The correct answer is Azure Blob Storage with a lifecycle policy that moves data from Hot to Cool after 7 days. This solution directly addresses the need to minimize storage costs while preserving performance for frequently accessed images, because lifecycle management automates the transition between tiers based on age. The Hot tier delivers low-latency access during the first week of high demand, while the Cool tier drastically reduces storage costs for the remaining five years of rare access, satisfying both compliance retention and budget constraints. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of cost-optimized data lifecycle design, often appearing as a scenario where candidates mistakenly choose Archive or fail to set a precise transition rule. A common trap is assuming Archive is cheaper for long-term retention, but Cool is correct here because data is still accessed occasionally and requires lower retrieval costs than Archive. Memory tip: think “7 days hot, then cool off for compliance” to recall the Hot-to-Cool transition window.
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 stores petabytes of image files for a content delivery network. The images are accessed frequently for the first week, then rarely afterward. They must be retained for 5 years for compliance. The company wants to minimize storage costs while maintaining performance for frequently accessed data. Which storage solution and tier strategy should they recommend?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 a lifecycle policy: Hot for 7 days, Cool for the remainder of 5 years
Azure Blob Storage with a lifecycle policy is the correct solution because it automatically transitions blobs from the Hot tier (for frequent access during the first week) to the Cool tier (for rare access over the remaining 5 years), minimizing storage costs while maintaining low-latency performance for the initial high-access period. The Hot tier provides high throughput and low access costs for frequently read data, while the Cool tier offers lower storage costs for infrequently accessed data, meeting both performance and compliance retention requirements.
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 a lifecycle policy: Hot for 7 days, Cool for the remainder of 5 years
Why this is correct
Lifecycle management automates tier transitions, minimizing cost while keeping data accessible.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Files with premium tier
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files premium is costly and better suited for SMB shares, not bulk image storage with tiering.
✗
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 with hot tier only
Why it's wrong here
Keeping data in hot tier for 5 years would be expensive; lifecycle management should be used.
✗
Azure Blob Storage with archive tier from day 1
Why it's wrong here
Archive tier has high retrieval latency and cost, unsuitable for frequently accessed data in the first week.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose the Archive tier for long-term retention without considering the performance impact of frequent access during the first week, overlooking that Archive requires hours to rehydrate and incurs high read costs, making it unsuitable for the initial high-access period.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Blob Storage lifecycle management uses rules based on 'last modified' or 'created' timestamps to automatically move blobs between Hot, Cool, Cold, and Archive tiers without application changes. The Cool tier offers a lower storage cost (approx. $0.01/GB/month vs. $0.018/GB/month for Hot) but incurs a read penalty ($0.01/GB for data access), which is acceptable for rarely accessed data. For compliance, lifecycle policies can also trigger deletion after 5 years, but the question specifies retention, so the policy should only transition tiers, not delete.
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.
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 Blob Storage with a lifecycle policy: Hot for 7 days, Cool for the remainder of 5 years — Azure Blob Storage with a lifecycle policy is the correct solution because it automatically transitions blobs from the Hot tier (for frequent access during the first week) to the Cool tier (for rare access over the remaining 5 years), minimizing storage costs while maintaining low-latency performance for the initial high-access period. The Hot tier provides high throughput and low access costs for frequently read data, while the Cool tier offers lower storage costs for infrequently accessed data, meeting both performance and compliance retention requirements.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first", "minimum / minimize". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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