This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 needs to store immutable audit logs for regulatory compliance. The logs must be stored in a write-once, read-many (WORM) state for 7 years. Which Azure storage feature should be used?
Azure Blob Storage immutable storage with time-based retention
Enforces WORM for a specified retention period.
Azure SQL Database temporal tables
Why wrong: Tracks historical versions, not WORM.
Azure Blob Storage change feed
Why wrong: Tracks changes, does not enforce immutability.
Azure Blob Storage soft delete
Why wrong: Allows recovery, not immutability.
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 Blob Storage immutable storage with time-based retention
Azure Blob Storage immutable storage with time-based retention enforces a WORM (Write Once, Read Many) state, preventing logs from being modified or deleted for a specified retention period. This directly meets the regulatory requirement to store audit logs immutably for 7 years, as the policy locks the data at the container or blob level and cannot be removed until the retention interval expires.
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 Blob Storage immutable storage with time-based retention
Why this is correct
Enforces WORM for a specified retention period.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Azure SQL Database temporal tables
Why it's wrong here
Tracks historical versions, not WORM.
Azure Blob Storage change feed
Why it's wrong here
Tracks changes, does not enforce immutability.
Azure Blob Storage soft delete
Why it's wrong here
Allows recovery, not immutability.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse soft delete or change feed with immutable storage, not realizing that only immutable storage enforces a true WORM state that prevents both deletion and overwriting, which is required for regulatory compliance.
Detailed technical explanation
Immutable storage uses a time-based retention policy that sets a retention interval in seconds, and once applied, no user—including subscription administrators—can delete or overwrite the blobs until the interval expires. The policy is enforced at the storage account level via a legal hold or time-based retention, and the retention period cannot be shortened after it is set, ensuring compliance with regulations like SEC 17a-4 or FINRA. In a real-world scenario, if a company needs to store logs for exactly 7 years, the time-based retention policy must be configured with a retention period of 2,555 days (7 years * 365 days), and any attempt to delete the container will fail with a 409 (Conflict) error.
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 Blob Storage immutable storage with time-based retention — Azure Blob Storage immutable storage with time-based retention enforces a WORM (Write Once, Read Many) state, preventing logs from being modified or deleted for a specified retention period. This directly meets the regulatory requirement to store audit logs immutably for 7 years, as the policy locks the data at the container or blob level and cannot be removed until the retention interval expires.
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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