost storage, and finally deleted after 7 years to meet regulatory retention and deletion requirements. This minimizes costs by using the most cost-effective tier for each stage of the data lifecycle.
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.
✗
Move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days, and delete after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
Deletion after 30 days does not meet 7-year retention.
✓
Move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days, move to Archive tier after 90 days, and delete after 7 years.
Why this is correct
Optimizes cost by using Cool for infrequent access, Archive for long-term retention, and deletion after compliance period.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Move blobs to Archive tier immediately after upload, and delete after 7 years.
Why it's wrong here
Archive tier has high retrieval cost and latency for first-month access.
✗
Move blobs to Cool tier after 1 year, and delete after 7 years.
Why it's wrong here
Misses opportunity to reduce costs for data that is infrequently accessed after the first month.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Option C thinking Archive is cheapest immediately, but they overlook the early deletion penalty and the fact that data is accessed frequently in the first month, making Cool tier more appropriate initially.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Blob Storage lifecycle management policies evaluate rules based on the last modification time of the blob. The Archive tier has a 180-day early deletion penalty (prorated cost), so moving blobs there too soon can incur extra charges if deleted before 180 days. The Cool tier is optimized for data accessed less than once per month, while Archive is for data accessed less than once per year, making the 30-day Cool then 90-day Archive transition cost-optimal for this scenario.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-204 question in full detail.
Develop for Azure storage — This question tests Develop for Azure storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days, move to Archive tier after 90 days, and delete after 7 years. — Option B is correct because it aligns with the access pattern: blobs are moved to the Cool tier after 30 days (when infrequent access begins), then to the Archive tier after 90 days for long-term, low-cost storage, and finally deleted after 7 years to meet regulatory retention and deletion requirements. This minimizes costs by using the most cost-effective tier for each stage of the data lifecycle.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 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: "first", "minimum / minimize". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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