This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. 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 company is designing a data storage solution for a global e-commerce platform that requires low-latency access to product catalog data from multiple Azure regions. The data is read-heavy, with occasional updates. Which Azure data store should they recommend?
Azure Cache for Redis
Why wrong: Caching layer, not a persistent data store.
Azure Blob Storage
Why wrong: Not optimized for low-latency queries.
Azure SQL Database
Why wrong: Higher latency for global reads without geo-replication.
Azure Cosmos DB
Globally distributed, low-latency, multi-region reads.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Azure Cosmos DB
Azure Cosmos DB is the correct choice because it provides globally distributed, multi-region writes with tunable consistency levels and single-digit-millisecond latency for read-heavy workloads. Its ability to replicate data across Azure regions and serve reads from the nearest region directly addresses the requirement for low-latency global access to product catalog data with occasional updates.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Azure Cache for Redis
Why it's wrong here
Caching layer, not a persistent data store.
Azure Blob Storage
Why it's wrong here
Not optimized for low-latency queries.
Azure SQL Database
Why it's wrong here
Higher latency for global reads without geo-replication.
Azure Cosmos DB
Why this is correct
Globally distributed, low-latency, multi-region reads.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often choose Azure Cache for Redis (Option A) because they associate low-latency with caching, but fail to recognize that the question requires a durable, globally distributed primary data store, not a cache layer that depends on an underlying database.
Detailed technical explanation
Azure Cosmos DB achieves global low-latency reads through its multi-homing API and automatic replication across any number of Azure regions, using a write-optimized, log-structured index tree (LSM) and a quorum-based replication protocol. The consistency level can be tuned from strong to eventual, allowing trade-offs between latency and staleness; for a read-heavy catalog, 'bounded staleness' or 'session' consistency often provides the best balance. In a real-world scenario, a global e-commerce platform would configure Cosmos DB with multiple read regions and use the SDK's direct connectivity mode to route queries to the nearest endpoint, achieving p99 latencies under 10 ms.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Design data storage solutions — This question tests Design data storage solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Azure Cosmos DB — Azure Cosmos DB is the correct choice because it provides globally distributed, multi-region writes with tunable consistency levels and single-digit-millisecond latency for read-heavy workloads. Its ability to replicate data across Azure regions and serve reads from the nearest region directly addresses the requirement for low-latency global access to product catalog data with occasional updates.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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