The answer is Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, which is the correct choice because it uniquely combines a hierarchical namespace with POSIX ACLs and native NFS 3.0 protocol support, enabling high-throughput parallel reads for large files in a directory structure while maintaining fine-grained permissions. This fully managed service is purpose-built for big data analytics workloads, directly addressing the requirement for POSIX-like access control and NFS 3.0 connectivity without needing custom gateways. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between Azure Blob Storage (flat namespace, no POSIX ACLs) and ADLS Gen2, which adds the hierarchical namespace and ACL support; a common trap is choosing Blob Storage with NFS enabled, but it lacks the POSIX ACLs and directory-level permissions required. Memory tip: think of ADLS Gen2 as “Blob Storage plus a file system” — the “2” reminds you it adds the two missing pieces: a hierarchical namespace and POSIX ACLs.
AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
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 runs a custom analytics application that reads data using the NFS 3.0 protocol. The data consists of large files organized in a directory structure. The application also requires POSIX-like access control lists (ACLs) for fine-grained permissions. The solution must be fully managed and support high throughput for parallel reads. Which Azure data service should they use?
Why wrong: Standard Azure Blob Storage does not support a hierarchical namespace or POSIX ACLs, and NFS access is not natively available without ADLS Gen2.
B
Azure Files
Why wrong: Azure Files supports SMB and NFS 4.1, but not NFS 3.0, and is designed for file shares rather than large-scale analytics workloads.
C
Azure NetApp Files
Why wrong: Azure NetApp Files supports NFS 3.0 and ACLs, but it is a premium file service for enterprise applications, not specifically optimized as a data lake for analytics workloads.
D
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
ADLS Gen2 provides a hierarchical namespace, POSIX ACLs, and supports NFS 3.0 access, making it ideal for analytics applications that require these features at cloud scale.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) is the correct choice because it combines a hierarchical namespace with POSIX-like ACLs and supports the NFS 3.0 protocol for high-throughput parallel reads. It is fully managed and designed for big data analytics workloads that require fine-grained permissions and directory structure management.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 Blob Storage
Why it's wrong here
Standard Azure Blob Storage does not support a hierarchical namespace or POSIX ACLs, and NFS access is not natively available without ADLS Gen2.
✗
Azure Files
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files supports SMB and NFS 4.1, but not NFS 3.0, and is designed for file shares rather than large-scale analytics workloads.
✗
Azure NetApp Files
Why it's wrong here
Azure NetApp Files supports NFS 3.0 and ACLs, but it is a premium file service for enterprise applications, not specifically optimized as a data lake for analytics workloads.
✓
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
Why this is correct
ADLS Gen2 provides a hierarchical namespace, POSIX ACLs, and supports NFS 3.0 access, making it ideal for analytics applications that require these features at cloud scale.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Files (which supports NFS but only version 4.1) with the NFS 3.0 requirement, or they overlook that Azure NetApp Files, while technically capable, is not the fully managed, high-throughput parallel read solution optimized for analytics that ADLS Gen2 provides.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ADLS Gen2 implements a hierarchical namespace on top of Azure Blob Storage, enabling directory-level operations and POSIX-compliant ACLs (including read, write, and execute permissions for owner, group, and others). It supports NFS 3.0 via the Blob NFS endpoint, which allows parallel reads from multiple clients, achieving high throughput by leveraging Azure's distributed storage architecture. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for analytics workloads like Apache Spark or Hive that require concurrent access to large datasets with fine-grained security.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design data storage solutions — This question tests Design data storage solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 — Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) is the correct choice because it combines a hierarchical namespace with POSIX-like ACLs and supports the NFS 3.0 protocol for high-throughput parallel reads. It is fully managed and designed for big data analytics workloads that require fine-grained permissions and directory structure management.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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