The answer is immutable storage with a time-based retention policy. This feature enforces a WORM (Write Once, Read Many) model that locks blobs for a specified duration—in this case, 7 years—preventing any modification or deletion, even by administrators with elevated privileges. On the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of data protection and compliance controls, often appearing as a distractor against soft-delete or legal hold options. A common trap is confusing legal hold (which has no expiry) with time-based retention (which has a defined period). Remember the key distinction: time-based retention is for fixed-term regulatory holds, while legal hold is for indefinite litigation. Memory tip: think “7-year lockbox” for time-based retention—once set, the data is sealed until the timer runs out.
AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
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 financial company must store customer transaction records in Azure Blob Storage. Regulatory requirements mandate that the records must not be modified or deleted for 7 years. Even administrators must be unable to alter or remove the blobs during this period. Which Azure Blob Storage feature should they enable?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Immutable storage with time-based retention policy
Immutable storage with a time-based retention policy (WORM – Write Once, Read Many) ensures that blobs cannot be modified or deleted for a specified duration, even by administrators. This directly satisfies the 7-year regulatory requirement by locking the data at the storage level, overriding any delete or write operations.
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.
✓
Immutable storage with time-based retention policy
Why this is correct
Correct. A time-based retention policy enforces WORM for a fixed period, satisfying the 7-year regulatory requirement.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Legal hold
Why it's wrong here
Legal hold is indefinite and must be manually removed. It does not provide a fixed time-based retention.
✗
Soft delete
Why it's wrong here
Soft delete helps recover deleted blobs but does not prevent initial deletion or modification.
✗
Versioning
Why it's wrong here
Versioning preserves previous versions but does not prevent the current version from being updated or deleted.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse soft delete or versioning with immutable storage, not realizing that only WORM policies (time-based retention or legal hold) provide true, administrator-proof immutability for a defined period.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Time-based retention policies in Azure Blob Storage use a container-level or policy-level WORM lock that, once committed, cannot be removed or shortened. The policy is enforced by the Azure Storage service at the platform level, intercepting all write and delete requests to the blob, including those from the storage account owner or Azure RBAC administrators. This is distinct from legal hold, which is an indefinite tag that can be removed at any time by an authorized user.
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: Immutable storage with time-based retention policy — Immutable storage with a time-based retention policy (WORM – Write Once, Read Many) ensures that blobs cannot be modified or deleted for a specified duration, even by administrators. This directly satisfies the 7-year regulatory requirement by locking the data at the storage level, overriding any delete or write operations.
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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Question Discussion
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