- A
Azure Blob Storage with geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why wrong: Incorrect. GRS provides a secondary region for failover, but data cannot be read from the secondary unless a failover occurs, so it does not support low-latency global reads.
- B
Azure Blob Storage with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Correct. RA-GRS replicates data to a secondary region and provides a read-only endpoint, allowing low-latency reads from the secondary region without the cost of premium storage.
- C
Azure Files with premium shares
Why wrong: Incorrect. Premium Azure Files provide high performance but are cost-prohibitive for large-scale unstructured data and do not natively offer geo-replication for global reads.
- D
Azure NetApp Files
Why wrong: Incorrect. Azure NetApp Files is an enterprise-grade file share service that is expensive and not optimized for cost-effective global read access of unstructured data.
Quick Answer
The answer is Azure Blob Storage with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) because it provides both geo-redundant durability and low-latency global reads by allowing read requests to be served from the secondary region without incurring additional compute costs. RA-GRS replicates data asynchronously to a paired secondary region, and unlike standard GRS, it enables direct read access to that secondary copy, which is essential for a multinational company that writes primarily in one region but needs fast reads from multiple global locations while keeping costs optimized. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to match replication strategies to global read patterns and cost constraints, often with a trap where candidates choose read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS) unnecessarily—RA-GRS is sufficient here because the secondary region is a single paired region, not a zone. Remember the mnemonic: “Write once, read globally—RA-GRS serves the secondary locally.”
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 multinational company stores large amounts of unstructured data (documents, images) that must be read with low latency from multiple global regions. Data is written primarily in one region but read globally. Cost optimization is a key requirement. Which Azure storage replication option should they use?
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 Blob Storage with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
B is correct because RA-GRS provides geo-redundant storage with read access to the secondary region, enabling low-latency reads from multiple global regions while maintaining cost efficiency. The data is written primarily in one region, but RA-GRS allows read requests to be served from the secondary region without additional compute costs, meeting the global read requirement.
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 with geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. GRS provides a secondary region for failover, but data cannot be read from the secondary unless a failover occurs, so it does not support low-latency global reads.
- ✓
Azure Blob Storage with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Why this is correct
Correct. RA-GRS replicates data to a secondary region and provides a read-only endpoint, allowing low-latency reads from the secondary region without the cost of premium storage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Files with premium shares
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Premium Azure Files provide high performance but are cost-prohibitive for large-scale unstructured data and do not natively offer geo-replication for global reads.
- ✗
Azure NetApp Files
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Azure NetApp Files is an enterprise-grade file share service that is expensive and not optimized for cost-effective global read access of unstructured data.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse GRS with RA-GRS, assuming geo-redundancy alone provides read access to the secondary region, but GRS requires a manual failover to enable reads, while RA-GRS allows reads from the secondary region at all times.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
RA-GRS replicates data asynchronously to a paired secondary region, and the read-access endpoint (e.g., https://<storage-account>-secondary.blob.core.windows.net) allows clients to read from the secondary region even during normal operations, not just during failover. This is achieved by enabling the 'Read-access geo-redundant storage' property at the storage account level, which creates a separate endpoint for the secondary region. In a real-world scenario, a company with users in Europe and Asia can write data to a primary region in the US and serve reads from the secondary region in Europe, reducing latency without deploying additional storage.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design data storage solutions — study guide chapter
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Design data storage solutions practice questions
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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: Azure Blob Storage with read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS) — B is correct because RA-GRS provides geo-redundant storage with read access to the secondary region, enabling low-latency reads from multiple global regions while maintaining cost efficiency. The data is written primarily in one region, but RA-GRS allows read requests to be served from the secondary region without additional compute costs, meeting the global read requirement.
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
This AZ-305 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-305 exam.
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