- A
Configure a lifecycle management policy to move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days and to Archive tier after 120 days. Apply a time-based retention policy with a retention period of 2,555 days and lock it.
A locked time-based retention policy on the container ensures that blobs cannot be deleted or overwritten for the specified duration (7 years = 2555 days). Lifecycle management moves blobs to cost-efficient tiers. Locking prevents bypass.
- B
Enable soft delete and versioning on the storage account, and use a custom script to delete blobs after 7 years. Manually move blobs to Cool and Archive tiers using Azure PowerShell.
Why wrong: Soft delete and versioning do not prevent all modifications and can be bypassed by administrators with proper permissions. Manual tier changes are not automated and may fail sporadically.
- C
Set each blob's access tier to Cool on upload, then manually change to Archive after 30 days. Enable Azure Backup on the storage account for retention.
Why wrong: Manual tier management is not scalable and prone to human error. Azure Backup does not enforce immutability or automatically transition tiers. It only provides recovery points.
- D
Apply a legal hold on the container to prevent deletion, and configure a lifecycle policy to move blobs to Archive after 30 days.
Why wrong: Legal hold does not prevent modifications, only deletion. Also, it must be removed manually after 7 years. The scenario requires both deletion and modification protection for the full period.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure a lifecycle management policy to move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days and to Archive tier after 120 days, then apply a time-based retention policy with a locked retention period of 2,555 days. This combination directly addresses the need for immutable storage WORM retention policy because the locked time-based retention policy enforces a write-once-read-many (WORM) state, preventing any modification or deletion—even by administrators—for the full 7-year compliance window. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to pair lifecycle management with immutable storage to balance cost optimization against strict regulatory requirements; a common trap is choosing a legal hold instead of a locked time-based policy, but legal hold lacks a defined retention period and cannot be locked to prevent bypass. The lifecycle tiers handle the cost aspect by automatically moving data from Hot to Cool to Archive as access patterns shift, while the locked policy ensures compliance. Memory tip: think "Lifecycle for cost, Locked retention for compliance"—the 2,555 days is simply 7 years (365 x 7) minus leap days, so remember "7 years, 2.5K days."
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 company needs to store large amounts of unstructured data (log files) for analytics. The data is accessed frequently for the first 30 days, then occasionally for the next 90 days, and rarely after that but must be retained for 7 years for compliance. The data must not be modified or deleted during the retention period, and administrative access must not be able to bypass this restriction. They want to minimize storage costs. Which combination of Azure Blob Storage features should they configure?
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 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
Configure a lifecycle management policy to move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days and to Archive tier after 120 days. Apply a time-based retention policy with a retention period of 2,555 days and lock it.
Option A is correct because it combines a lifecycle management policy to automatically transition blobs from Hot to Cool after 30 days and to Archive after 120 days, minimizing storage costs. The time-based retention policy with a locked retention period of 2,555 days (7 years) ensures that blobs cannot be modified or deleted during the retention period, and locking the policy prevents administrative bypass, meeting the compliance 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.
- ✓
Configure a lifecycle management policy to move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days and to Archive tier after 120 days. Apply a time-based retention policy with a retention period of 2,555 days and lock it.
Why this is correct
A locked time-based retention policy on the container ensures that blobs cannot be deleted or overwritten for the specified duration (7 years = 2555 days). Lifecycle management moves blobs to cost-efficient tiers. Locking prevents bypass.
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.
- ✗
Enable soft delete and versioning on the storage account, and use a custom script to delete blobs after 7 years. Manually move blobs to Cool and Archive tiers using Azure PowerShell.
Why it's wrong here
Soft delete and versioning do not prevent all modifications and can be bypassed by administrators with proper permissions. Manual tier changes are not automated and may fail sporadically.
- ✗
Set each blob's access tier to Cool on upload, then manually change to Archive after 30 days. Enable Azure Backup on the storage account for retention.
Why it's wrong here
Manual tier management is not scalable and prone to human error. Azure Backup does not enforce immutability or automatically transition tiers. It only provides recovery points.
- ✗
Apply a legal hold on the container to prevent deletion, and configure a lifecycle policy to move blobs to Archive after 30 days.
Why it's wrong here
Legal hold does not prevent modifications, only deletion. Also, it must be removed manually after 7 years. The scenario requires both deletion and modification protection for the full period.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse soft delete or legal hold with immutable retention policies, not realizing that only a locked time-based retention policy provides true WORM protection that cannot be bypassed by administrators.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Legal hold does not prevent modifications, only deletion. Also, it must be removed manually after 7 years. The scenario requires both deletion and modification protection for the full period.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The time-based retention policy in Azure Blob Storage is part of the immutable blob storage feature, which enforces WORM (Write Once, Read Many) compliance. When the policy is locked, the retention period cannot be shortened, and even storage account administrators cannot delete or overwrite blobs until the retention period expires. Lifecycle management policies operate independently of immutability, allowing automatic tier transitions while respecting the retention lock, ensuring cost optimization without compromising compliance.
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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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: Configure a lifecycle management policy to move blobs to Cool tier after 30 days and to Archive tier after 120 days. Apply a time-based retention policy with a retention period of 2,555 days and lock it. — Option A is correct because it combines a lifecycle management policy to automatically transition blobs from Hot to Cool after 30 days and to Archive after 120 days, minimizing storage costs. The time-based retention policy with a locked retention period of 2,555 days (7 years) ensures that blobs cannot be modified or deleted during the retention period, and locking the policy prevents administrative bypass, meeting the compliance 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.
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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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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