- A
Add additional standard HDD disks and configure a storage pool with simple (striping) layout
Why wrong: Standard HDDs have low IOPS and throughput even when striped, and unlikely to meet performance needs for a write-intensive log.
- B
Replace the standard HDD disk with a premium SSD disk for the log drive
Premium SSDs offer significantly higher IOPS and throughput, directly improving log write performance.
- C
Add a premium SSD disk and configure a storage space with mirroring for the log drive
Why wrong: Mirroring reduces usable capacity and write performance is not as high as a single disk for log (which is sequential). A single premium SSD is simpler and more cost-effective.
- D
Use Azure Disk Encryption to improve performance
Why wrong: Azure Disk Encryption encrypts the disk but does not improve I/O performance; it may add slight overhead.
AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 SQL Server database on an Azure virtual machine. They need to increase the storage capacity and improve I/O performance for their transaction log. The current data disk is a standard HDD. They want to achieve higher IOPS and throughput without increasing the size of the VM (the VM size supports up to 8 data disks). The database workload is write-intensive on the transaction log. Which configuration should they implement?
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
Replace the standard HDD disk with a premium SSD disk for the log drive
Option B is correct because replacing the standard HDD with a premium SSD directly addresses the need for higher IOPS and throughput for a write-intensive transaction log. Premium SSDs provide consistent low-latency performance and significantly higher IOPS/throughput compared to standard HDDs, without requiring a VM size change. Since the VM supports up to 8 data disks, a single premium SSD can meet the performance requirements more effectively than adding more HDDs.
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.
- ✗
Add additional standard HDD disks and configure a storage pool with simple (striping) layout
Why it's wrong here
Standard HDDs have low IOPS and throughput even when striped, and unlikely to meet performance needs for a write-intensive log.
- ✓
Replace the standard HDD disk with a premium SSD disk for the log drive
Why this is correct
Premium SSDs offer significantly higher IOPS and throughput, directly improving log write performance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Add a premium SSD disk and configure a storage space with mirroring for the log drive
Why it's wrong here
Mirroring reduces usable capacity and write performance is not as high as a single disk for log (which is sequential). A single premium SSD is simpler and more cost-effective.
- ✗
Use Azure Disk Encryption to improve performance
Why it's wrong here
Azure Disk Encryption encrypts the disk but does not improve I/O performance; it may add slight overhead.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think striping (Option A) or mirroring (Option C) with premium disks is needed for performance, but for a single transaction log file, a single premium SSD is sufficient and simpler, while mirroring adds unnecessary write overhead and striping with HDDs still yields poor IOPS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Premium SSDs use SSDs backed by solid-state drives in Azure, offering up to 20,000 IOPS and 900 MB/s throughput per disk (depending on size), while standard HDDs max out at 500 IOPS and 60 MB/s. For a write-intensive transaction log, low write latency is critical because SQL Server uses write-ahead logging (WAL) and must flush log records to disk before acknowledging a transaction commit. A single premium SSD provides the necessary performance without the complexity of storage spaces or the performance penalty of mirroring.
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
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: Replace the standard HDD disk with a premium SSD disk for the log drive — Option B is correct because replacing the standard HDD with a premium SSD directly addresses the need for higher IOPS and throughput for a write-intensive transaction log. Premium SSDs provide consistent low-latency performance and significantly higher IOPS/throughput compared to standard HDDs, without requiring a VM size change. Since the VM supports up to 8 data disks, a single premium SSD can meet the performance requirements more effectively than adding more HDDs.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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