AZ-204 Develop for Azure storage Practice Question
You need to store terabytes of archival data that must be retained for 10 years. The data is accessed once or twice per year. You need to minimize storage costs. Which Azure Storage tier should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'infrequent access' with 'archival access' and pick the Cool tier, forgetting that the Archive tier is specifically designed for data accessed only a few times per year and offers significantly lower storage costs for long-term retention.
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
✓
Archive
The Archive tier is designed for data that is rarely accessed (a few times per year or less) and has a flexible retrieval latency of several hours, making it ideal for long-term retention of terabytes of archival data for 10 years at the lowest storage cost. It offers the lowest per-GB storage price among Azure Blob Storage tiers, directly meeting the requirement to minimize costs for infrequently accessed data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cool
Why it's wrong here
The Cool access tier is optimized for infrequently accessed data that is stored for at least 30 days, typically accessed once a month or less. While it offers lower storage costs than the Hot tier, its storage cost is significantly higher than the Archive tier. For terabytes of long-term archival data with rare access requirements over a decade, the Cool tier would incur unnecessary expenses compared to the most cost-effective solution.
- ✗
Hot
Why it's wrong here
The Hot access tier is designed for frequently accessed data, offering the lowest access costs but the highest storage costs among the standard tiers. Storing terabytes of archival data, which by definition is rarely accessed, in the Hot tier would be prohibitively expensive due to its premium storage rates. This tier is unsuitable for long-term retention of data that is not actively used.
- ✓
Archive
Why this is correct
The Archive access tier is specifically engineered for long-term data retention, offering the absolute lowest storage costs in Azure Blob Storage. It is ideal for data that can tolerate several hours of retrieval latency, making it perfect for terabytes of archival data that must be retained for a decade with infrequent access requirements. This tier provides the most cost-effective solution for meeting long-term compliance and backup needs.
- ✗
Premium
Why it's wrong here
The Premium performance tier is designed for high-performance workloads requiring very low and consistent latency, utilizing solid-state drives (SSDs). While it offers superior performance, its storage costs are significantly higher than any of the standard access tiers. For terabytes of archival data that will be rarely accessed over a 10-year period, the high cost of Premium storage is completely unwarranted and economically unfeasible.
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 |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-204 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-204 exam.