AZ-204 Develop Azure compute solutions Practice Question
You need to run a batch job every night that processes data from Azure Blob Storage and writes results to Azure SQL Database. The job may run for up to 2 hours. Which Azure service should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates choose Azure Functions (Consumption plan) for batch jobs because of its serverless appeal, but they overlook the strict 10-minute execution timeout, which makes it impossible for a 2-hour job without switching to the Premium plan or using Durable Functions.
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
✓
Azure Container Instances.
Azure Container Instances (ACI) is the correct choice because it allows you to run a containerized batch job on-demand without managing underlying infrastructure. The job's duration of up to 2 hours fits well within ACI's default timeout of 60 minutes (configurable up to 24 hours), and you can trigger it nightly via a scheduler like Azure Logic Apps or a timer-triggered Azure Function. ACI provides fast startup, per-second billing, and direct access to Azure Blob Storage and SQL Database via connection strings or managed identities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure Logic Apps.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Logic Apps are designed for orchestrating workflows and integrating services using a visual designer and connectors, not for executing custom, potentially long-running batch processing code directly. While they can trigger custom code via Azure Functions, their primary purpose is flow control and integration, and they impose action limits and run duration limits that make them inefficient or unsuitable for a substantial, dedicated data processing batch job.
- ✗
Azure Batch.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Batch is optimized for executing large-scale parallel and high-performance computing (HPC) applications across a managed cluster of virtual machines. For a single 'batch job' that processes data, Azure Batch introduces unnecessary complexity and overhead in managing compute pools and job scheduling infrastructure. It is overkill and less cost-effective when the scenario doesn't explicitly demand massive parallelism or a dedicated cluster for distributed processing.
- ✗
Azure Functions (Consumption plan).
Why it's wrong here
Azure Functions on the Consumption plan are excellent for event-driven, serverless execution of small, stateless code snippets, scaling automatically based on demand. However, a critical limitation for a batch job that processes data is the maximum execution duration, which is 10 minutes (with a default timeout of 5 minutes). If the data processing job requires more time to complete, the function will be terminated, making it unsuitable for potentially long-running batch operations.
- ✓
Azure Container Instances.
Why this is correct
Azure Container Instances (ACI) provides a serverless platform to run Docker containers directly, eliminating the need to manage underlying virtual machines or orchestrators like Kubernetes. It is ideal for executing single, isolated, and potentially long-running batch jobs, as containers can run for extended durations, typically up to 24 hours. ACI offers a simple, cost-effective, and on-demand compute solution for running a nightly batch job by providing dedicated resources for a containerized application.
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.