You design an application that writes millions of small sensor readings (each ~100 bytes) to Azure Blob Storage. The data is appended to files every minute and after 7 days it is archived for compliance. You need to minimize write costs and storage costs. Which blob type and tier strategy should you use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Block blobs with Hot tier and a lifecycle rule to move to Cool after 7 days.
Block blobs require creating new blocks for each append, which is inefficient for frequent small appends; Cool after 7 days is not the cheapest long-term option.
Best answer
Append blobs with Hot tier and a lifecycle rule to move to Archive after 7 days.
Append blobs are ideal for append-heavy workloads, Hot tier optimizes write performance, and Archive provides the lowest cost for compliance data not accessed frequently.
Distractor review
Page blobs with Premium tier.
Page blobs are for VHDs and random read/write patterns, not append; Premium tier is expensive and not needed for this scenario.
Distractor review
Append blobs with Cool tier and no lifecycle rule.
Cool tier has lower storage but higher write costs; without lifecycle, data remains in Cool tier, which is more expensive than Archive for long-term retention.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
Related practice questions
Related AZ-204 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
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Question 5
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Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-204 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Append blobs with Hot tier and a lifecycle rule to move to Archive after 7 days. — Append blobs are optimized for append operations like logging. Hot tier for active writes, then a lifecycle rule moves to Archive after 7 days for low-cost long-term retention, minimizing both write and storage costs.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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